Check out the Voice of Blythewood

Be sure to see the December 3rd article titled "R2 trustee threatens to sue constituent" in The Voice of Blythewood & Fairfield County. 

Reporter Debra McCown did a good job of summarizing problems facing Teresa Holmes about the issue of her (il)legitimacy on the  Richland 2 School Board.

It's basically very simple and easy to understand. Holmes has never taken the oath of office legally. Thus, she is on the board illegally and is usurping public office. 

She (and Amelia McKie) became eligible to take the oath of office on December 4, 2018 and they have not done so. 

The next legal step for me is to get leave from a Circuit judge to file a usurping charge in the South Carolina Supreme Court. Because of the importance of keeping unauthorized people out of public office, the state Supreme Court would hear the case in a matter of days. My case would not have to go to the end of the line and wait ten years to be heard.

McKie and Holmes would have to prove that they are not violating the South Carolina statute. The poblem for both of them is in two parts. They signed an notarized oath of office form on November 13, 2018, and they filed their Statement of Economic Interest with the South Carolina Ethics Commission on December 4, 2018 - three weeks later.

They should have filed their SEIs first and then taken the oath of office. They did it backwards!

Since they can't prove their innocense, they'll be convicted. The penalties are not minor. Read South Carolina Code of Laws Title 15 - Civil Remedies and Penalties.

If they want me to stop complaining about their being in office illegally, all they have to do is take the oath of office - this time, legally.

Keep debtors out of public office

The following email is being sent to S.C. State Representative Ivory Thigpen (District 79) and State Senator Mia McLeod (District 22).

"As a constituent in your district, I am writing to request that you propose legislation in your chamber to prohibit a person who owes a debt to any division of the S.C. State Government, including the S.C. Ethics Commission, from holding public office. If that person holds office, the person must pay the debt within 90 days of the effective date of the legislation or resign from office.

"Will you please let me know if you will sponsor such legislation? I shall appreciate an individual reply, not just your standard auto-response without any follow-up."

Richland 2 School Board Trustee-elect Amelia McKie owes $51,750 to settle a judgment in favor of the South Carolina Ethics Commission. She hasn't paid even one penny toward this debt in more than two years.

The S.C. Department of Revenue (DOR) is charged with collecting the judgment. There is no sign of any activity on their part. The DOR should be attaching her wages from Richland 2 School District, filing a lien against any income tax refunds and against her home and automobile, and attaching her bank accounts. 

According to the Ethics Commission on November 30, 2020, she still owes $51,750!