SC Democrat critical of taxpayer-funded commute
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) The Democrat challenging Secretary of State Mark Hammond is generating interest in the down-ballot race by criticizing his 183-mile round-trip commute to Columbia that's funded by taxpayers.
There's nothing illegal about Hammond's commute from Spartanburg. His assigned 2007 Dodge Durango is considered a job benefit.
"I just think it's wrong," said Ginny Deerin, a Democrat running on cutting government waste and putting more of the office's bureaucratic functions online.
Hammond, first elected in 2002, is not alone in having a taxpayer-funded ride. State law dating to 1978 actually requires that statewide officers and agency directors be offered a state vehicle. The law also specifically exempts elected officials from reimbursing for their commute, though they must calculate their personal miles for tax purposes.
"I claim my mileage from home to office as personal miles," Hammond said.
He is among four elected officials and 10 agency heads who drive a state vehicle and charge gas fill-ups to a state card, according to information provided to The Associated Press through a public records request. The data excluded the governor and lieutenant governor, who are driven around by their state-provided security detail.
Of the four officers all of whom receive a $92,000 salary Hammond logs the most miles and charges the most gas, largely because of the long commute. Last fiscal year, he reported 45,600 miles and $8,400 worth of fuel, down from 59,200 miles logged and $8,700 charged in 2011-12. His driving ranks second-highest among the 14 total listed, behind the director of the Department of Natural Resources.
According to forms Hammond filed with the state, half of the miles he logs are from commuting and other personal use. Last year, his reported personal miles resulted in $3,400 being added to his W-2 as taxable income, based on an IRS formula used by all four elected officials with state vehicles.
The secretary of state is responsible for administrative functions such as filing documents for businesses and corporations, regulating charitable organizations and acting as the state's cable franchise authority.
Deerin, co-founder of a nonprofit that aims to help more women get elected in South Carolina, says the officeholder should either live in Columbia or personally pay for a daily commute, adding that she's willing to move from Charleston County.
Excerpt from:
SC Democrat critical of taxpayer-funded commute