Newberry County Republican Party

Gen. Mick Zais

General Zais has proposed a “Put Education First” pledge, an 8-point plan that includes  ethics, transparency and government restructuring reforms:

1. Commitment to Education: The candidate will not seek any other political office while serving as State Superintendent.
2. Restructuring: Support a ballot referendum to allow the people of South Carolina to decide if the State Superintendent of Education should be popularly elected or appointed.
3. Term Limits: Pledge to serve no more than 2 terms as State Superintendent.
4. Stop Political Cronyism: No consulting contracts from the South Carolina Department of Education will be awarded to any paid campaign advisors. Current State Superintendent Dr. Jim Rex has paid his political consultant, Zeke Stokes, $122,236 since Fiscal Year 2007-2008.
5. End Taxpayer-funded Lobbying: No taxpayer funds from the South Carolina Department of Education will be used to hire lobbyists to lobby local, state, or federal governments.
6. Agency Transparency: All meetings of the South Carolina State Board of Education and Education Oversight Committee will be web streamed, recorded, and available for download on the South Carolina Department of Education website.
7. Financial Transparency: Working with the Comptroller General and school districts, school expenditures for individual schools will be posted online for public review.
8. State Superintendent Transparency: The State Superintendent will publish a daily calendar online.

You can read the entire press release on his website: http://www.mickzais.com/2010/09/mick-zais-proposes-put-education-first-pledge/

This is a key difference between Gen. Zais and his Democratic opponent. Gen. Zais is a proven leader with a record of success; his opponent is a liberal Democrat who has spent his career as a political operative and Washington bureaucrat. Please feel free to post this press release to your county party Facebook page, website, or send it out in an email blast.
Thank you for all you do for the Republican Party in South Carolina.