2019 Candidates

Corin Buskey

SC House of representatives - District 45

Corin Buskey is the daughter of Mrs. Barbara Brewer and the late Marion Brewer of Cope, SC and is the grand-daughter of the
late Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Kinard of Columbia SC. She is a graduate of Gardner-Webb University and Central-Piedmont
Community College, and has also attended Coker College where she majored in English and Communications.
After obtaining her education Corin, pursued a professional career in Corporate America as a Business Banker and Quality
Analyst. She is active in her community and has served as Vice-President of Membership Services for Toast Masters
International, an income tax assistance volunteer, in The Junior Women’s League, as a public school volunteer, in the Black
Professional Organization, in Habitat for Humanity, in the Salvation Army, in Samitarians Purse and Samaritans Feet, in Home
Instead Senior Care, and in the Second Harvest Food Bank. She is a member of Calvary Church where she sings in the choir.
Corin believes that leadership begins by having true compassion and a great understanding of the needs of the citizens of York
and Lancaster Counties. She is especially interested in the needs of senior citizens, our brave veterans and the future generation
of our children. If elected, she will strive diligently to serve with a servant’s heart and to work with both Democrats and
Republicans to seek solutions to the very real problems that we all face.
She is committing herself to building a bridge so that Democrats and Republicans can unite for a common cause to help the
good people of Lancaster and York counties. A house divided against itself cannot stand. She says, “ We have to get serious
about the business of solving problems. We do not have time for pettiness and counter- productive actions. Instead, we must
protect and serve the best interest of the citizens of York and Lancaster counties. My priorities will be creating good jobs,
improving our roads, protecting Social Security and Medicare, Veteran Services, making health care affordable for all
Americans, raising the minimum wage, fixing our broken education system, raising teacher pay to the national average, and
fighting for better pay and better benefits for all citizens.”
She says, “ I am reminded of the lessons learned from two of America’s greatest presidents. John Fitzgerald Kennedy said, ‘Ask
not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” and the late great Ronald Reagan said, ‘ The

greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest
things.”

Archie Parnell

US Congress - SC District Five

From ArchieParnell.com:

A South Carolina native, Archie graduated from Sumter High School and earned bachelor and law degrees from the University of South Carolina. He worked as a tax attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice and for the House Ways & Means Committee under Democratic leadership. Archie then accumulated business and international experience while working for some of the biggest American companies.

But for Archie, growing up in a South Carolina military family defined his values. His dad grew up in an orphanage in York and then became a decorated World War II veteran. His mom raised Archie and his brother, and helped neighbors with their taxes, which inspired Archie’s education and career path.

Archie’s parents taught him the values of service, respect, hard work, and the need to bring people together to solve problems. Those are the values that made Archie effective in his career – and what he will bring to Washington.

Archie is running for Congress because Washington is not solving the real problems that are hurting middle class families. As a tax expert, he will work with both parties to close loopholes that allow giant companies to keep untaxed profits overseas – and use that money to cut taxes for families, repair and improve South Carolina infrastructure, and create jobs. He believes that cutting taxes for families and simplifying them for businesses will attract jobs to South Carolina again.

The combination of the skills he gained in his long career combined with an approach that has always emphasized thoughtfulness and civility make Archie uniquely qualified to be the next Democratic representative from South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District. He will bring a focus to constituent service that people of the district deserve.

In 2017, Archie ran in the special election to replace the seat vacated by Mick Mulvaney, where he narrowly lost by fewer than 3,000 votes.

Archie came the closest of all of the 2017 congressional special election candidates, closing the gap from 16 points to just 3, making this not only the best performance by a Democrat in the special elections, but the closest congressional race in South Carolina in 20 years.

Politico called his campaign "the best political campaign of 2017" and Vice.com may have put it best: "it’s hard to look at Parnell’s performance in the special and conclude that he can’t win."

Archie and his wife, Sarah, live in Sumter. They have two adult daughters, Lydia and Julia.

CHeck out these videos from the parnell campaign:

Mark Ali

US Congress - SC District Five

From MarkAliforCongress.com

My name is Mark Ali. I’m a father, husband, and an immigrant from Suriname (Guyanese born). With your support, I will be the next Representative of South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District.

I am proud to have worked my way into living the American Dream. My ultimate goal is to ensure that each American citizen has the opportunity to do so as well. I am running for Congress so that all South Carolinians will have the same opportunity. Our children are inheriting a world more dangerous, more difficult, and more inequitable than ever before. Working class families like mine are on the decline, often living paycheck to paycheck. We are one emergency – car breakdown, roof repair, hospital visit – from falling permanently behind. This is not the America that I came to love and adore.

I came to America when I was 18 years old with a new vision for my future, and a mustard size seed of hope. I had no plans, no special talents or money upon arrival. The only certainty was that I had to depart Suriname in order to provide a better and brighter future for myself and my family. As an undocumented immigrant, I never took any opportunities for granted – I hustled! I worked odd jobs in New York City. I worked long hours for low pay and no benefits. I worked as a stable boy, washed dishes, became a cook, and then moved up to head cook. I learned rather quickly that moving up doesn’t directly always correlate with how hard you are willing to work. I went back to school to obtain my G.E.D., found a job with the City, and worked full-time through college while earning a degree in paralegal studies. To be honest, the hard work gauge keeps moving upwards, while compensation moves downwards. I carried this lesson with me throughout the years, and have noticed how much of a lingering problem it has become.

Steve Lough

US Congress - District Five

From ClownforCongress.com

My name is Steve Lough and I’m running for Congress in South Carolina’s 5th District! Yes, I am a clown…a real, professional clown…an ex-Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus clown. Born and raised in Camden, SC, graduated from Dartmouth College, then graduated from Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Clown College. Worked for Ringling Bros. B&B Circus for many years, Kinoshita Circus in Japan for 3 years, and for the last 10 years I performed 45 minute anti-bullying school shows all over eastern NC from Chapel Hill to Ocracoke, sponsored by McDonalds.

I volunteered for the Obama campaign in ‘08 and ‘12…but I really found my heart in listening to Bernie Sanders in ’16 talk about Single Payer Healthcare. My wife is Japanese (she also was a clown for Ringling Bros. Circus…she wore a kimono costume and folded a giant paper crane at intermission) and her father could not believe that the USA is so far behind in healthcare. He feels sorry for the people who need help in our nation. So that’s one reason I’m running for Congress.

I’m also running because of what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School. We were doing two anti-bullying shows on Camp Lejeune, Tarawa Terrace Elementary (I think that was the name of the school) and we didn’t hear any news until the shows were over and we were out on the highway going home. I regularly use 6 year old volunteers in this show, and for the next 6 months, I had flashbacks and nightmares imagining what happened to those kids. I found out the ringmaster, Jonathan Lee Iverson, went to Hartford music school with Jimmy Greene, the father of Ana, one of the victims. An old clown friend went to high school with the principal of Sandy Hook. An older black woman in the senior center gym I went to in Benson, NC told me her daughter went to college with the teacher Victoria Soto. My cousin’s daughter was on the floor and knew the counselor who was one of the first victims at Virginia Tech…Every family in America is being touched by gun violence in some way…We have to do something. Our children are asking us for help!

When I decided to move back home to Camden, SC, I Googled the 5th District…Ralph Norman, the Republican incumbent, is a real estate millionaire who took over his daddy’s business…the Democrat is Archie Parnell, a millionaire “tax expert” who worked for Goldman Sachs over in Hong Kong for the last 20 years (Google – political cartoons about Goldman Sachs- and take a look at their reputation!) and Exxon for 10 years…the elite say his ads are great! He gets a tattoo, he makes snow angels, he parodies House of Cards! He lost. I say the ads just show he is completely out of touch with working people. People need healthcare. People need a living wage. Gun violence is destroying our society. Goldman Sachs helped crash the economy in 2008 and gave us $4 a gallon gas! Remember that? And he is making snow angels…I don’t know about you, but he doesn’t sound like a Progressive Democrat to me. But, that is up to the voters…I’ll let them decide…

I will fight for Single Payer Healthcare based on my reading of the founding documents… justice for ALL, an “unalienable right to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” for ALL. At Ringling Bros. Circus, I used to work with a guy named Michu…33 inches tall…he’d go out into ring 2 (the center ring) all by himself and dance to Hungarian Rhapsody and bring the house down! Madison Square Garden! All by himself! I hope to do what Michu did, in honor of Michu…it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog! And, in case you didn’t know, it’s the year of the dog, and as an old Camden Bulldog, I’m ready to fight for Single Payer Healthcare! If old Ralph and Archie aren’t afraid of clowns now, they will be shortly!

Sidney Moore

US Congress - SC District Five

Sidney Moore is the newest candidate to file for Congressional District 5. He earned a degree in economics from the University
of South Carolina-Columbia in 1971 and is retired from NCO, LLC, and real estate. He said, “I was born in the South prior to the
civil rights movement. I am a witness.” His mission statement is, “ Apply available and acquirable resources to achieve individual
goals and objectives in a manner consistent with the legitimate requirements of authority and the highest virtues of humanity,”
and his favorite quote is, “It is better to remain quiet and be thought a fool than to speak, removing all doubt.” He will be
participating as a delegate in the SCDP Convention on April 21.

Melvin Whittenburg

South Carolina Secretary of State

From MelvinWhittenburg.org:

Major Melvin Whittenburg (US Army, retired) was born and raised in Columbia, SC where he graduated from C.A. Johnson High School. It was in high school where Melvin first began honing his leadership skills, working as a student school bus driver and being named the Breakfast Optimist Club of Columbia‘s “Youth of the Week” in November 1980. After high school, Melvin completed undergraduate studies at East Carolina University where he was commissioned into the United States Army as a Second Lieutenant. He later pursued graduate level studies at the University of Phoenix and Georgetown University.

During his military tenure, Melvin had the privilege to serve our country proudly in a number of military and humanitarian relief operations, including: Hurricane Hugo, Desert Shield/Desert Storm, and the Global War on Terror.

After retiring from the Army, Melvin used his leadership ability and business acumen during a successful career with ExxonMobil Corporation, where he also devoted his time to the advisory boards of four non-profit organizations and served as the Community Outreach Chairman of the Veterans Advocacy Support Team and Black Employee Success Team until his retirement in 2017.

Although Melvin’s military and business career have taken him across the country and around the world, he has remained devoted to his beloved state of South Carolina and is currently a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Military Officers Association of America, and the Association of the United States Army.

Melvin is married to the former Angelina Jimenez and has two daughters, Savannah and Sydney.

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Rosalyn Glenn

South Carolina Treasurer

From RosalynGlenn.com:

Rosalyn L. Glenn is a native of Wellford, SC. She is the proud daughter of Robert and Carolyn Glenn, the middle sibling of Renea and Chris Glenn, sister in law to Toni Glenn and aunt to Christian and Joshua Glenn. Rosalyn was raised in her family home among a host of extended family members. Her high moral character and extraordinary ethical standards were instilled in her from a young age by her family. She believes strongly in family and attributes much of her life success to the lessons taught and inspired by her family.

Rosalyn was educated in the public schools of Spartanburg County School District Five. She graduated from the University of South Carolina with a B.A. in Sociology. She has always had a heightened interest in society, social relationships, social interaction and culture and she’s used her education to inform her community involvement and the impact she continues to make in her current spheres of influence. Rosalyn participated and graduated with the 2010 Class of Leadership South Carolina. In addition, Rosalyn also graduated from South Eastern CUNA Management School, Certified Credit Union Financial Counselor School, obtained her Series 6, 63, and 65 licenses, and her Financial Services Certified Professional (FSCP) Designation through The American College. She values education and prides herself on being a lifelong learner as she seeks to remain relevant in her career field and on matters of importance to her.

Rosalyn is the President and CEO of Glenn Destiny Consulting, LLC. As an entrepreneur, she’s built her business to a self-sustaining level and she shares her successes with individuals, businesses, churches, and nonprofit organizations in developing financial strategies to ensure their longevity and sustainability. With more than 25 years of financial experience, she utilizes her planning, organizing, and business skills to assist clients in reaching their fullest financial potential while staying focused on their mission and goals. Her financial background is comprehensive and extensive and she uses her financial training every day to enhance the lives of people of all socioeconomic statuses.

As a college student, Rosalyn began a career in banking that spanned over the years from a part time teller to an Administrator. Her time in the banking industry afforded her the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and experience that she currently uses daily with her clients. During her banking tenure, Rosalyn worked with every area of the industry from the front line to executive level staff. She was responsible for customer service, lending, operational compliance, auditing and training. She has a full and complete understanding of the banking industry which qualified her to achieve one of the most remarkable accomplishments of her life.

In 1991, Rosalyn was appointed to serve on a Credit Union Task Force to explore the feasibility of opening a credit union sponsored by the Brookland Baptist Church. She led the Task Force in working with the South Carolina Credit Union League and the National Credit Union Administration and secured a federal charter to operate Brookland Federal Credit Union in May 1999. Due to the display of her untiring work ethic, her past financial experience and her dedication to the Task Force, she was offered the position as manager and subsequently President/CEO of the Credit Union. In this position she was responsible for the overall operations of the Credit Union to include financial management, lending, administrative management, and human resource management. The Credit Union reached $3.1 Million in assets with over 1700 members under Rosalyn’s leadership and it is still operating today because of the strong foundation laid by her strong work ethics. The establishment of the Brookland Federal Credit Union is one of Rosalyn’s proudest accomplishments.

Rosalyn is involved in her community and over the years has volunteered in various capacities. She has been most impactful in her service to Brookland Baptist Church where she served in ministry for 30 years sharing the gospel and volunteering her knowledge and experience to assist the Church administratively. She played a major role in establishing the North East Campus of Brookland Baptist Church once again creating a strong foundation for the Church to maintain its current level of existence. She leaves an indelible impression upon everything she commits to and leaves each endeavor much better than before her involvement. Rosalyn is currently serving in ministry at The Brook, a new and thriving Church where she is continuing the same level of service in her commitment to her faith and belief that we should strive to build God’s Kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Rosalyn continues her service through her membership in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., an organization of college educated women committed to public service and to the constructive development of its members with a primary focus on the African American community. She’s served the Sorority for 30 years in various capacities and last year was elected by members of the Sorority to serve as the South Atlantic Regional Member of the National Finance Committee of Delta Sigma Theta. In this capacity, she is responsible for working with the National Treasurer in considering the financial needs of the Sorority to include planning, evaluating and recommending the annual operating budget, studying and developing financial plans to strengthen the financial base of the Sorority and overseeing and monitoring the fiscal controls of the organization. She most recently participated on a subcommittee of the National Finance Committee to review and recommend sustainable measures to sure up the Sorority’s Employee Retirement Plan. With her expertise, the committee worked through the tough decisions and converted the plan from a defined benefit plan to a defined contribution plan.

Rosalyn also volunteers her time and expertise with a host of other organizations to include The League of Women Voters and The Fortitude Foundation. In these capacities, professional and personal, she has committed her life to sharing her knowledge and encouraging people to a higher standard of living, particularly in their financial matters. She believes her life purpose is to help people get to a level of financial stability that is sustainable and relevant to them as individuals. Her motivation is found in the transformation of the lives of people as they come to know their life purpose and live up to their fullest potential.

Rosalyn resides in Columbia, South Carolina and in her spare time, enjoys family and friends, traveling, music, and reading.

Constance Anastopoulo

South Carolina Attorney General

from AnastopouloForAG.com:

Constance Anastopoulo is an experienced litigator who built on her courtroom successes to become a leading expert on insurance and ethics law. As a tenured Professor of Law Anastopoulo teaches Torts, Ethics, and Insurance. Voted “Best Professor” by the Charleston School of Law students, Anastopoulo’s commitment to a better South Carolina motivates her work with future lawyers and her work to improve ethics in politics in South Carolina. This breadth of experience and demonstrated success makes Anastopoulo uniquely qualified to be a great South Carolina Attorney General.

EARLY LIFE and CAREER:

Constance Anastopoulo was born in Virginia to Greek immigrant parents. As a first generation American, she is proud of the example of hard work provided by her parents. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia with a B.A. and earned her J.D. at the University of North Carolina School of Law. Upon graduation, Anastopoulo received a prestigious grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation to work with women in prison. This experience was formative in her commitment to serving those who often have no voice.

She joined the Charleston School of Law Faculty in 2007 teaching Torts, Ethics, and Insurance Law. Prior to joining the Charleston School of Law faculty, Anastopoulo served for fifteen years as a senior litigator in the litigation division of the Anastopoulo Law Firm, LLC, where she litigated numerous cases and managed the appellate practice for the firm, appearing before the S.C. Court of Appeals, the S.C. Supreme Court, and the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Additionally, she served as Plaintiffs’ counsel in the seminal case In Re: OxyContin where she helped to represent hundreds of litigants in South Carolina whose lives had been impacted by addiction to opioids.

Anastopoulo is a member of the S.C. Bar, the Charleston Bar Association, the S.C. Women Lawyers Assoc. and admitted to the S.C. Supreme Court, the S.C. Court of Appeals, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and the U.S. District Court, 4th Circuit.

Anastopoulo has been active in community service and has served on the Board of Directors of My Sister’s House, Inc., the Advisory Board of the Women and Gender Studies Program at the College of Charleston, as Vice President of the Charleston Area League of Women Voters, and is past president of Daughters of Penelope Philanthropy, which operates Penelope House, a shelter for women fleeing domestic abuse.

PERSONAL:

Constance Anastopoulo has been married to her husband, Akim Anastopoulo, for 25 years and they have two daughters, ages 22 and 17.

James Smith

Governor of South Carolina

From JamesSmith.com:

James Smith was born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina. He is married to Kirkland (Thomas) of Mount Pleasant. They are blessed to be proud parents of Emerson, Thomas, Paul, and Shannon. They attend church at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, the church he grew up in.

James is currently a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, a Major in the South Carolina Army National Guard, a small business owner, and practicing attorney in Columbia, South Carolina. His entire life has been dedicated to service to others in his community, state, and nation.

He can trace military service to every generation of his family dating back to the Revolutionary War, and his parents instilled in him those values of duty, service and leadership. These values have carried James throughout the various aspects of his life.

James is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and University of South Carolina School of Law. As a Major in the South Carolina Army National Guard, his twelve (12) month combat tour in Afghanistan makes him one of a small number of public officials nationwide who have served the United States in combat. Smith’s military service shaped his outlook on civic service, as well as his appreciation for those who sacrificed before him.

In the various aspects of his service, he fought the Taliban head-on; worked hard to shake things up at the State House; and is always committed to make South Carolina a better place for all to live and work..

Smith served eight years as a JAG officer in the South Carolina Army National Guard when a 2001 visit to Ground Zero in New York stirred something inside of him. “It had a profound impact on me,” he recalls. It motivated him to resign his Officer Commission so that he could enlist as an infantryman, and, at age 37, begin basic training.

In February 2007, Smith deployed as an infantry officer as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. There, he served as a Combat Advisor to Afghan Security Forces operating in remote areas in southern Afghanistan. His service was shared by him and his family, something many families all over the country continue to do today in protection and honor of our nation’s security.

Always crediting his infantry for any success and to his very survival, Smith worked side by side with Afghans to enforce the rule of law. His service was recognized by him receiving the Bronze Star, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, and the Purple Heart.

In the SC General Assembly, James has been a tireless advocate for a variety of issues. He has championed issues facing our veterans and active military. He has been a vocal leader for public education and governmental and ethics reform; fought for increased jobs and economic development across the state; provided protections for the environment, healthcare and the arts – all to make South Carolina the best it can be and a great place to live and raise a family. During his tenure, he has earned the respect of legislators from both sides of aisle and has established a solid reputation as someone who gets things done for South Carolinians.

His public service in the House can be characterized as “service before self.” The needs of his constituency are always first and foremost. He expects and demands holding accountable the forces too often seen in politics, which care more about their personal future rather than South Carolina’s future. He carries with him the values that led him to volunteer to go to war – the ideals of patriotism, love-of-country, and service-over-self.

“My family and I are only one of many in a long-line who have served and sacrificed for our country, and I know that the freedoms we enjoy today are provided for by the sacrifices made by others who went before us,” Smith says. “It is up to all of us to work and live lives worthy of that sacrifice, and to give to the next generation so that they will continue to do the same.”

Marguerite Willis

Governor of South Carolina

From WillisGov.com:

Marguerite Willis is not a politician and has never before sought elected office. She’s a proud South Carolinian who has dedicated herself to serving her state and her community.

Marguerite grew up in Greenville where she graduated at the top of her class from Greenville County public schools. She went on to attend college and law school where she became the first female editor-in-chief of the Law Review.

Marguerite has had an extraordinarily successful career in the law and business. Known as a practical problem solver, Marguerite has been a member of a major Columbia-based law firm where she’s litigated and negotiated numerous cases involving business clients. She’s also taken on major corporations and fought to ensure businesses operate on a fair playing field. She even took on oil giant ExxonMobil and won on behalf of a small business in Darlington.

Marguerite is the former First Lady of Florence. She is married to former Mayor Frank Willis, and they continue to reside in Florence with their Labradors. She is a founding member of the Eastern Carolina Community Foundation and is active in animal rescue. She and Frank attend Highland Park United Methodist, and she is part of the Seekers Sunday School class.

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Phil Noble

Governor of South Carolina

From PhilNoble2018.com:

Phil Noble is a business and technology consultant from Charleston. Over the past twenty-five years, his company, Phil Noble and Associates, has worked in more than 40 countries around the world, serving clients as diverse as the British Broadcasting Company (BBC), Time Warner Inc., the Bertelsmann Foundation.

Here in South Carolina, Noble is the founder of three statewide nonprofit initiatives: The Palmetto Project, One Laptop Per Child South Carolina, and World Class Scholars, an online global student exchange program.

Noble has also served on advisory boards at a number of colleges and universities including at Clemson, USC and the College of Charleston, and was a fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

In the realm of public policy, Noble served for many years as president of the SC New Democrats, an independent group that encourages young people and other community activists with ideas for political reform and common-sense solutions. He was also an early advisor to Barack Obama and was on his campaign’s South Carolina Statewide Steering Committee.

Also, for the past five years, Noble has written a weekly column for the SC Press Association and several business magazines about innovative economic, education and government policies and reforms.

A Greenville native, Phil lives in Charleston with his wife of 35 years, Nancy Madden, of Laurens. They have two grown children, JP and Lizzie.

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Dr. Israel Romero

Dr. Israel Romero addresses the Lancaster County Democratic Party

Dr. Israel Romero

SC Superintendent of Education

Dr. Israel Romero, Candidate for SC Superintendent of Education

Degrees:

Ph.D., major in Educational Administration (American International University – Honolulu, HI)
Doctor of Jurisprudence - Albany Law School/ LaSalle University)
M.Ed, major in Educational Leadership (Bridgewater St. Univ. – Bridgewater, MA)
MBA, major in Business Management (Almeda Univ. – Boise, Idaho)
LLB (Baccalaureate), major in Law and Government (San Pedro University, Honduras)

Employment

Professor at Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, MA
Teacher of Algebra in Special Education at Brockton Public Schools, MA
Teacher of Spanish at Foxborough Public Schools, MA

Currently:

Independent scientific researcher and writer

Dr. Romero believes that education must be relevant to the lives of the people it touches and a tool in helping them to seek a better life. He, himself, has always sought to make a significant difference in the lives of others, and the classroom has been his forum to do so. He believes that an educator, to be effective, must be caring, responsible, skilled, and fair. In his own experience as an educator, he has helped students of all types of diverse backgrounds and ability levels to develop to their full potential; organized a curriculum that is both relevant to the needs of the students and compliant with all of the standards of the educational system; and maintained his own skill level so that he stayed on the cutting edge of current educational practices.

Dr. Romero also believes that education must begin early and starts at home. Resources and quality teaching have to be concentrated in the early years of education for a child to succeed in the later years. Additionally, he believes that technical education is vital to training our students to fill the jobs that new companies are bringing in to South Carolina.

In addition to compliance with the seven basic duties mandated by state law, among his top priorities as SC Superintendent of Education would be

· School safety

· Recruiting teachers and increasing teachers’ salaries and benefits

· Providing quality training programs for teachers

· Programs to increase the level of achievement in public schools

· Programs focusing on early childhood education and technical education

· Program to help disadvantaged students

Dr. Romero says he is proud of his heritage and proud to be a South Carolinian. He would appreciate your vote.

Source of information: Documents from Dr. Romero’s campaign and speech before the LCDP

Crystal Johnson

Crystal Johnson

Lancaster County Probate Judge

Crystal B. Johnson, Candidate for Lancaster County Probate Judge

Biography

Crystal B. Johnson is a lifelong resident of Lancaster County. She is the daughter of the late William “Billy” Wesley Branham, Sr. and Carol T. Branham of Lancaster. She is married to Bart A. Johnson and they have two beautiful daughters, Amber and Jade. She has two precious grandchildren, Natalee and Christopher. She also has a Chihuahua-Terrier mix named Trixie that she adopted from the Lancaster County Animal Shelter in 2013.

She graduated from Lancaster High School and USC-Lancaster with honors. She has an Associate in Science Degree in Business.

She is a member of Lynwood United Methodist Church.

She has 25 years’ experience in the Lancaster County Probate Court. The late Honorable Minton O’Reecie Pate hired her on January 15, 1990 for the position of Legal Clerk I. During the period from 1995-2000 she was promoted to Legal Clerk II and Legal Clerk III. On August 28, 2000, she became the first Associate Probate Judge for Lancaster County. She was the Associate Probate Judge for 15 years. She also has 25 years of continuing legal education.

She knows the Probate Court. She has spent, literally, half of her life in the Lancaster County Probate Court. From her hire date in January 1990, she continuously strived to make the Probate process easier to understand for the families of Lancaster County. She is responsible for the production of the majority of the estate material used in the Probate Court today. She also wrote a Procedure Manual for the court staff.

She believes the Court Staff should be cross-trained in every area of Probate Practice. From mental health and chemical dependency proceedings to minor settlements, guardianship and conservatorship proceedings as well as small estate and full estate proceedings.

Her previous job experience includes supervising employees, management responsibilities, and customer service.

She enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren, shooting her bow with her husband, creative writing, watching movies, listening to music and reading.