Release: Ryan posts real-time campaign finance records online

PAWLEYS ISLAND– Kevin Ryan, Republican candidate for State House District 108, has posted all of his campaign’s financial information online at ryanforhouse.com in an effort to provide complete financial transparency. The campaign has pledged to post records of all contributions and expenditures online within 24-hours of receiving or expending the funds.

“I call on my opponent, Vida Miller, to join me in providing the same transparency of campaign finances during this election cycle,” said Ryan. “The people of District 108 deserve to see who contributes to our campaigns and how we spend those funds on a real-time basis, not just once per quarter as required by state ethics laws.”

In addition to providing this real-time financial reporting, Ryan has agreed to post the names of all campaign contributors, even those who contribute less than $100. State law requires that campaigns record the name and address of these contributors, but not report their names on quarterly campaign disclosure reports.

If elected, Ryan plans to introduce legislation which would require real-time reporting of campaign financial information for all candidates.

Kevin Ryan is the Republican candidate for S.C. State House District 108. He faces fourteen-year incumbent Democrat Vida Miller in the November general election.

Ryan Receives Business Endorsement

The South Carolina Business and Industry Political Education Committee PAC (BIPECPAC) has officially endorsed the candidacy of Kevin Ryan for S.C. State House District 108.  BIPECPAC is a nonpartisan, statewide organization of business leaders that promotes the election of pro-business candidates to the General Assembly.

BIPECPAC and the business community view Ryan as a candidate “whose legislative endeavors will result directly in the creation of jobs and a higher standard of living for all South Carolinians.” BIPECPAC regards the election of Kevin Ryan as a “high priority for good government and business in South Carolina.

OpEd – Need for fiscally conservative voice

By Kevin Ryan. This Op-Ed recently appeared in both the Georgetown Times and Coastal Observer.

The South Carolina House of Representatives spent [a recent] week debating how to spend more than $5.1 billion of your tax dollars. This state budget for the fiscal year beginning in July now moves on to the Senate. I think it is important for the people of this district to know about a few votes that were cast by our current representative during the budget deliberations. These votes demonstrate why our district needs a new, more fiscally conservative voice in Columbia. We can no longer afford a continuation of the status quo.

Millions of dollars were slashed from the K-12 education budget despite threats of teacher layoffs and furloughs. In the course of debate, the House was presented with an opportunity to direct more money to classrooms by ending the practice of school districts using taxpayer dollars to pay for lobbying. The exact budget amendment read “no school district of this State may expend public funds in order to employ, or contract with a lobbyist, or pay dues to an organization which employs a lobbyist….” That sounds like a pretty good idea to me, especially in a tough budget year. Our current representative didn’t think so. Vida Miller voted to table this amendment and continue the practice of spending money for lobbyists instead of in the classroom to help teachers and students.

Additionally, the House was presented with a series of amendments which made targeted cuts to programs and agencies that don’t represent the true role of our state government. I applaud Rep. Garry Smith for having the courage to make a tough decision and introduce these amendments which would eliminate funding for the State Museum, Commission on Minority Affairs and the Human Affairs Commission, among others. Miller voted to table each of these proposals. Instead of making tough choices that recognize the true role of state government, she along with her Democrat colleagues and too many Republicans took the easier path and supported tax increases to raise revenues and avoid making targeted cuts.

Lastly and most unfortunately, the House voted to provide a $10 million loan for a PGA golf tournament in Hilton Head. Miller voted to leave this proviso in the budget. While the economic impact of the tournament may be important – it is neither the role nor responsibility of state government to allocate funds for this event, especially not in a year in which our students, business owners, seniors and all South Carolinians are struggling. This sets a precedent for state government to step in and provide bailouts for other events. It is also worth noting that all 124 members of the House received invitations to this tournament, including free tickets, parking and access to a special skybox, on the same day that the budget deliberations began.

It is my hope that the people of this district and our state will make their voices heard in demanding a more fiscally responsible approach to the state budget as it progresses through the Senate and in future years.  If elected as your next representative I will join with the few responsible legislators who support proposals that recognize the true role of state government, protect essential state services, oppose wasteful spending and fight against tax increases. The next few years will require tough choices as the budget situation worsens and federal funds dry up. We can no longer afford to continue the status quo.

Editorial – Politics looks toward the future

Coastal Observer – Pawleys Island – October 15, 2009

In political debate, we often hear calls to look to the needs of future generations. The economy, health care and especially education all provoke forward-looking impulses in politicians. So it will be interesting to watch the campaign in state House District 108 next year when one member of the future generation actually looks voters in the eye.

Kevin Ryan, a senior at Clemson University who grew up in Pawleys Island, last week announced he will run for the House seat as a Republican.

His age, 21, is sure to be an issue, but it is one that can be pushed into the background if he presents voters with a well-developed slate of ideas. It will be hard for other candidates to talk about the future in abstract terms while sitting on the platform with someone who appears to embody the future.

Campaigns in District 108 are not known for their embrace of ideas. The Democratic incumbent, Vida Miller, has defied the Republican-leaning demographics. The GOP has grown increasingly frustrated. And the rhetoric has reached a level that prompts voters to throw up their hands in disgust.

Mr. Ryan, a political science major, is sure to come away with a good topic for a master’s thesis, even if he doesn’t win the race.

The newest candidate also promises to bring another element to the campaign. A product of the Waccamaw schools, Mr. Ryan’s campaign will create a teachable moment for social studies classes. It’s an opportunity to engage that generation we keep talking about, and let them see there is a place in the process for young people. It may well inspire a new wave of voters.

Waccamaw High School will mark its 20^th anniversary next year. While many graduates have made their way in the world beyond the Waccamaw Neck, there are others who have decided to make their lives in this community. They are already filling important roles in many aspects of public life. They are the living proof that the foundation for this community’s future is being built in our classrooms every day. And now we are seeing their influence reach into this area’s political life.

Students now can see that what they are told in school assemblies is true: they are the future leaders. In District 108, they will be able to see how voters respond.