What's that old saying? "I've got some good news for you and some bad news."
Today's Post and Courtier newspaper takes a hard look at the South Carolina Ethics Commission - again. Read the article here.
If Amelia McKie reads that article, she'll be relieved. The bad news is that this is a long article about a State agency that should be keeping publicofficials on the straight and narrow. The good news is that her name is not in it.
The last article took a big swipe at Amelia McKie, trustee- elect (since November 6, 2018) of the Richland 2 School Board. She owes $57,100 in fines and penalties to the Ethics Commission, which filed a judgment in the Richland County Common Pleas Court in July 2019.
Notable sentences in the article:
"The State Ethics Commission is an understaffed government watchdog enforcing a toothless ethics law."
"The State Ethics Commission should be one of South Carolina’s most powerful anti-corruption tools."
"What’s more, state prosecutors say the agency has traditionally not forwarded criminal cases to them for prosecution."
Why isn't the Ethics Commission pounding on the South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCFOR) to collect that $57,100 for it?
Rumor has it that the SCDOR doesn't go after people who can't pay.
McKie can't pay? Doesn't she receive almost $10,000/year from the Richland 2 School District?
Well, maybe not, since she didn't report any income for 2020 from Richland 2 on her Statement of Economic Interests (SEI) filed with the Ethics Commission on January 12, 2021. But why wouldn't she have been paid a stipend of $800 monthly, as were all the other trustees?
She also did not report any Family Members' Income. Was she married in any part of 2020?
McKie reports only private personal income in 2020 from NLLC (whatever that is). It is not required that she disclose the amount of any private personal income.
Her SEI is a public record and was examined today.
