Opinion
Editorials represent the institutional view of the newspaper. They are written and edited by the editorial staff, which operates separately from the news department. Editorial writers are not involved in newsroom operations.
Williamsburg County Clerk of Court Sharon Staggers, left, former Colleton County Clerk Becky Hill and Barnwell County Clerk Rhonda McElveen are among at least six, and likely more, clerks of court who used federal child support enforcement funds to increase their own pay.
- File photos
Top Story
Remember back in 2022, when we had a single brazen county clerk of court who was audacious enough to think she could get away with giving herself a $30,000 raise —after the Williamsburg County Council rejected her request?
You can almost understand why the S.C. Legislature didn’t do anything about it: It was just one crazy outlier, in an easily overlookable little Democratic county, lawmakers might reasonably have concluded; no need to fix a one-off problem.
Editorials
Editorial: Who would be brazen enough to think she could give herself a raise?
- BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF
Remember back in 2023, when we learned it wasn’t a one-off, and it was bipartisan? That Williamsburg County Clerk Sharon Staggers had been joined by Hampton County Clerk Becky Hill, a Republican who also unilaterally decided how much she should be paid— something no one should be able to do unless they own their own business.
Ms. Hill, who granted herself $15,500 in bonuses, at least had the decency to resign after news broke about all that … well, that and all the other stuff South Carolina's most notorious clerk is facing.
Again, though, crickets from the Legislature.
Editorials
Editorial: Another SC official gave herself a raise. Will Legislature finally act?
- BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF
Oh, for those simpler days.
Today, the Post and Courier’s Thad Moore reports, we know at least six clerks have used federal child support enforcement funds to inflate their own pay. With the emphasis on at least. When Mr. Moore requested records from all 46 counties, he found that clerks in Barnwell, Chesterfield, Colleton and Jasper counties also had given themselves bonuses in recent years.
News
SC doesn't check how clerks of court use federal money. At least 6 paid themselves.
- By Thad Mooretmoore@postandcourier.com
It's probably more. Some counties provided incomplete information. Some demanded hundreds of dollars simply to let him look at public records. Richland County claimed the records didn't exist. And Dillon County didn’t respond.
His review didn’t go back far enough to count the Beaufort County clerk of court who pleaded guilty in 2011 to using the federal funds to pay her husband tens of thousands of dollars. Nor did it count the clerks who used the federal money for stays at beachfront hotels in Myrtle Beach, often to attend conferences put on by the S.C. Association of Clerks of Court and Registers of Deeds.
Editorials
Editorial: Exhibit A for why we shouldn't elect these posts sits unopened in deeds office
- BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF
The Department of Social Services distributes the federal funds to the clerks but doesn’t check behind them. Maybe we could understand that if the agency said it didn’t have the capacity or mandate to monitor how the clerks use the money; instead, it said the program works just fine. We hope Gov. Henry McMaster noticed that.
An attorney general’s opinion issued in November concluded that a court would probably strike down the bonuses, but that won’t happen unless someone sues. And evenif Gov. McMaster explains to DSS officials the scope of their responsibility to the public, we still need legislative action.
Editorials
Editorial: Why does a judge even need government credit cards? Rein them in.
- BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF
There are two ways lawmakers could fix this problem. The most direct is to make it specifically and clearly illegal for clerks of court, or any other public officials with individual access to public funds, to increase their own pay. They also would need to require better reporting and monitoring of clerks’ expenditures to increase the chances that clerks would get caught if they did try to pay themselves extra, and provide penalties significant enough to serve as a deterrent.
Better still— because this would address other problems we know about as well as all sort of shenanigans we haven’t yet discovered — would be to stop forcing voters to hire and fire clerks, whose bureaucratic job is to summon citizens for jury duty, announce verdicts, keep court filings in order, safeguard evidence after trials conclude and, in child support cases, bridge the state’s bureaucracy with the courts.
Commentary
Scoppe: Legislative inaction means 6 more years of political hacks mismanaging our money
- By Cindi Ross Scoppe
We need to elect people who perform discretionary tasks— prosecutors, for instance, and mayors and governors and legislators and city and county council members. We don’t need to elect people to do ministerial jobs — starting with clerks and extending to treasurers and coroners and comptroller generals and state agency directors. People who fill those positions need expertise and ability rather than political appeal. And they need bosses who can fire them when they do inappropriate things— such as raising their own pay.
Click here formore opinion content from The Post and Courier.
Sign up for our opinion newsletter
Get a weekly recap of South Carolina opinion and analysis from The Post and Courier in your inbox on Monday evenings.
More information
- Editorial: Use extra precautions for Murdaugh jury tampering probe
- Editorial: Council can't, so lawmakers should make Charleston register of deeds appointed post
- Editorial: Race for Charleston clerk of court underscores why we shouldn't elect clerk of court
Similar Stories
Editorial: Meggett's big conservation win shows our playbook is working, But it's still game on.
Many, if not most, of coastal South Carolina's conservation success stories have involved families whose love for their land led them into conservations with nonprofits and others to ensure it remains largely as they have known it, even if it means them leaving a little — or in some cases, a… Read moreEditorial: Meggett's big conservation win shows our playbook is working, But it's still game on.
Editorial: Sandy Senn is the best choice in nasty SC Senate 41 GOP primary
That’s quite a slugfest we’ve got going on inS.C. Senate District 41. No wonder it's one of the most watched Senate races this year. Charleston Sen. Sandy Senn has campaign posters up featuring freshman Rep.Matt Leber’s police mug shotand warning women to look out, seeing as his former wife accused him of domestic violence and there have been other allegations of illegal hot-headedness. Read moreEditorial: Sandy Senn is the best choice in nasty SC Senate 41 GOP primary
Editorial: Welcome to summer, but remember: It can be dangerous out there
The most important thing about Memorial Day is looking back with heavy, appreciative hearts for all those brave Americans who gave their all defending our great nation. The most urgent thing about this day —this weekend actually —is its role as the unofficial kickoff of summer, and with it the need to dive into safety. Read moreEditorial: Welcome to summer, but remember: It can be dangerous out there
Editorial: How many brazen clerks of court does it take to turn on a legislative lightbulb?
Remember bac… Read moreEditorial: How many brazen clerks of court does it take to turn on a legislative lightbulb?
Editor's Picks
Top Story Editor's Pick Spotlight
Taylor Swift fans in SC went to Sweden and France for better deals on concert tickets
Top Story Editor's Pick
Fueling up: Gas stations, convenience stores double as culinary landmarks in SC towns
Top Story Editor's Pick Spotlight
The 1886 earthquake in Charleston was catastrophic. Are we prepared for another one?
Top Story Editor's Pick
Devoted fans beat the drums all night for the Charleston Battery. Who are they?
, Post and Courier, an Evening Post Publishing Newspaper Group. All rights reserved. | Terms of Sale | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy