A New Day for South Carolina: Vincent Sheheen's Plan to Create Jobs
The Sheheen jobs plan will bring South Carolina's economy back from the brink and create jobs here again. For much of this decade, our state has had one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation. This failure stands in sharp contrast to the efforts of past administrations to foster and promote economic growth, starting with Governor Fritz Hollings many years ago. We can be successful again, but only if we have real leadership committed to attracting businesses, new development and good jobs to our state. We must look toward the future and harness those economic opportunities that will revive our economy and bring well-paying jobs for all of our hard-working citizens. As governor, creating well-paying jobs in South Carolina will be Vincent's top priority.
For too long, we have had do-nothing leadership in South Carolina. It’s time to end the distractions and put this state back to work — and the first step is a serious governor committed to and focused on rebuilding our economy and jobs base. As governor, Vincent will personally lead the state’s efforts to recruit robust industry and new jobs. Whether meeting with business leaders or heads of foreign countries, he will aggressively pursue economic development opportunities for South Carolina.
Maximizing our Engines of Economic Growth
South Carolina has important assets that have been underutilized for economic development for too long. A cornerstone of my economic plan is maximizing five resources that are critical to our economic development in South Carolina:
- Overhaul the Commerce Department
We need to put an end to the political cronyism that has made our Commerce Department ineffective and unaccountable. On Day One, Vincent will appoint an economic development professional to head the Commerce Department.
The Commerce Department will be mandated to pursue as a top priority the recruitment of jobs to our state, using all tools and incentives at our disposal. The Department should place a priority on growing jobs in areas with high pockets of unemployment, and we must update our incentive package to attract businesses that are growing in the new economy.
- Maximize the Economic Impact of Our Port
South Carolina's port is a key to economic growth for our state and the focus of the Port must be increasing volume to attract business and jobs to our state. Vincent will appoint professional business leaders and port operations experts to run the port operations and maximize the transfer of goods in and out of our state. With the widening of the Panama Canal in 2014, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to capture the increasing market that will result. We cannot miss this chance. Our deep water port has natural advantages that can be utilized to make South Carolina the hub of shipping commerce for years to come.
- Utilize Our Public Power Efficiently and Effectively
Low cost power is absolutely critical to attracting and growing new, high tech industries within our state. South Carolina has a tremendous asset in its public power company, Santee Cooper. This asset can serve as the fuel that drives our economic engine in the days to come. As governor, Vincent will continue to promote low cost power and the growth and utilization of alternative energy sources for our state. Alternative energy and conservation should be job creators in South Carolina. The Sheheen Administration will focus on creating an alternative energy economy in our state.
- Promote our Technical College System
Over the last decade, South Carolina has failed to utilize our technical college system on a state level to its fullest potential. To attract and keep good jobs in South Carolina we must offer a skilled and prepared workforce. We should link our technical college system to our undergraduate population and employers so that our workforce will have the skills needed to attract employers to our state. It’s time to reinvest in our technical college system.
- Develop a Higher Education System that Fuels Economic Growth
For a decade, South Carolina has disinvested in our four year colleges, while North Carolina and Georgia have been using their universities as engines of economic growth. This failure has badly damaged South Carolina's ability to compete for the economic opportunity our residents want and deserve. In addition, our students and their families are now facing incredible increases in tuition and disjointed progress. We should focus on promoting responsible investment in our universities and form economic opportunity partnerships with our universities to attract business and jobs to our state and keep our graduates working and living here in South Carolina.
Encouraging Small Businesses
For too long, our leaders have given lip service to small business while doing nothing to assist the largest group of employers in South Carolina. As governor, Vincent will establish a Division of Entrepreneurship and Small Business within our Commerce Department to assist communities in planning small business strategies and to advise small businesses as they grow.
Growing New Industries
Simply doing what has been successful in the past is not enough. South Carolina must move toward the future. Two areas of the economy hold special promise: the health care industry and new energy sources. With our medical universities, technical colleges, dental school, and growing population, South Carolina has the potential to grow its health care economy exponentially. We must educate more nurses and medical technical support staff. We must encourage new technology and new specialties to develop within our state so that we can attract the dollars and resources that come with them. We should be a destination for Americans looking for the best medical care.
With our experience in nuclear energy, our tremendous wind resources, initiatives in hydrogen research, and the possibility for mass production of bio-fuels, South Carolina has a golden opportunity to become the epicenter for alternative energy industry research and development. We will create jobs in South Carolina while reducing our energy costs and improving our vitally-important conservation efforts.
Ensuring Shared Prosperity and Opportunity
South Carolina’s diversity is its strength, not a weakness. And small business is the backbone of South Carolina’s economy. Over the last two decades we have seen emerging growth in highly successful, minority-owned small businesses. Small businesses are often stymied in bidding and winning government work because of the difficulty in determining what projects and grants are available to be bid upon. In the Sheheen Administration, a Division of Entrepreneurship and Small Business will ensure that all businesses, including minority-owned businesses and entrepreneurs, have an equal opportunity to obtain state business.
Furthermore, we will work with the private sector in South Carolina to make our diversity, our strength, by developing business relationships and ties with minority-owned small businesses.
Developing our Rural Communities
Our smaller and rural counties cannot be left behind in the effort to attract new jobs and develop new industries. We must create a rural infrastructure bank to provide desperately needed funds for the water, sewer and road improvements necessary to attract industry and commerce to all areas of our state. And South Carolina's rural areas must also promote what makes them special. Through rural and historic tourism, local farming initiatives, and sustainable use of our forests, we can help boost the economy in our critical rural areas. As governor, Vincent will direct the SC Department of Commerce to create a comprehensive analysis of rural infrastructure needs that are vital to job creation.
Reforming our Tax Code
The ever-shifting burden of taxation in South Carolina has made our state less attractive to businesses. We need comprehensive reform of our tax code to lessen the burden placed on new and existing businesses within our state. A balanced tax system is a requirement for a stable business climate. Comprehensive tax reform will be a priority during Vincent's first term as governor.
Building the Future We Want
Vincent believes that South Carolina has unlimited potential. Working together, we can build the future that South Carolinians want and deserve.
To download a copy of the Sheheen plan to create jobs, click here (PDF).
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