Lexington County Republican enters race for Lt. Governor

Lexington County Representative Ted Pitts has officially announced Wednesday morning that he’s running for Lieutenant Governor in 2010. Pitts joins Orangeburg attorney Bill Connor in the GOP race to replace Andre Bauer. The 37 year old lawmaker has served in the House for seven years. Pitts says as Lt. Governor he would continue to follow his philosophy of fiscal conservatism.
“We need to continue our efforts to restructure government to make it more efficient and more accountable. We need to implement spending limitation that limits the amount of new revenue that state government can spend in any given year. There is no doubt that we’re in different times as a country and as a state and now more than ever leadership to not only move our state forward, but also keep us from following the federal government in the wrong direction is needed.”
Pitts says government cannot continue to mortgage our children’s future by borrowing and overspending.
Pitts says as Lt. Governor he will work to get tax relief for small businesses. “We need to focus on helping small business in South Carolina. Small business is the backbone of our state’s economy and we need to now find a way to deliver property tax relief to them and all non-owner occupied real estate. Businesses across this state are being pushed to the brink with a property tax burden that continues to increase and will literally put them out of business if the system does not change.”
Pitts currently serves on the House Education and Public Works Committee. He works in the private sector as a commercial real estate broker.
Pitts is the primary sponsor of a bill that has passed the House that calls for a constitutional amendment referendum which would be placed on the next statewide election ballot for citizens to choose whether they would like to see the Governor and Lt. Governor run on the same ticket, like the President and Vice President do at the national level.
“I think the chief executive of our state which is the Governor should work hand-in-glove with the Lt. Governor and i think it;s important that those two guys be elected on the same slate. I think it would lead to a government that is more aaccountable. The Governor would have the true executive powers that he needs.”