Journal of the House of Representatives
of the Second Session of the 110th General Assembly
of the State of South Carolina
being the Regular Session Beginning Tuesday, January 11, 1994

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| Printed Page 5850, May 11 | Printed Page 5870, May 11 |
Printed Page 5860 . . . . . Wednesday, May 11, 1994
And my understanding is that anything having to do with the -- with the -- anything that's purchased on credit within this state pretty much comes under the purview of the -- of the -- well, actually, the Department of Consumer Affairs, and my understanding of the Commission's activity is to act and serve as sort of a board of directors for the -- for the department.
REPRESENTATIVE WHIPPER: Do we have other questions? Yes.
RE-EXAMINATION BY SENATOR REESE:
Q. Mr. Churchill, were you involved in the Korean Conflict?
A. I was -- I served during the Korean Conflict as a cryptolinguist for the -- the National Security Agency. When I -- when I graduated from Rutgers, they were asking for volunteers to study the Russian language and I volunteered and I had a commission as a Second Lieutenant through the Air Force ROTC at Rutgers. And I spent a year learning the language and I spent three years working on the Russian cipher systems in the Washington area for the National Security Agency. So I was during the Korean War, right.
REPRESENTATIVE WHIPPER: Thank you very much. And we will be in Executive Session after we've interviewed all of the applicants. And if you will, we will speak to you at that time and answer any questions.
A. I don't quite understand that. What would be the reason for -- for remaining here while the group continues --
REPRESENTATIVE WHIPPER: I think we will be able after Executive Session to report out as to whether your application has been accepted and you -- we have reported out favorably or unfavorably.
A. Okay. Thank you very much.
REPRESENTATIVE WHIPPER: Mr. Edwards.
MR. EDWARDS: Yes.
REPRESENTATIVE WHIPPER: Thank you for applying for this particular vacancy on the commission. We will begin by having you sworn in and then some routine questions that you would need to answer.
MR. EDWARDS: Okay.
JAMES LEE EDWARDS, having been duly sworn, testified as follows:
MR. EDWARDS - EXAMINATION BY MR. JOHNSON:
Q. All right, sir. There was a summary of information that Ms. Carleen McQueeney put together from all the information that you've sent our office and she sent it to you for your review, and I'd just like for you to affirm that the information on that summary is correct and then I -- to agree to have that summary entered into the record here today?
A. Yes.

Printed Page 5861 . . . . . Wednesday, May 11, 1994
PERSONAL DATA QUESTIONNAIRE SUMMARY

1. James Lee Edwards
Home Address:
11 Dennis Lane
Blythewood, SC 29016

1. He was born in Campbell, Mo. on September 20, 1935. He is presently 58 years old.
Social Security Number: ***-**-****

5. He is married to Carmen P. Edwards. They were married April 30, 1982. He has three children:

Deborah Tunnell, age 39 - RN
Billie Sims, age 35 - Administration
Tom Edwards, age 37 - Automotive (self employed)

7. He attended Olivet Nazarene University 1954-1955, 1958-1961 -
AB. He also attended University of Michican.

8. He was appointed to the Planning and Zoning Committee in Bethany, Ok. in 1974-1978. He is presently serving on the Town of Blythwood Zoning Board. He was appointed in 1992.

9. He is a member of: Board of Evangelism SC Conference United Methodist; Council on Ministries SC Conference United Methodist; Member of trinity UMC in Blythwood; Advisory Committee Fairfield Electric Coop.; Round up Board Member Fairfield Electric Coop.; Medical Representatives of Columbia; Zoning Commission Town of Blythwood;

10. He was employed in 1993 for Whitehall Robins division of American Home Products (Advil - Robitussin - Dimetapp).
He worked for Bristo-Myers Squibb from 1965 until he retired in 1993.

Printed Page 5862 . . . . . Wednesday, May 11, 1994
21. Five (5) letters of recommendation: Don Alexander, MD (Cardiologist), Columbia, SC; John Bloodworth, Jr. (DHEC), Blythwood, SC; Bill Lackey, General Mgr. Hampton Pontiac -
Bruick - Jaguar, Columbia, SC; Bill Hart CEO, Fairfield Electric Coop, Winnsboro, SC; William A. Harwell, President, Bank of Ridgeway, Ridgeway, SC.

Q. Thank you. The -- your SLED records check is negative. Your driving records check is negative. Your Personal Data Questionnaire indicates negative on Responses 11 through 20. Your State Ethics Commission Statement of Economic Interest indicates negative on Items 13 through 20. And the only thing that is listed on your summary is that -- are you currently serving on the Town of Blythewood Zoning Board?
A. Yes, I am.
Q. And are -- would you be willing to resign from that Board if you win this seat on the Consumer Affairs Commission?
A. Yes.
Q. I've got a few more questions that I need to ask you that are really -- basically, are a review of all the information you've already sent to our office.

Mr. Edwards, do you or any members of your family own or operate any business which contracts with state or local -- state or federal government?
A. No.
Q. Do you or any member of your family own or operate any business which receives funds from the Consumer Affairs Commission?
A. No.
Q. Have you ever been arrested, charged or held by federal, state or other law enforcement authorities for violation of a state, federal or local law?
A. No.
Q. Have you, to your knowledge, ever been under federal, state or local investigation for possible violation of a criminal statute?
A. No.
Q. Have you ever been disciplined or cited for a breach of ethics or unprofessional conduct by any court, agency, association or professional group?
A. No.
Q. Are you now or have you ever been employed as a lobbyist or acted in a capacity as a lobbyist principal?
A. No.

Printed Page 5863 . . . . . Wednesday, May 11, 1994
Q. Are there any reasons you may think of that -- why you may have difficulty performing the duties of this elected position?
A. I hope not, no.
Q. If you'd like to now, Mr. Edwards, you may briefly explain to the committee why you'd like to serve on the Consumer Affairs Commission.
A. Well, I've had an interest in doing something like this for a number of years, but I've worked and traveled a fair amount and wasn't able to do something, you know, like this because of attending the meetings, being out of town. And I retired last year from Bristol-Myers after 29 years and I'm working part time for another pharmaceutical company and I -- and I do have the opportunity now to do this and I've read with interest always about the Consumer Affairs Commission and I've always admired Steve Hamm and the work that's he's done.

And I've always had a soft spot, I guess, in my heart for people that -- that get -- I don't know the words to use exactly -- ripped off or cheated or -- and I thought this would be a good place to serve. And as I get a little older -- I've had some heart problems in the last two or three years -- as I get a little older, I think more in terms of serving and maybe that's a natural thing to do, but I'm looking for a place to serve is really what it amounts to. And I thought this would be a good opportunity when I noticed, you know, the opening in the newspaper.

That's -- I think -- being in business most of my life and I've called on most of the physicians in central South Carolina. I'm in most of the state in years past. I do have a good business sense, I believe, and I think the important thing would be, would be to be fair in a job like this for everyone. That's pretty much my thinking.
REPRESENTATIVE WHIPPER: Thank you. Any member of the committee? Mr. Bailey.
EXAMINATION BY REPRESENTATIVE BAILEY:
Q. Mr. Edwards, you're on the Fairfield Electric Co-op Advisory committee?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. What's that do?
A. Well, it's primarily a board that -- an advisory panel set up to count the ballots. It's an annual thing. It's really just kind of a -- it's really nothing to --
Q. I don't know if you're a member of the Co-op board or --
A. No, I'm not a member of the Board of Trustees.
Q. Okay.
A. No.

Printed Page 5864 . . . . . Wednesday, May 11, 1994
Q. What's the Round-up Board?
A. That's a new thing that two or three of the Co-ops have done recently. We round our electric bills up to the next dollar and then it goes into a kitty for charity and like if a person's home is burned, we automatically give them $500.

We've purchased a safety nets for the like North Richland County, our service area, Fairfield County, the Sheriff's Department, Kershaw County and part of Lancaster County. That's one thing we've done.

In other words, it's a charitable thing that the Co-op has set up where we round our electric bills to the next dollars that people choose to do it. In other words, it's a voluntarily thing.
Q. Right.
A. And requests are made from all sorts of organizations, you know, as to whether they -- for the funding and then we either accept it or reject it. There was a committee appointed, I think there is like eight of us on that board and my terms expires -- I had a one-year appointment. Mine expires June or July of this year.

But what we do is -- well, I think it amounts to 15 or 20 thousand a month, but so far we haven't -- it's a rather new thing and we haven't totally dispensed each -- the monies we've drawn each, you know, month.
Q. Who is your House Member, do you know?
A. My House Member is John Scott.
Q. Scott. Who is your Senator?
A. Kay Patterson.
Q. Thank you, sir?
A. Pardon me.
Q. Thank you, sir.
REPRESENTATIVE BAILEY: That's all I have, Madam Chairman.
REPRESENTATIVE WHIPPER: Mr. McLeod.
EXAMINATION BY REPRESENTATIVE MCLEOD:
Q. Mr. Edwards, how long have you been lived in South Carolina?
A. I've lived here about 15, 16 years.
Q. You were with the same company and just transferred here?
A. Bristol-Myers -- Yes, they transferred me as an oncology representative. I handled the cancer drugs back in '78,
'79 and '80 and then I became the district manager. I had North Carolina and South Carolina.
Q. And you moved to South Carolina?
A. Well, I was here with the oncology. They moved me here with the oncology drugs. Yes.
REPRESENTATIVE WHIPPER: Other questions? Senator.

Printed Page 5865 . . . . . Wednesday, May 11, 1994
EXAMINATION BY SENATOR REESE:
Q. From 1955 to 1958, what did you do? You have a gap there in your education. Were you in service or something?
A. '55 to '58, I dropped out of school, sir, and I got married, I had children and that's what I did and then I returned to college.
Q. Fell in love then?
A. And I was married for 26 years and then divorced. Again, I have married a gal that's been in South Carolina for a long time. I'm originally from Mississippi, however.
REPRESENTATIVE BAILEY: That's interesting.
A. That's worse.
REPRESENTATIVE BAILEY: No, no. Somebody asked Quayle the other day spell -- "Can you spell Mississippi?" He said, "The state or the river?" I better get off the record. No, no, there is nothing wrong with Mississippi.
A. I've lived across the road -- Mary Lourie just moved, but Mary Lourie for about nine years and then --
RE-EXAMINATION BY REPRESENTATIVE BAILEY:
Q. This has no bearing on this, but are your kids in South Carolina?
A. No, they're not. They're all in Oklahoma.
Q. I'm surprised how many we have nurses as we go through this. A lot of them -- people have kids nurses?
A. I do have a stepson here. I thought about this later that should have maybe been on the -- Steve Mounts. Steve lives off of Forest and he's a Spring Valley -- I mean, yeah, Spring Valley High School graduate, went to Carolina.

And then McCoy (phonetic), my stepdaughter, lives on the Isle of Palms and she's with B. Johnson Nutritional, a division of Bristol-Myers, so it covers the medical university. So two of them do live here, but they're stepchildren.
REPRESENTATIVE WHIPPER: Other questions?
SENATOR REESE: I've got one more.
RE-EXAMINATION BY SENATOR REESE:
Q. Are you a lay minister? I notice you've got a lot of --
A. Well, I've had -- that's been my real interest through most of my time. Probably if I had life to do all over, I would have gone to seminary, and I just -- that's always been my -- where I've spent my extra time.

In coming up for a job like this, I've -- I thought, you know, I've spent more of time in my church than I have in my political -- which I'm not so sure, that's maybe a good thing. But, however, I've enjoyed that and I'm

Printed Page 5866 . . . . . Wednesday, May 11, 1994
on the Board of Evangelism for the general -- for the South Carolina conference for the United Methodist Church. I do take those lay speaking programs and I personally wouldn't mind filling in permanently at a small church in North Richland County or Fairfield County is what would be one of my dreams and not work this job I'm doing part time. You know, thinking of dreams.

I filled in at some churches like Zion United Methodist up at the edge of Blythewood. I have done that on occasion because the minister -- our minister only -- Bob Howell was only there once every, you know, month and I would fill in for him on occasion at that church.
Q. Where is Nazarene University located?
A. It's in Kankakee, Illinois. That's a -- the church I actually grew up in and around here they're not as strong, but there's a -- there is a considerable number. There's a good size one here in Columbia.
Q. That's a small college?
A. Yes, it's a church related college.
Q. Right. They have a basketball program up there?
A. Yes, they're very strong in the, you know, the -- it's the NAAIA, I believe, conference.
Q. NCCAA (phonetic)?
A. NC, okay.
Q. If I'm not mistaken, I've refereed several ball games that they've been involved in. As a matter of fact, I think they won the National Championship a few years ago, a game I was involved in. But I'm real familiar with a lot of those schools.
SENATOR REESE: That's all.
REPRESENTATIVE WHIPPER: Mr. Edwards, we remain open for the receipt of any additional information. We'd like for you to know that and we will go into executive session at the end of the interviews and you may want to remain to find out our decision as far as the approval of your candidacy.
A. All right. I thank you very much.
REPRESENTATIVE WHIPPER: Thank you. How are you, Mr. Johnson? We're happy to have you apply for this vacancy.
MR. JOHNSON: Thank you very much.
REPRESENTATIVE WHIPPER: We will begin by having you sworn in and then a few routine questions that we need to ask.
NED D. JOHNSON, having been duly sworn, testified as follows:
MR. JOHNSON - EXAMINATION BY MR. JOHNSON:
Q. Mr. Johnson, through this process with the different questionnaires that were sent out, Ms. Carleen McQueeney made a summary of all that

Printed Page 5867 . . . . . Wednesday, May 11, 1994
information and sent it to you for your corrections, if any, and then you sent it back to this office. Do you affirm that the information on that summary is correct and would you agree to entering that into the record here today?
A. Yes, I do.

PERSONAL DATA QUESTIONNAIRE SUMMARY

1. Ned D. Johnson
Home Address: Business Address:
1422 Baldwin Court Tilghman Ins. Agency, Inc.
Box 1319 P.O. Box 10
Little River, SC 29566 N. Myrtle Beach, SC 29582

2. He was born in Dayton, Ohio on 11/14/21. He is presently 72 years old. Social Security Number: ***-**-****.

5. He was married on 9/22/43 to Kathleen Driscoll. They have eight children:
James M. Johnson (47) New England General Manager Vending
Supply of America - Connecticut
Dale A. Morrissey (45) Teacher - Connecticut
Mark D. Johnson (43) School Principal - Vermont
Carol Johnson - Haywood (40) Teacher -New Hampshire
Philip A. Johnson (38) Purchasing Manager Stanadyne Corp.
Connecticut.
Amelia Johnson - Marsland (35) Homemaker - Massachusetts
Brian A. Johnson (29) Operations Department Vending Supply of
America - Colorado
Stephen M. Johnson (28) Management Search - Georgia

6. Military Service: 10/42 - 4/46 U.S. Army Air Corps Sergeant (Honorable Discharge).

7. He has a B A Degree from DePauw University. He attended the University 9/40 - 8/42; 6/45 - 6/47.

8. Public Service: Board of Adjustment - Chairperson, Stowe, Vermont 1977-1979 (Town Zoning and Appeals Board).

Printed Page 5868 . . . . . Wednesday, May 11, 1994
9. He has been or is a member of: Kiwanis Club; Rotary Club; Elks Club; Horry County Community Forum; Roman Catholic Church; Grand strand Citizens for Life; Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity; Junior Chamber of Commerce; Chamber of Commerce.

10. His professional experience includes:
General Electric Company 1947-1949
Smith - Ramsey Investment Banking 1949-1951
Travelers Insurance Company 1951-1973
Stowe Motel, owner/operator 1973-1980
Jackson Insurance Agency 1981-1985 (part time)
Tilghman, Insurance Agency 1985-Present (part time)

21. Five (5) letters of recommendation:
Douglas Shaffer, Allen Jeffcoat, Douglas Wendel, John Cote, James Hart.

Q. Thank you, sir. Your SLED records check is negative. Your driving records check is negative. Your Personal Data Questionnaire indicates negatives on responses for Items 11 through 20. Your State Ethics Commission Statement of Economic Interest indicates negative on Items 13 through 20. And I just have a few questions that are very similar to the ones that you've already answered in the questionnaires.
A. Uh-huh.
Q. Mr. Johnson, do you or any member of your family own or operate any business which contracts with the state or federal government?
A. No.
Q. Do you or any member of your family own or operate any business which receives funds from the Consumer Affairs Commission?
A. No.
Q. Have you ever been arrested, charged or held by a federal, state or other law enforcement authorities for violation of state, federal or local law?
A. No.
Q. Have you, to your knowledge, ever been under federal, state or local investigation for possible violations of a criminal statute?
A. No.

Printed Page 5869 . . . . . Wednesday, May 11, 1994
Q. Have you ever been disciplined or cited for breach of ethics or unprofessional conduct by any court, agency, association or professional group?
A. Questioned once by the insurance department regarding a company I was doing business with, but no action was ever taken.
Q. All right, sir. Are you now or have you ever been employed as a lobbyist or acted in the capacity as a lobbyist principal?
A. No.
Q. Can you think of any reason why you may have difficulty performing the duties of this elected position?
A. No.
Q. If you would like to now, you may briefly explain to the committee why you would like to serve on the Consumer Affairs Commission?
A. I just have prepared a very brief statement, and saying that because of my extensive background in management, marketing and general business experience, I believe that I could be of value to the Consumer Affairs Commission.

I have a great deal of experience in problem solving. I've spent several years with two international corporations and have successfully owned and operated our own family business, a motel in a resort area in another state. I've been a consumer for 72 years. But I believe that I could also serve the people of South Carolina of all ages as an ombudsman for -- for them.
REPRESENTATIVE WHIPPER: Do we have any questions?
EXAMINATION BY REPRESENTATIVE BAILEY:
Q. My colleagues tell me I was catnapping. I was not. I was just shutting my eyes as I was going through these eight kids --
REPRESENTATIVE MCLEOD: I have to wake him up --
Q. -- and thinking just how marvelous an individual you must be to have eight kids. We were talking about that prior to you coming in, Mr. Johnson. I have five, he has three and I guess it takes two of us to control, but I admire you with eight kids, I can tell you.
A. Our youngest is in --
REPRESENTATIVE WHIPPER: Don't ask him what his spouse does. George?
REPRESENTATIVE BAILEY: Um?
REPRESENTATIVE WHIPPER: Don't ask him what his spouse does.
REPRESENTATIVE BAILEY: I was not.
Q. Let me ask you something, how long have you been in our state?
A. 14 years. It'll be 14 years in August.

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