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

The following program is made possible in part by grants from SCE&G, Duke Power Company and Carolina Power and Light.

(upbeat music) - Welcome to this segment of Cap I'm Tom Fowler, and our guest is Senator Kay Patterson.

Democrat from District 19 in Richland County.

Senator Patterson is a retired educator living in Columbia with a master's degree from South Carolina State.

His career includes service as a college instructor, USC trustee, service on regional an national education associations.

He's also a Marine veteran, served in the House from 1975 to and in the Senate since that tim He serves on the Judiciary, Educ Labor, Commerce and Industry, Medical Affairs and Rules Committee of the Senate.

Welcome to Capitol View.

- Thank you, Tom.

It's nice to be here.

- Give us a report card, if you at this just over halfway point of this year of the session.

- Well over on the Senate side w we've passed the seatbelt law.

That's one of the biggest things that we have done over on that s because we are still waiting for the budget and we receive the budget, that is our committee, finance committee have received the budget.

But we are now waiting to do the We must go through the committee and then when the committee fini it'll report it out to the full And that's when we start our debate on the budget, which is of course, that's the biggie every year around $3 billion.

And that's where we are on the Senate side right now.

- You've been pleased with the progression of issues?

How they've been taken up.

- Yes, by and large I have, along with the issues on the Sen and appointments to committees and commissions.

When I say appointments, the governor will appoint and we advise and consent to his appointments.

By and large, I've been pleased with the progress of the general assembly thus far - This state has been called a legislative state, but one of the major powers any governor has is, as you mentioned, appointments, two commissions (Sen. Patterson laughs) - Yeah.

- and to boards in the state.

That's something that does occupy a great deal of time And those appointments remain on and commissions for a number of and manage the boards and commissions of the state.

- Yes, sir.

Yes.

And this governor, by and large, he has made some good appointments.

Of course now, when he first sta he and I had a falling out about appointments to boards and commi because I brought it to his atte that he had not put any Blacks o what I call paying commissions with salaries attached there too And he and I fell out abou that when he first got elected.

But now we are on good working relationships and cordial relationships.

And he has done a bit better along that line.

He has made some good appointmen to paying commissions such as Tim McConnell to the tax commission and a young man, I think his name is Dunbar, on the Employment Security Commi So he is doing better along that and I commend him for that.

And I'm hoping that he'll do bet than what he's already done.

- With the two term governorship as we saw with Governor Riley, by the end of his second term, he not only had virtually all the appointments to every commission and board, but many reappointed that would continue beyond that second term.

With this and with th possibility, some say probabilit that Governor Campbell will be r how would you see this?

- Well, I think the same thing will be true for Governor Campbell.

As you alluded, with one term, you can only get so many appoint But with two terms, in my view, you get all the appointments in.

And previously the governors hav they tried to do it in a fair am And that is, of course whatever political party you're from, it's natural that you will appoint your people from that pa But there's a certain extent that you'll go and that is, if you have 8 members or 10, or 12 or 7 on a commission, you would not, if I'm a Democrat, I wouldn't elect, wouldn't appoint all Democrats.

You appoint the majority and then leave the rest to the other, to the opposite party.

And, but this governor, Governor Campbell doesn't operate that way.

It seems to me that he appoints all his boys and girls to the commissions for us in the Senate to approve.

And I just don't agree with that because all the other governors, including the other, we've only had two Republican go the other one, of course, is Governor Edwards.

Governor Edwards appointed his Republican people to commissions, which is proper, that's a process.

But he also left room in there and he appointed and reappointed some Democrats.

And therefore you have both parties represented on these boards and commissions.

And I think that's the way it sh It should not be all of just one That's not right.

- Would you see that pattern con - Well, as I said now that, thus far, in my opinion, in what I could s that's what Governor Campbell is Governor Campbell i appointing strictly Republicans to these boards and commissions.

And it's his right to appoint who he wants to appoint.

All I'm saying is for equity and fairness, he should appoint the majority of the commission of each commission Republican 'cause he is a Republican, and then leave the balance for D To me, that's the equitable way - On another issue, recently at Myrtle Beach, there was a large public hearing of local people talking with highway department officials about their local priorities.

I'm sure that each part of the s has got its own set o priorities with what they need and their road requirements and all the things connected to And this has been an area you've been concerned about.

Where does that stand right now?

The set asides and.

- Well, as far as, there's a SHIMS commi they make the decisions on where the federal money will and that type of thing.

And yesterday, Senator Theo Mitchell of Greenville brought an amendment to the floo all the SHIM commissioners now a And his amendment says that one Black should, at least one Black out of 10 peo should be on that commission.

And we adjourned yesterday with Senator Drummond of Greenwood holding the floor.

And we go back this morning, we start on the same thing.

And that's why I wanna get back as quick as I can.

Now, as far as 10% set aside, as you know, there was a Richmon from the US Supreme Court, which state that Richmond said 3 of the contractors should be Bla And they didn't have substantiating evidence to back up the 30% figure, and therefore the Supreme Court knocked it down.

Now, some people say that's a blow to Affirmative Action and all that, but in my view, it It simply states that Richmond, the city of Richmond, did not substantiate the number Here in South Carolina we have a 10% set aside for federal contracts and also 10% for state awarded c of highway constructions.

And we are in the process now of going over that legislation and fine tuning it and bringing into line with the Richmond decision.

However, we are having problems with the highway department.

No matter what law we pass, like they find another way to skin th to the extent that they can find not to award that to Black contr but rather, we've identified white women as a minority.

Now that's just about as silly as you can get, saying a white woman is a minori I mean, a white woman was the president of this country one time, Nancy Reagan.

I mean, ain't no minority about Nancy ran the country.

But now they give the contracts, award them to white women and say they're helping minoriti And so no matter what we do in the general assembly, the highway commission and the commissioner can find a way to get around it.

And that's where we hav problems here in South Carolina.

And after all, we are simply ask you talk about the free enterpri and America, the country of opportunity and all, we ask them to let us have 10%, just a dime out of the dollar.

And you'd have people getting up on the floor of the Senate arguing against th - Why?

- Well, I don't want to use the word racism, but you know, you can beat all around the bush and dress it up any way you wanna dress it up.

But when you boil it down to a l I don't see anything else that you can call it.

I mean, when a person wants it a he has 100%, and then you come in and ask for a dime, or 10% and he, they start talkin about you looking for handouts and you ain't qualified.

But I always remind them, I say, I say, now here we have to beg you for a dime.

We have to beg you to let Black contractors be involved in making a living.

I said, but now, when America fought all the wars, every war you can think of, Blacks were involved and we didn't have to beg to get I was involved in the Korean War and I didn't beg Harry S. Truman to please let me go.

Harry S. Truman sent for me.

And he was my favorite president, incidentally.

And you know, and we contribute to everything.

The discovery of America, exploration of America, you know, the development of Ame But when it comes to business and to highway constructions, we gotta beg and even pass a law to let Black contractors get 10%.

Now, you know what, now that's really ridiculous.

- This coming session, any more activity in this area?

- Oh, yes sir.

We in the very middle of that no preparing to substantiate our figures of our 10%.

But the research we have done th you know, it's more than 10%.

It really goes around 17% of the contracts that we should be getting.

But it's just strange that here in America we have to fight this type of battle.

And then when we fight the battl and ask for it, people will look at us and say, why is it you always bringing up Black issues?

And why are you always talking a something for Black people and why everything Black, Black?

Why don't you ever say anything about white people?

And you know, and I have to remind them, I said, look, in the Senate, there are onl five Black senators out of 46.

In the House, they're only 16 Black representatives out of 124.

16 + 5 gives you 21.

21 Blacks out of 170.

The governor is white, the President of the United States is white.

Now, you know, there's a whole lot of people to speak for white folks, but you only have 21 in South Carolina to speak for Blacks.

And that's why when they see us on television or hear us on the radio or in th that's the reason.

It's not that we don't represent 42% of my district is white.

I represent Harbison, Irmo, Ballentine, Blythewood, and I represent all the top of Richland County.

And I try to do it to the best of my ability.

- And we must get out on time.

Richland County State House Senator Patterson, thank you for being with us on Capitol View.

- Thank you very much, Tom, for letting me be here.

Thank you very much.

(upbeat music) - [Announcer] The preceding program was made possible in part by grants from SCE&G, Duke Power Company and Carolina Power and Light.

(upbeat music)