Brad Warthen has a post today about Mike Fitts' recent piece that ran in latest print version of the Columbia Regional Business Report (you got all that?) regarding the SC Chamber of Commerce's decision to endorse Vincent Sheheen for SC Governor. The Chamber's never endorsed a candidate…so it's important to read why they felt the need to do so now. And they're right…it's WAY past time to attempt to move SC forward.

Brad's Piece on Mike's Piece can be found here. :)

Chamber weighs in on governor’s race

Executive summary: Frustration with Gov. Mark Sanford has helped prod the S.C. Chamber of Commerce to give its first gubernatorial endorsement, to Vincent Sheheen.

By Mike Fitts
mfitts@scbiznews.com

There was one overriding factor that prompted the S.C. Chamber of Commerce to make an endorsement for the governor’s race for the first time: the gridlock around the current occupant.

A large majority of the members of the chamber’s board, which is made up of more than 50 business executives from across the state, thought that it was time for the chamber to do its first endorsement in a statewide race. The view that Gov. Mark Sanford had failed to get things done for eight years was a major driver in that decision, said chamber CEO Otis Rawl. The business community “didn’t make much headway” with the governor’s office during his term, he said.

“Our board didn’t want that to happen again,” Rawl said…

Neither do we Mr. Rawl…neither do we.

:) t