The Journal
November 11, 2005
By James Lee
Special to the Journal

During the 1994 national election, the tides turned on the Democratic party, with many candidates losing to their Republican counterparts.

Eugene Platt anticipates that the 2006 election will offer a similar, yet reverse scenario.

“I think that Democrats will have success on the local, state and national level,” the James Island Public Service District commissioner said recently.

Platt, a Democrat, ran unsuccessfully for House seat 115 in the 1994 election, losing to Republican Lynn Seithel, after beating out Democrat Jack Bryant in the primary. He recently announced his plan to run for the seat again in next year’s election, challenging incumbent Rep. Wallace Scarborough,
R-Charleston.

A native Charlestonian, Platt said his campaign platform will focus on two major issues: equitable taxation and unreasonable development.

“Governor Sanford’s proposal to reduce (or eliminate income taxes) is the exact opposite of what I assert to be the easiest to institute and, much more importantly, the most equitable way to effect property tax relief,” he said.

In contrast to Sanford’s tax plan, Platt aims to create relief through redistribution of taxes. He said there is something wrong in a society where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

The plan includes eliminating sales tax exemptions while maintaining the same tax rate and discontinuing the cap on sales tax and automobiles.

He also contends that income taxes have served residents well, but, “It dismays me that so many taxpayers, many of whom are being misled by their elected representatives in local and state government, see increased sales taxes as a panacea for all of South Carolina’s needs and problems.”

He hopes to curb aggressive development, and likens his approach to that of the state of Oregon which invites visitors to come and enjoy the state, yet does not work feverishly to draw new residents.

Although a card-carrying member of the Democratic Party, Platt hopes to gain dual-party backing by adding the Green Party to his list of supporters.

He vows that his “political positions are informed by his understanding of the gospel,” and he is not intimidated by the competition.

While the election may be a year away, Platt is slowly ramping up his campaign, meeting with residents and speaking to supporters.

In 1994, he knocked on over 4,000 island doors to speak with residents. In the coming months, he plans to do the same.

Platt continues to serve as a commissioner on the PSD, a position he has held since 1993. He was reelected for another term last year.

Scarborough has held the House seat since 2001.

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