- [Announcer] A production of the South Carolina Educational Television Network.

The following program is made possible in part by grants from NCNB and SCE&G.

(upbeat intro music) (upbeat intro music continues) - Hello, welcome to "CapitolView."

I'm Sheila Johnson-Chaney.

Our guest today is South Carolina Senator Kay Patterson, Democrat from Richland County.

Senator Patterson is an educator and he resides in Columbia.

He attended Claflin College and Atlanta University, and is a graduate of Allen University, Temple University and South Carolina State College.

He served in the House from 1975 to 1985 and was elected to the Senate in 1985, and he's now in his first term.

And we welcome you to "CapitolView".

- Thank you.

Thank you very much, Sheila.

It's nice to be here.

- Tell me about your first political aspirations.

What made you decide to run for office to begin with?

(Kay chuckling) - Well, I taught school here in Columbia for quite some time from 1956, September '56 up until 1970.

August 10 '70, I joined staff of the South Carolina Education Association and retired from that organization last June '86.

The thing, I guess, that inspired and encouraged me to run for office is kind of humorous, because I used to do a lot of volunteer work and community work in the community.

Voter registration drives, helping people in the community.

And running for office never crossed my mind until one day, I picked up the newspaper and I saw where my friend, Representative Jim Field and Representative I. S. Leevy Johnson had been elected to the House, and I thought about it.

And the reason I laugh is because I taught I. S. Leevy Johnson at C. A. Johnson in eighth grade.

As you know, I said, here one of my students have been elected to public office.

I said, "Well, if my children can be elected to public office, I guess I can be elected to public office too."

So I guess you could say that I. S. Leevy Johnson really inspired me and encouraged me to run.

- Not having political background and not being a lawyer, what kind of advice were you given as you began your political career?

- Well.

(chuckles) Well first, when I decided to run, that came up, they told me.

They said, "You're no lawyer.

Well, what are you talking about, you going to run for a public office?"

And I said, "No, I'm not a lawyer and I don't think you have to be a lawyer.

The Constitution does not state that you must be a lawyer."

That's not one of the qualifications to run for office.

It's just that you must be of age and live in, you know, in the district.

So I received a lot of flack for the fact that I wasn't an attorney when I first ran, but nowadays, people won't even mention anything to you about being an attorney when you're on a run for office.

They just say, if you want to run, you can run.

But back during that day, I first ran in 1972 or '70 I think it was, when the House was at large.

I got around 10,500 votes.

Lost.

Then same in my district, the House, and I won.

I ran and won.

Got around, I guess around 3,500 or 4,000 votes, won by a landslide.

So- - [Sheila] Your best advice?

- For those who want to run for office?

- That was given to you.

- The best advice.

Some of my close friends told me said, said, "Kay, you have worked in the community over the years and if you want to run for office, we are going to support you and you have the right to run."

And they advised me to run and encouraged me to run and helped me raise money.

So I ran and I was successful.

- What are some of the issues that are facing you right now that are close to your heart?

- Well, this week, looked like everything broke loose out of the State House.

One day I introduced a little resolution, which I call it House Rule 51.

And it is taken specifically from House Rule 10.4, and it simply states that the Senate will not accept invitations to segregated clubs here in Columbia.

Now where a person goes on his or her own, you know, is their business, and personally I couldn't care less where you or anyone else go for lunch.

But I just don't think that the Senate or the House should accept invitations for the entire House or the entire Senate to go to some function or some activity being held at a segregated club.

So that's why, I introduced the resolution and I think it'll pass.

The House has it already in Rule 10.4.

That happened this week.

Also this week, I picked up the Gamecock newspaper of USC.

And with all the noise people have heard about these segregated clubs and golf teams where Spring Valley High School invited Hilton Head to come and play golf at a segregated club, Spring Valley, and they had to cancel.

Then I pick up the newspaper and here a USC golf team said they're going to hold their tournament there.

So I had to research the law and I found it.

Called President Holderman, inform him of it and ask him to please have him to cancel it.

So they checked into the law, and it's my understanding that they have canceled or they're going to play at LinRick, I think, which is a public, you know, public golf course.

- And the Confederate flag issue has been something that- - Yeah, that's up to all of us coming one time.

Plus some of my friends, they want to join the Black Caucus such as Representative Foxworth and Charleston, which came as a real shock to me, a rather humorous shock, I might add.

But the flag, all the stuff's on the front page of the paper at one time.

And I've been trying to talk with people interested in the flag such as the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

We've had many, not many meetings, I'd say two or three meetings on a cordial, friendly basis in my office.

And I thought we had a compromise worked out amenable for all involved, that is take the flag down from on top of the dome and out of the chambers and just, you can display it in the lobby of the State House or you can display it on a flag pole by the Confederate soldier or anywhere you want to display it.

You know, just don't display it inside the chambers and on top of the dome.

And I thought we had some work at that effect, but it fell through and so, but we are still working on it.

- What about critics who might say there are many more important issues that need to be addressed?

- They are correct.

It is true that there are many, many more important issues that need to be corrected.

And people seem to think that this is all we are doing, at least all that I'm doing.

And that's incorrect.

I'm also working, at least trying to work with, South Carolina Highway Department and 10% set aside contracts for Black contractors, and we are trying to do that.

I'm trying to keep money in the budget for sickle cell anemia.

And people say, well, they notice that all the things I bring up are Black orientated or Black issues.

And my response to that is that's true.

And also another response is if I don't do it, who else going to do it?

I mean, that General Assembly been down there since the, you know, silver wall, and they hadn't done any of these things the things that I'm talking about now.

And I was elected by the people to speak the needs, the dreams and aspirations of people, and so that's what I try to do.

And I try to represent White people just like I represent Black people.

And so there are other, there are other things more important to do and I'm trying to do those other things.

But generally when people tell you that that's not really what they have on their mind, they're just telling you that those things do not interest them.

And so therefore, why would you bother to work on them?

And my response to that, it may not bother them, but it bothers me because I have to go down to the General Assembly every day and I have to walk in the Senate chambers every day and it doesn't feel comfortable with the Confederate flag dropped down in your face inside the chambers, and then you walk outside there it is up on the dome flying atop the State House.

So all of those things I try to do.

And for the critics, you know, I kind of feel like Abraham Lincoln, I do the best I can with what I got and I'm going to keep on keeping on.

- What about your legislative priorities this year?

- This year, this is just personally now, I want to see a workable solution.

We passed a law last year.

Representative Luther Taylor inserted it into the budget bill on the House side.

And Representative McKinley Washington defended it on the House side, along with Representative Taylor.

When it got to the Senate side, it was my responsibility of the 10% set aside for Black contractors.

And those who fought us the last few days of the session reached a compromise.

They wanted to inject women as minorities.

Well, I didn't want that in it, but I had to accept it all.

They were going to talk and filibuster and kill my bill.

I wouldn't have anything.

So I had to accept it, you know, and so I accepted women as a minority.

Well now, you know, to me, you know, women can do just about anything they want to do in America.

Matter of fact, the real president of the United States is a woman, you know, Nancy Reagan.

You know, I look like a fool talking about what I'm going to do for women.

You know, women can do something for me.

You know, Nancy can help me.

Nancy don't need me helping her.

That's backwards, you know?

And White women, you know, don't necessarily need me talking about doing something for them.

They can do something for me.

So it kind of irked me a little bit to insert women and let women be represented as a minority.

As a matter of fact, I don't like to even use the word minority, no way.

I use the word Black.

I wanted 10% set aside for Black contractors.

Now, if all of them are Black women, fine.

But I tell you one thing.

You notice when people start talking about women rights and women as a minority and see how it comes out to the bottom line.

The bottom line is talking about a White woman.

Black women are very ever or seldom included.

I've never seen them included.

When you start hear them talking about women rights and what women need, they're talking about White women.

- When your constituents communicate their concerns and their needs to you, what are they saying and how do you plan to meet those needs in about two minutes?

- Well, now it's a hot issue, is the needs about these schools being merged or moving lines and that type of thing.

And the people want a referendum, let the people speak and vote on it.

And it's hard for me as a politician to come out being against people speaking through a referendum, you know?

Now just personally, if you don't know my personal view, personally, I don't like referendums too much because I feel like my referendum in the House was every two years for the 11 years I was over there.

And in the Senate, my referendum going to come every four years.

That's your referendum on me.

And you vote for them and see how I do and see how I perform.

But I told them I would vote for the referendum, let them have it.

And when people call me on the phone at home or my officer see me in the street, they tell me what they want or what their needs are.

And I'm a legislator that believe in constituents, their service.

I don't believe too much in a whole lot of, introducing a whole lot of legislation and passing bills and all that kind of stuff.

I believe in serving constituents back in my district.

- Well, we want to thank you, we're all out of time, for joining us on "CapitolView."

- Thank you very much.

Glad to be here.

- [Sheila] Thank you for being with us.

- All righty.

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