Tom Ervin vows he can contend for Gov. Haley's seat
GREER – Hammering freedom from outside influence, infrastructure upgrades and restoring trust in state government as keystone issues in his longshot bid for governor, independent candidate Tom Ervin conducted a town-hall meeting Tuesday at George's Brick Oven Bistro, where he fielded questions from a couple dozen residents while pledging to emerge as a serious contender to unseat Gov. Nikki Haley.
"I'm a problem-solver, and I've spent most of my career as a nonpartisan," said the former judge and Statehouse member, a Greenville resident who grew up in Honea Path.
"I offer a fresh, new vision of change and reform for South Carolina."
He said the state's income tax should be eliminated, and legislators must be willing to consider raising the gas tax to repair crumbling roads and bridges.
And he said deepening the Charleston harbor and exploring ways to improve the port in Georgetown should be among the state's infrastructure priorities, citing such work as investment toward economic development.
Ervin said college tuition should be capped, and the state's minimum wage should be increased and could be phased in over three years with tax breaks for small businesses to offset costs.
Asked about same-sex marriage, he cited Christian values and his appreciation of the union of man and woman, but he said the governor's role in such legislation will be limited.
That didn't satisfy Greer resident Tony Gilliard, who was among the crowd that gathered.
"I consider myself independent, and I wanted to hear what he had to say, but from what I heard, I could've went to events that (Democratic candidate and state senator Vincent) Sheheen made," Gilliard said.
"He believes in government, growing government and raising taxes. He doesn't believe in defending natural marriage. We're losing part of society, our foundation of the natural biological family – mother, father, children, and responsibility, discipline. We're losing it.
"I drive hundreds of miles a day within the range of Greenville here, and yeah, there are some potholes and there are some rough roads, but 'terrible, bad' roads? Raising taxes isn't the answer to solve anything, in my opinion."
Greer residents Peter and Amy Brenner were more impressed.
"No. 1, he confronted all the issues and all the questions people asked," Peter Brenner said. "Obviously he gave very honest answers to the questions."
"He reflected my views, so I was favorably impressed with what he had to say," Amy Brenner said.
Ervin said his experience as a small business owner, a public servant and the leader of two nonprofit organizations makes him uniquely qualified to be governor.
Through his work as a prosecutor, county attorney and circuit court judge, he's traveled the state for decades and believes rural areas are being left behind – though he said the big picture for even the state's more developed areas isn't as rosy as it may seem.
"Fortunately South Carolina has been the beneficiary of the national recovery, so we have seen an uptick in employment and some job growth, but those unemployment figures are misleading because they only reflect folks that are still looking for work," Ervin said.
"The workforce in South Carolina has actually been shrinking the last few years. I want to grow the economy for all."
Stops in Anderson, Greenwood and North Augusta are planned Wednesday among 24 town-hall stops for the Ervin campaign in the next two weeks.
"I'm in the best position to represent the people …," Ervin said. "We're very excited. We're building momentum every day. These town halls we're having are really generating a lot of interest and support. Many folks are stepping forth and volunteering.
"We're receiving increased contributions from South Carolinians all across the state who want change and reform. I'm very enthusiastic about this race. We're working hard to ensure victory on Nov. 4."
Follow Michael Burns on Twitter @MikeInGreer