Reprinted from Independent Political Report

Eugene Platt, the only elected Green in South Carolina, will be running to represent the 115th district in the State House of Representatives. He is currently on the James Island Public Service Commission, and ran for the same House seat in 2008, but was thrown off the ballot. He ran in the Democratic primary, and because of that it was ruled that he could not appear on the general election ballot as a Green. Ballot Access News explains what happened:

Platt had tried to run for the legislature in 2008. After the Green Party had nominated him at its convention in April 2008, he had also run in the Democratic primary. Because he lost the Democratic primary, his nomination by the Green Party was voided by the State Election Commission. He and the Green Party are currently in the 4th circuit, arguing that the state law that permits such retroactive disqualification is unconstitutional. South Carolina does permit two parties to jointly nominate the same candidate, and is the only fusion state that says one nomination can be jeopardized if the candidate tries and fails to win a second party’s nomination.

If elected, Platt says that his first priority will be ending South Carolina’s “Right to Work” status. He claims that this will allow unions to more easily organize and grow. Other positions include opposition to capital punishment and making sure that state college tuition does not increase more than inflation every year.

In a press release, Platt said that he expects a Republican and centrist Democrat to run against him. He brands himself as a “progressive Green.”

The Charleston Post and Courier carried a story on Platt’s announcement:

James Island Public Service District Commissioner Eugene Platt said he will try again next year to win the state House District 115 seat, but will run as a Green Party candidate this time.

Platt lost the 2008 Democratic primary to current District 115 Rep. Anne Peterson Hutto, and later lost a court challenge to remain on the November 2008 ballot as a candidate from another party.

Platt said that if he was elected, he will fight for working families by ending South Carolina’s status as a “Right to Work” state, a move that would make it easier for labor unions to form here.

By Richard Winger
Reprinted from Ballot Access News

On October 13, Eugene Platt declared his candidacy for the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2010 from the 115th district. He is the Green Party’s only elected official in that state; he currently serves on the James Island Public Service District Commission, having been re-elected to that position last year. Here is his web page, although it appears not to have his recent declaration posted yet.

Platt had tried to run for the legislature in 2008. After the Green Party had nominated him at its convention in April 2008, he had also run in the Democratic primary. Because he lost the Democratic primary, his nomination by the Green Party was voided by the State Election Commission. He and the Green Party are currently in the 4th circuit, arguing that the state law that permits such retroactive disqualification is unconstitutional. South Carolina does permit two parties to jointly nominate the same candidate, and is the only fusion state that says one nomination can be jeopardized if the candidate tries and fails to win a second party’s nomination.

Green candidate makes another go for James Island seat

By Greg Hambrick
Reprinted from Charleston City Paper

Eugene Platt is back in the race for state House District 115, and this time he’s wearing a solid shade of Green.

After losing in the Democratic Primary in 2008, Platt was kept out of the race as the Green Party candidate because of a state law preventing a primary loser from appearing on the November ballot.

This race isn’t about a grudge with the Democratic Party, says Platt. It’s about options and making people aware of the Green Party.

“I think people across America want alternatives to the choices they have now,” Platt says.

The James Island and Folly Beach district has seen two very close elections in the last four years, with Democrat Anne Peterson Hutto narrowly beating Republican incumbent Wallace Scarborough in 2008.

A longtime member of the James Island Public Service District board, Platt says his campaign will focus on labor rights, the environment, public education, and social justice issues like capital punishment.

Letter to the Editor
By Eugene Platt
Reprinted from the Post and Courier

To fully appreciate this letter, it should be considered in the context of Charleston City Councilman Tim Mallard and I rarely being on the same side of any important issue. And that should surprise no one; after all, we are at opposite ends of the political spectrum: Mallard is seen as a very conservative Republican, I as a very progressive Green. Furthermore, Mallard works in real estate and has a developer mentality; by contrast, some developers consider me their worst nightmare.

It is in that context that I commend Mallard for his bold proposal of term limits for City Council members. Indeed, his proposal was all the more bold because he knew, or should have known, it was doomed from the day it was conceived. Such courage brings to mind the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C.

All elective bodies—including the one on which I serve—could benefit by having term limits for their members. Mayor Joe Riley, in saying “the American way is to vote someone out of office if you don’t like them,” comes close to implying that term limits are un-American. It logically follows from such a bias that Riley and others opposed to term limits, must have a problem with the Constitution of the United States (which limits the President to two terms) as well as the Constitution of South Carolina (which limits the Governor to two terms).

Although his style often appears abrasive, the American way is also “to give the devil his due.” In this instance Councilman Mallard merits thanks from all who believe in good government and who see the pitfalls of an entrenched incumbency.

Eugene Platt
Member, Steering Committee
South Carolina Green Party

734 Gilmore Court
Charleston, SC 29412