Local Radar

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Corley discusses his platform in senate race

web posted August 9, 2007
BELOW: Johnston Police Chief Chris Aston meets Chris Corley
JOHNSTON – Republican Senate candidate Chris Corley was in Edgefield and Johnston Wednesday meeting with potential voters and explaining his platform. He sat down with EdgefieldDaily.com at the popular Triangle Restaurant. “One of planks is public education,” Mr. Corley said. “I don’t want to say that the public school system can’t work, but we do need to get in there and fix some things.” Mr. Corley said he is a product of the public school system as well as several family members.

Mr. Corley said that another part of his platform will be constituent service and praised former Sen. Tommy Moore as providing “excellent” service to the district. He said that once elected it is part of the job to respond to the citizens.

The Home Rule issue is a topic of concern to Mr. Corley. “Columbia has started acting like Washington,” Corley said, “They (Columbia) doesn’t like it when Washington tells them what to do but they’ll turn right around and tell Edgefield County what to do. We’ve got to get away from that.” Corley said the local elected officials have a better grasp of the needs of their county or town. “They’re the ones on the scene,” Mr. Corley said, “They’re the ones that know what needs to be done,” adding that he would work towards limiting the state’s power over the local governments.

The last plank of Corley’s platform is business and industry development. “I did my announcement in front of Graniteville Company,” Mr. Corley said, because being from Warrenville he knew the effect the company closing had on the community. “When Graniteville Mill closed down it hurt.”

Corley said there are two things he wants to work on to rectify the situation. “I won’t to work on things to bring new business here, but I also want to work with the businesses already here,” he said. “It’s like fishing off the dock. You’re casting it out for the big fish and there are a lot of bream around the dock – go ahead and get them bream and you have some dinner for tonight if you don’t catch that bigger fish out there,” Mr. Corley said, “You’ve got to take care of both ends.”

Also a part of his plan is working towards building the infrastructure needed to support industrial growth. “We’ve got a lot of land around here,” Mr. Corley said, “but it’s just land.” Corley said if there is an industry looking to locate areas that have the needed infrastructure already in place will win out.

Mr. Corley said tax incentives are a part of the resources used to lure new businesses and that should be expanded, “We need to offer some of that to businesses that are already here.” This, he said, would help them grow and employ more residents with better paying jobs.

When asked about the problem with illegal immigration Mr. Corley said it was a federal issue and that as a state senator it was not an issue that he would have control. However, Mr. Corley said that any contractor or business that receives state contracts should have to verify that all employees are entitled to work and are in the country legally.

Mr. Corley said another thing the state could do is to, “make sure all documents coming out of Columbia are in English only.” This would also include driving tests and other government offices. Mr. Corley said he is not anti-immigration, “I just think you should do it legally.”

Mr. Corley said he and his team would be back to the local area many more times during the campaign and that Edgefield County is a crucial area needed by all candidates in order to win. You can visit his website here.

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