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10.1.08
From left, Floyd Nicholson, Ashley Woodiwiss and Dee Compton
Drummond Center event focuses on cooperation
The Drummond Center for Statesmanship hosted a conversation Sept. 23 between South Carolina Senate District 10 candidates Floyd Nicholson (Democrat) and Dee Compton (Republican).
The overarching theme of the evening was the promotion of cooperation among members of the community. In that spirit, the conversation opened with Drummond Center Director Dr. Ashley Woodiwiss asking about the candidates' backgrounds.
Both Nicholson and Compton said that they were affected by educators in their lives.
Both also started their careers on small salaries -- Nicholson earning $600 a month teaching science and coaching and Compton with "two daughters and fifteen cents in the bank."
Even as the conversation approached political issues, the two candidates seemed remarkably similar. Both support raising the cigarette tax in order to offset the cost of healthcare. Nicholson and Compton also agree that education and the economy are the two biggest issues facing District 10.
It was noted that retiring Sen. John Drummond maintained an open door policy for his constituents. "If you are elected by the people, you should be accessible to the people," Nicholson said.
Compton extended an invitation to his prospective constituents -- "Feel free to call."
The evening's conversation concluded as an emotional Drummond rose to speak to the audience. He spoke of fighting in World War II and said his fellow soldiers didn't die as Democrats or Republicans -- "They died as Americans."
Drummond stressed the importance of cooperation, especially between political parties. "You just don't get anything done by arguing," he said.
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