Carolina Politics Online

Last night’s run off settled some remaining scores and now that everyone knows who their opponent is, they can begin focusing on the November races.

Elaine Marshall won the Democratic nomination for the U.S.Senate race in North Carolina. She will now face incumbent Republican Richard Burr and Libertarian Michael Beitler.  I rank this race as leaning Republican.

State Representative Nikki Haley handily defeated Congressman Gresham Barrett in the Republican gubernatorial run off for South Carolina.  Haley will now face Democratic State Senator Vincent Sheheen in the fall to determine who will succeed Governor Mark Sanford.  I rank this race as also leaning Republican.  Ken Ard will be Haley’s Lt Governor running mate.

In North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District Republican run off Harold Johnson easily bested Tim D’Annunzio as expected.  D’Annunzio will now have all the time he needs to begin excavating the State of Arizona for the lost Ark of the Convenant.  Johnson will face incumbent Democratic Congressman Larry Kissell and Libertarian Thomas Hill in November.  I rank this race as leaning Democratic.

In North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District Bill Randall defeated Bernie Reeves.  Democrat Brad Miller is the incumbent in this gerrymandered district which covers a small portion of the Triangle and then shoots up to the Virginia border.  This is a D+5 district, so it’s not overwhelmingly Democratic, though I lean this race towards Miller.  Given the political environment this year, however, we could see Randall pull off an upset in November.

In South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District State Representative Tim Scott defeated Paul Thurmond by a huge margin in the Republican run off.  Although Congressman Henry Brown almost lost this seat in 2008, it is still pretty reliably Republican.  Scott is likely to win the November election.

State Representative Jeff Duncan defeated political newcomer Richard Cash by only a three point margin in the Republican run off for South Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District.  This is a solidly Republican seat and we are sure to see Duncan succeed Gresham Barrett in January.

Congressman Bob Inglis became another incumbent to lose reelection in his party’s primary in what’s becoming a long line of incumbent bloodletting all across the country.  Trey Gowdy laid the smackdown on him pretty hard last night.  Like the 3rd, the 4th is solidly Republican and Gowdy will be the next Congressman come January.

Alan Wilson won the Republican run off for South Carolina’s Attorney General race.  The odds favor him to win the general election in November.  Mick Zais won the State Education Superintendent Republican run off and he will face Democrat Frank Holleman in the general.  I rank this race as a toss up.  This is the one statewide seat that the Democrats traditionally seem to be able to capture in this state, probably because Democrats are generally trusted on education issues better than the GOP.  Although, with the political environment favoring the GOP this year more so than normal, Zais could emerge victorious.

In South Carolina’s State House run offs, Doug Brannon ousted one term State Representative Joey Millwood in the 38th House District.  This was an unfortunate result as Brannon supports the failed status quo of public education in this state, where as Millwood was a school choice supporter.  On the other hand, Andy Patrick absolutely pummeled State Representative Richard Chalk in the 123rd so that balances out the Millwood loss.  Democrat Boyd Brown just barely kept his seat in District 41 and Republican Marion Frye hung on to his seat in District 39.

And since I live in York County I always like to weigh on our local races.  Both County Council incumbents in the Republican run off lost their seats.  Eric Winstead defeated Councilman Joe Cox in District 3 and Britt Blackwell beat Buddy Motz in District 6.  David Bowman secured the nomination in District 1, the seat currently held by sleaze bag Paul Lindemann who only managed to get a paltry 12% in the primary election two weeks ago.

There were no real surprises in the big races last night.  The elections pretty much came down the way the recent polling said it would.

In the Republican gubernatorial primary State Representative Nikki Haley came up just short of the 50% needed to avoid a run off election.  With 48.9% of the vote she will go on to face Congressman Gresham  Barrett who she beat by a more than two to one margin last night.  Hopefully that’s a sign of what’s to come in the run off.  On the Democratic side, State Senator Vincent Sheheen won a decisive victory over Jim Rex and State Senator Robert Ford with 59% of the vote.  He will face either Haley or Barrett in November.

In the First Congressional District State Representative Tim Scott prevailed in a nine person primary and will move to a run off election to face Paul Thurmond.  The winner of the run off will challenge Democrat Ben Frasier who defeated Robert Burton in their primary.

In the Third Congressional District, a Republican run off will be decided between Richard Cash and State Representative Jim Duncan.  The winner of that challenge will face Democrat Jane Dyer who won the Democratic primary and ran against Barrett in 2008.

In the Fourth Congressional District, Trey Gowdy defeated Congressman Bob Inglis, however not enough to decisively win the nomination.  They too will head to a run off and face Democrat Paul Corden in the general election.

In the Sixth Congressional District there was surprisingly a three way Republican primary in this heavily gerrymandered Democratic district.  Jim Pratt and Nancy Harrelson will compete in a run off election to determine who will lose to Congressman Jim Clyburn in November.

In other races, Curtis Loftis defeated incumbent State Treasurer Converse Chellis in the Republican primary.  Leighton Lord and Alan Wilson, son of Congressman Joe Wilson, will move to a run off to determine who the next Attorney General will be.  Neither the AG race nor the Treasurer race was contested by the Democrats.  Ken Ard and Bill Connor will battle it out in the run off to see who the Republicans’ Lt Governor candidate will be.  Mick Zais and Elizabeth Moffly will compete in a run off for the Republican State Superintendent nomination.  The winner will run against Democrat Frank Holleman.

There was a big upset in the State House last night as House Speaker Pro Tem Harry Cato of the 17th House District had the smackdown laid on him by challenger Tom Corbin.  Corbin received 59% of the vote so Cato is outta there!  Two other Republicans in the State House also lost in their primaries.  State Representatives Keith Kelly of the 35th District and Jim Stewart of the 86th were defeated by their challengers.  Additionally, several other State House incumbents were forced into a run off election:  Joey Millwood of the 38th District, Marion Frye of the 39th, Boyd Brown of the 41st, and Richard Chalk of the 123rd.

Finally, probably the sweetest moment of the evening was seeing York County Councilman and scoundrel extraordinaire Paul Lindemann sink faster than the Titanic.  In a four way primary he managed to get less than 12% of the vote.  Republicans David Bowman and Kyle Boyd will move to the run off and the winner will become the next County Councilman for the 1st District as no Democrat filed for the race.

10:23pm – In York County, Paul Lindemann got destroyed.  With 21 of 22 precincts in he has less than 11% of the vote.  David Bowman finished first with 39% and it looks like Kyle Boyd will be his run off opponent with 25.5%, though Tom Audette is pretty close to him and there is still one precinct left to report.  With 98% in, it looks like Paul Thurmond will be Tim Scott’s run off opponent in SC-01.

10:20pm – Richard Cash and Jeff Duncan will head to a run off for U.S. House District 3.

9:56pm – Nikki Haley and Gresham Barrett will be heading to a run off election for the gubernatorial race.  For U.S. House District 1, Tim Scott has qualified for the run off, but his opponent is yet to be determined.

9:53pm – Ben Frasier has won the Democratic primary for U.S. House District 1.  In District 4, Trey Gowdy and Bob Inglis will be heading to a run off election.

9:53pm -

Gubernatorial Primary 89% Reporting

• Haley49%
• Barrett 22%

U.S. House District 1 Primary 90% Reporting

• Scott 31%
• Thurmond 16%
  

• Frasier 55%
• Burton 45%

U.S. House District 3 Primary 82% Reporting

• Cash 25%
• Duncan 24%

U.S. House District 4 Primary 88% Reporting

• Gowdy 43%
• Inglis 26%

Superintendent Primary

• Zais 26%
• Moffly 21%

York County Council District 1

• Bowman 40%
• Boyd 25%
  

9:38pm -

Gubernatorial Primary 78% Reporting

• Haley48%
• Barrett 22%

U.S. House District 1 Primary 65% Reporting

• Scott 32%
• Thurmond 16%
  

• Frasier 56%
• Burton 44%

U.S. House District 3 Primary 69% Reporting

• Duncan 26%
• Cash 22%

U.S. House District 4 Primary 78% Reporting

• Gowdy 42%
• Inglis 27%

Superintendent Primary

• Zais 27%
• Moffly 22%

York County Council District 1

• Bowman 40%
• Boyd 25%
  

9:33pm – Alvin Greene has won the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

9:21pm – Jane Dyer has won the Democratic primary for U.S. House District 3.

9:20pm -

Gubernatorial Primary 62% Reporting

• Haley48%
• Barrett 22%

U.S. House District 1 Primary 54% Reporting

• Scott 30%
• Thurmond 17%
  

• Frasier 56%
• Burton 44%

U.S. House District 3 Primary 64% Reporting

• Duncan 26%
• Cash 23%

• Dyer 67%
• Doyle 33%

U.S. House District 4 Primary 59% Reporting

• Gowdy 50%
• Inglis 24%

Superintendent Primary

• Zais 29%
• Moffly 19%

York County Council District 1

• Bowman 40%
• Boyd 25%
  

9:10pm – It looks likely that Nikki Haley and Gresham Barrett will head to a run off.  In U.S. House District 4, Trey Gowdy is at 49.6%.  He may end up defeating Inglis tonight and avoid a run off.  In U.S. House District 1, Tim Scott is going to head to a run off.  He’ll be facing either Carroll Campbell or Paul Thurmond who keep trading second place.  District 3 looks like it will be a run off between Jeff Duncan and Richard Cash.  In York County, Paul Lindemann is getting his butt kicked, in last place of the four candidates.

9:02pm – Vincent Sheheen has decisively won the Democratic primary for governor.  He is well over the 50% mark to avoid a run off.

9:00pm -

Gubernatorial Primary 44% Reporting

• Haley47%
• Barrett 25%

• Sheheen 58%
• Rex 24%

U.S. House District 1 Primary 25% Reporting

• Scott 31%
• Campbell 18%
  

• Frasier 55%
• Burton 45%

U.S. House District 3 Primary 57% Reporting

• Duncan 26%
• Cash 22%

• Dyer 67%
• Doyle 33%

U.S. House District 4 Primary 49% Reporting

• Gowdy 50%
• Inglis 24%

Superintendent Primary

• Zais 29%
• Moffly 19%

York County Council District 1

• Bowman 31%
• Boyd 30%
  

8:45pm -

Gubernatorial Primary 30% Reporting

• Haley48%
• Barrett 23%

• Sheheen 59%
• Rex 23%

U.S. House District 1 Primary 21% Reporting

• Scott 33%
• Thurmond 18%
  

• Frasier 55%
• Burton 45%

U.S. House District 3 Primary 42% Reporting

• Duncan 28%
• Grimaud 20%

• Dyer 65%
• Doyle 35%

U.S. House District 4 Primary 31% Reporting

• Gowdy 44%
• Inglis 26%

Superintendent Primary

• Zais 27%
• Burgess 20%
  

8:25pm -

Gubernatorial Primary 16% Reporting

• Haley42%
• Barrett 25%

• Sheheen 58%
• Rex 23%

U.S. House District 1 Primary

• Scott 39%
• Kobrovsky 15%

• Burton 62%
• Frasier 38%

U.S. House District 3 Primary 27% Reporting

• Duncan 27%
• Cash 22%

• Dyer 69%
• Doyle 31%

U.S. House District 4 Primary 6% Reporting

• Gowdy 64%
• Inglis 19%

Superintendent Primary

• Zais 36%
• Payne 17%
  

8:10pm -

Gubernatorial Primary 8% Reporting

• Haley40%
• Barrett 28%

• Sheheen 54%
• Rex 27%

U.S. House District 1 Primary

• Scott 39%
• Kobrovsky 15%

• Burton 62%
• Frasier 38%

U.S. House District 3 Primary 7% Reporting

• Duncan 41%
• Grimaud 17%

• Dyer 65%
• Doyle 35%

U.S. House District 4 Primary

• Gowdy 66%
• Inglis 17%

7:50pm – There isn’t much reporting yet, but right now in the gubernatorial primaries Nikki Haley is leading the Republicans with 42%.  Sheheen is leading the Democrats with 52%.

The polls are closed.  I’ll be updating as I get information.

FORT MILL — A lawsuit against York County Councilman Paul Lindemann was decided with a judgment ordering Lindemann to pay $14,800 to plaintiff Diane O’Brien.

Lindemann said he has not been following the case and was not aware the judgment had been handed down in May.

O’Brien has not been repaid, and the judge ruled that Lindemann owes O’Brien an additional $4,800, to cover interest and attorney fees.

The Herald

No Paul.  Of course you aren’t aware of the judgment.  Of course you haven’t been paying attention to a lawsuit in which you could be forced to pay out thousands of dollars.  Who pays attention to stuff like that?

“I’ve never not paid someone back and I’m not going to start. I can’t help the bad economy,” Lindemann said.

That’s right.  Paul has never not paid anybody back except for John Long, who had to sue Lindemann to get the money owed to him, or former Congressman Tom Tancredo who had to call the York County Sheriff after the check Lindemann gave him for a few thousand dollars bounced.  Then there was Virginia Faircloth who Lindemann wrote a bad check to from a closed account in the amount of $4,230.  And we can’t forget the $10,000 check bounced to Winthrop University.  Nope.  He’s never not paid anybody back.  He gets around to it…. eventually.

“There’re under [a non-disclosure agreement], so I can’t talk about them, but I’ve got one deal going that could pay everyone back in one fell swoop.”

He’s got a deal going on.  I wonder if it’s anything like the deal he had with Advantage Financial.  I’m pretty sure everybody in York County has had enough of Mr. Lindemann’s “dealing.”  Hopefully, Paul will lose today’s election and then go crawl in a hole and stay there.

South Carolina’s primary election is taking place as I write this.  I have already voted this morning.  Here are my thoughts as to what I think some of the outcomes will be.  These don’t necessarily match who I “endorsed” the other day.

In the First Congressional District, I think State Representative Tim Scott is going to be the highest vote getter, but it won’t be enough to avoid a run off.  As to who he faces the run off with?  I’m guessing Paul Thurmond.  I think Robert Burton will win the Democratic nomination.

In the Fourth Congressional District, I think Trey Gowdy is going to force Congressman Bob Inglis into a run off as well.

In the gubernatorial race, I think Nikki Haley and Henry McMaster will end up in a run off on the Republican side and I think Vincent Sheheen will avoid a run off and win the Democrat’s nod.

Here in York County, I don’t think that Paul Lindemann will pull out a decisive win today.  I think the best outcome he can hope for is a run off.

I’ll be live blogging the results tonight as they start coming in.

We have a primary election here in South Carolina on Tuesday with some important choices to make.  We’ll be choosing party nominees for the next gubernatorial race and we’ll be getting at least two new Congressmen this year since Henry Brown (R-SC01) is retiring and Gresham Barrett (R-SC03) is making a failed run for governor.  We may be seeing a bigger turnover than that however.  Bob Inglis (R-SC04) isn’t exactly in the greatest reelection shape and some speculate that he could be forced into a run off by one of his primary challengers.  Add that to a strong challenge by State Senator Mick Mulvaney (R-Indian Land) to Congressman John Spratt (D-SC05) in November and we could potentially be replacing over half of our state’s Congressional delegation come January.

Now I obviously can’t vote in all of these races, but I’m happy to offer my thoughts on many of them and point out who I would vote for if I could.  I make these decisions based on who I think is the best candidate to protect our liberties and freedoms from the tyranny of the powers that be.  And so here we go.

York County Council District 1

I don’t typically weigh in on local races because I don’t have the time to analyze the hundreds of races going on in every county and municipality in the Carolinas, but I am going to weigh in one and that is because it is pretty close to my backyard.  If you live in York County, or more specifically Fort Mill or Tega Cay, then right now you are being represented on the York County Council by one corrupt SOB.  His name is Paul Lindemann.  That shouldn’t be a new name for you.  We talk about him all the time.  Despite the publicity of his malfeasance, he is running for reelection.  If you vote for Paul Lindemann you deserve to be flogged, tasered in your groin, and then buried in the sand up to your neck right near a mound of fire ants with honey drizzled over your head.  Is that descriptive enough?  This man is the living characiture of the stereotypical corrupt politician.  Now you may think that Paul is crazy for running again.  How could he possibly get reelected?  Well he’s got three challengers so his ability to survive in a four way race should not be underestimated.  There are plenty of lambs out there who will go to their slaughter on Tuesday to try and install this man for another two years.  Don’t let that happen.  Give your vote to someone with integrity, honesty, and decency.  That someone is Mr. Kyle Boyd.

I have met Kyle Boyd.  He is the headmaster at Walnut Grove Christian School and the father of three children.  He identifies himself as a fiscal conservative and pledges to be a leader on tax reform and government transparency.  We will not be reading stories in The Herald of Kyle Boyd getting DUIs or being a party to a domestic violence dispute, or bouncing $10,000 checks to Winthrop University, or not paying contractors for the work they do on his house.  We will not be reading those stories about Kyle Boyd the way we have read them about Paul Lindemann.  This is an opportunity to put an overall good guy into our county government so please don’t screw it up this time.  Vote for Kyle on Tuesday.  It’s really that easy.

South Carolina Congressional District 1

This is the seat currently held by Republican Congressman Henry Brown.  Thankfully, he is retiring this year so we will no longer have to worry about him stealing our tax dollars and redistributing it to his district.  This has become a huge contest.  There are nine Republicans, two Democrats, and four third party candidates running for this seat.  On the Republican side there are many good candidates to pick from and if I lived in that district I would have a difficult time making a decision.  However, kind of like Highlander, in the end there can be only one.  So that being the case, I would again, like in 2008, go with Katherine Jenerette.  She is an accomplished woman and mother.  She has bravely served this country in our armed forces and I think she has the right ideas to take us forward.  Her agenda on lower taxation, lower government spending, and controlled immigration is a positive plan for the nation.  I think she would be a responsible representative for the people of the Grand Strand.

On the Democratic ballot I like Col. Robert Burton.  He recently retired from military service after spending 32 years in the United States Air Force.  Burton has a strong focus on lowering South Carolina’s unemployment rate, one of the highest in the nation, by championing a lower Federal tax rate on small businesses and actively seeking opportunities to bring technology and energy jobs to the state.  He also realizes the need to stick it out in Afghanistan.  It’s been a long and tiring war on our soldiers and there was plenty of mismanagement of the war by our previous administration, but Burton is correct.  We just can’t cut our losses and leave like some in our Congress would like to see.  Burton is a common sense man with common sense ideas.

South Carolina Congressional District 3

This is the far western district of the state bordering Georgia and currently held by Republican Congressman Gresham Barrett.  As I stated before, he is not seeking reelection and instead decided to lose in the gubernatorial race this year.  He voted for the bank bailout, so I’m not too upset about his current political misfortune.  There are six Republicans running to succeed him and the one I like is State Representative Jeff Duncan.  Duncan has a proven record of fiscal responsibility in our state government.  In fact, he is one of the few that can actually make  that claim.  He has received an “A” rating from the South Carolina Club for Growth whose opinions I take very seriously because they don’t just hand out good grades to anyone.  Duncan’s views on reigning in government spending and excessive taxation is precisely the shot in the arm our nation needs.  He is the guy we need to send to D.C.   We do not want to send State Representative Rex Rice.  He not only supported raising the cigarette tax to expand the nanny welfare state in South Carolina, he was a co-sponsor.  Duncan good.  Rice bad.

South Carolina Congressional District 4

I think this goes without saying.  Bob Inglis is in some pretty deep shit and may very well be the next incumbent to get booted in his party primary.  Inglis is facing the hostility of a very conservative electorate in his district who are not all that pleased with the direction the Republican Party has been going in.  He has also taken some heat for voting to reprimand Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC02) for his infamous “You lie!” outburst to President Obama during this year’s State of the Union address as well as voting against “the Surge” in Iraq in 2007.  Furthermore, the man has hit my boiling point over his insistence on us needing to implement a carbon tax over the fraudulent man made global warming scam.  In my opinion, there is no need to stop the national political bloodletting here in South Carolina.  Give Inglis the boot.

My recommendation is Spartanburg attorney Trey Gowdy.  Gowdy is strong advocate of job creation by lessening Federal restrictions on businesses that make it difficult for them to thrive.  Of course, he is mortified by the irresponsible spending going on in D.C. otherwise I wouldn’t recommend him.  He is also a staunch supporter of the Ninth and Tenth Amendments of the Constitution meaning he is very much opposed to the recent Federal grab of our health care system and their unconstitutional insurance mandate.

South Carolina State Superintendent

This is a race that doesn’t get talked about much but really should.  Public education in this state has a poor reputation and we haven’t seen much improvement.  We just keep getting more of the same and Jim Rex has been no different.  I like Gary Burgess for this seat.  He’s big on school choice and eliminating programs that have not shown any merit.  The main reason we spend so much money on education in this country but do not get the bang for our buck is because the vast majority of the money goes to bureaucracy.  Burgess wants school spending accounted for.  But the real idea that sold me on Burgess is his philosophy on school choice, that the tax dollars should follow the student.  My God, how many times have I written about that very same idea on this Web site?  Make the school districts compete for the students.  With the students comes the money.  It is a winning formula and mark my word if Gary Burgess could accomplish that he would be the most successful state superintendent in this country.

South Carolina Governor

And finally we get down to the big one.  I have a candidate for both the Republican and Democrat parties.  On the Republican side I have been an ardent supporter of State Representative Nikki Haley and despite the calamity that has surrounded her over the past two weeks, I am sticking with Nikki Haley.  Accusations are not proof of guilt.  It was different with Mark Sanford because there was proof of his indiscretions and he came right out and admitted it.  Maybe Nikki Haley has been unfaithful.  I don’t know, but what I do know is that there isn’t a single shred of proof out there to support these accusations.  If there was we’d have seen it by now.  We are innocent until proven guilty in this country.  I believe that of all four Republican candidates Nikki Haley has the best ideas to take our state forward.  She has a record of fighting for transparency in government and against wasteful spending.  Prior to the recession our state budget increased an average of 11% per year for four years and that was with Republicans in control.  You know, the party that claims to be for small government?  Haley has fought against that kind of government growth and I think she can be a real powerhouse in the governor’s mansion.  She has my vote.

On the Democratic ticket I think State Senator Robert Ford is an outstanding choice.  Senator Ford took a brave stand last year going public with his support for school choice so that the parents of the poorer children in this state can get those kids out of these failing schools and get them a better education.  Ford took a lot of flack from his party and fellow legislators over that stance because his party has been in bed with the teachers union for decades and have been preserving the failing status quo in public education in order to keep the donations coming in.  Ford recognized the problem in education and chose to speak out.  I also support Ford because of his push to bring back video poker to South Carolina.  According to Ford’s estimate it could bring in a billion dollars in revenue for the state and create several thousand jobs, but it’s not just that.  I am a grown man and if I want to go to a bar and gamble some of my money on a video poker machine, who in the hell is the State of South Carolina to tell me that I am not allowed to do that?  This is an issue of liberty and I said at the beginning of this post that was the primary goal I was looking for in these candidates.  Robert Ford fits the bill.

So that’s what I’ve got for Tuesday.  Man am I tired after all of that.  Vote wisely and good luck to all of the candidates.

Share

Two weeks ago I brought up the nefarious affair of Advantage Financial, a company formerly located in Fort Mill’s Baxter Village.  The owners, Craig Richards and Thomas Brandenburg, were bilking investors out of six figures by placing money meant for escrow into their operating account and using those funds to live it up large.  I decided to discuss this sordid scam because where there is corruption in Fort Mill, there is York County Councilman Paul Lindemann.   Shocking, I know.

It has come to light that Councilman Lindemann was the beneficiary of a few wine and dine trips to Atlantic City and Miami paid for Advantage Financial. Lindemann insists he was completely unaware of the scam Advantage Financial was running or that his leisure trips were actually paid for by people like Wink Rea, one of Advantage Financial’s victims.

Some of that money was spent on trips that York County Councilman Paul Lindemann took with Brandenburg and Richards, including a trip to Miami and one to Atlantic City. But Lindemann said he didn’t know then that the money came from escrow payments.

“I feel bad that they were spending other people’s money,” said Lindemann, a Fort Mill resident. “They had been lying to everybody.”

Lindemann said he and Greg Rogers, former partners in Pinecrest Holdings, an investment company, were contracted by Advantage Financial to recruit business for the company. Rogers also lives in Fort Mill and is an appointee to the York County Economic Development Board.

Brandenburg and Richards claimed the trips were for recruiting business, Lindemann said, and that he was brought along on the trips to help with public relations and marketing Advantage to clients he was trying to recruit for the firm.

The Herald

Like I said two weeks ago, I’m not accusing Lindemann of knowing about the criminal dealings of Advantage.  I just find it interesting that where there is bad money changing hands he always seems to be an arm’s length away.

By the way, the election is in eleven days.

So it seems there was this little company in Baxter Village called Advantage Financial that has apparently cheated several of its clients out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in some instances.  A lawsuit being filed against them by one plaintiff alleges that they took escrow money that was to be used for a developer project and spent it on personal items instead.  Among the victims allegedly swindled are none other than York County Councilman Paul Lindemann, who helped bring lots of business to the swindlers.  Imagine that.

Lindemann says he and Greg Rogers, both Fort Mill residents and former partners in Pinecrest Holdings, an investment company, were contracted by Advantage Financial to recruit business for the company.

When Lindemann and Rogers heard from Advantage clients that the company wasn’t returning phone calls and was delaying closing on loans, they went straight to the FBI, they said.

Lindemann and Rogers say Advantage never paid commissions on the business they brought to the company. Rogers said he estimates the company owes them nearly $1 million in potential commissions.

But they have not sued Advantage because they can’t afford an attorney and they don’t believe Advantage has enough assets to pay the commissions, they said.

“This is an instance where everyone involved has been financially devastated,” Rogers said.

The Herald

Why am I not surprised to see the names Lindemann and Rogers associated with this fiasco?  Now, I am not at all alleging that the two men had anything to do with the criminality that occurred in this case. In fact I highly doubt it. Those two chuckleheads don’t have the brain power to make a bowl of Jello, let alone perpetuate such a well devised and devious scheme. This is, however, yet another sore in a long line of poor business decisions made by Councilman Lindemann and his former partner and probably indicative of why they are no longer in business.

Remember folks, Lindemann is running for reelection in the South Carolina primary coming up on June 8th.  Do you really want him for another two years?  How can he keep the affairs of our county in order when he can’t even manage his own life responsibly?

York County Councilman Paul Lindemann has decided to seek another term after a lengthy flirtation with a run for a state House seat.

Lindemann said he would “definitely” run for state House or Senate in 2012. For now, he says the state’s budget woes make it a bad time to be in Columbia.

The Herald

In other words, what Paul is saying is that Columbia would just be too hard right now and he would have to make really tough decisions and he just isn’t up to that.  It helps when you’re sober, of course.  Oh, and the fact that he didn’t have a chance in hell of defeating Long probably factored into that decision as well.

Lindemann made the right decision in opting not to run for the Statehouse, said York County GOP Chairman Glenn McCall. The party will leave it up to voters to judge Lindemann’s personal behavior, McCall said.

“We’ve put that behind us,” McCall said. “I think Paul has, too. Paul has served admirably on the council. It will be up to the voters in terms of other issues.”

I agree.  Let’s put Lindemann behind us and get Chicago politics out of York County.  We can do that by electing Mr. Kyle Boyd in his place on June 8th.  Boyd is holding an official press conference this Tuesday.

PRESS RELEASE – For Immediate Release –
Contact Kyle Boyd 803.370.2825
kyle.walnutgrove@gmail.com

Kyle Boyd to hold press conference to announce his and file for York County Council District 1

“Proven Leadership, Focused on Results and Our Future”

Fort Mill, SC. (March 18, 2010) –

Kyle Boyd announced today that he will be holding a press conference about his candidacy and filing for York County Council District 1 on Tuesday March 23, 2010, at Captain Steve’s Restaurant located at 1975 Hwy 21 Bypass Fort Mill, SC. The press conference will take place at 6:00 P.M. The purpose of this press conference is to discuss the need for change in District 1 and how we can move forward in these tough economic times. We invite all the media and press to attend this event and learn where Kyle truly stands on the issues.

We will have a direct question and answer session following his announcement.

Kyle, believes there needs to be a significant change in the direction of our county government, including but not limited to additional efforts to create more jobs, increasing accountability, show transparency and be responsible when it comes to the taxpayers money.

Kyle is very pleased and thankful for all of the encouragement he has received thus far from District 1 voters, family and friends. Voters in the district want leadership that they can rely on. Its time to give District 1 back to the people.
Kyle Boyd is the headmaster of Walnut Grove Christian School and he, his wife and three daughters attend First Baptist Church in Fort Mill and reside in Regent Park in Fort Mill.

###

York County Councilman Paul Lindemann (R) just can’t stay out of the news.  He’s now a party of yet a third lawsuit that is brewing by a former employee of his now defunct investment company.  After all this time, the York County Republican Party is finally unofficially officially asking Lindemann to resign.  Took long enough.  Between this new lawsuit, this other lawsuit, and the recently finished lawsuit, among his rap list of other improprieties, he shouldn’t even need to be asked to step down, but I suppose expecting Lindemann to take responsibility and do the right thing would require a bit of integrity.  I doubt there is an ounce of that drifting anywhere within the depths of his ego.

Lindemann is not alone in the current suit.  His cohort Greg Rogers has also been named.  We wrote about Rogers last year, opposing his run for the State House when he entered the race to replace Carl Gullick in House District 48.  He eventually withdrew his candidacy once current State Rep Ralph Norman decided to enter the race, however Rogers has not completely exited the political realm.  He is an appointed member of the York County Economic Development Board.

The county GOP’s request for Lindemann to step down were unsurprisingly rebuffed.

Lindemann blames the economy for being unable to pay back investors on the Tega Cay property. He also said that he is now considering either running for reelection to the York County Council or for the S.C. House District 45 seat in November.

He will not resign from his current office, he added.

“You can tell the Republican party that the press I’ve gotten in the last few weeks have more than bolstered my decision to run again,” Lindemann said. “I’ve had more e-mails, more phone calls, and more pledges for money towards my next election, and I’m not going to listen to any party anywhere that is going to call for my resignation on the basis of the economy.”

The Herald

In usual form, Paul blames everyone but himself.

Whether or not he eventually succumbs to the pressure remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure.  There is already one Richard Daly in this country and Chicago can keep him.  Perhaps his York County protege should relocate.

A local Rock Hill woman is the next person in a long line of disgruntled associates of Mr. Lindemann to file a lawsuit against him.  According to Ms Diane O’Brien, York County Councilman and State House 45 candidate Paul Lindemann (R-Fort Mill) has swindled her out of $10,000 she gave him towards an investment for a home in Tega Cay.  The home has ended up on the Sheriff’s sales docket for unpaid property taxes in excess of $17,000.

The pages of Councilman Lindemann’s life are almost like a Cracker Jacks box.  Every time you open a new one you find a cheap surprise inside.  Of course, when you really think about it, Lindermann would fit right in with the culture of Columbia.  He’s already gotten the crooked and corrupt part of politics down pat.

A six panel jury ruled today in favor of a one Mr. John Long who had the unfortunate chance of becoming another in a long line of victims burned by York County Councilman Paul Lindemann (R-Fort Mill) .  Long performed more than $2600 worth of work on Lindemann’s Tega Cay home two years ago and never received payment for his services.  Unfortunately, the decision doesn’t force Lindemann to pay.  According to The Herald, it’s a judgment against him and will go on his credit report for the next ten years should he not pay Mr. Long what he is due.  Don’t you love how the justice system protects the frauds and the criminals?

So the big question is will Councilman Lindemann have the testicular fortitude to man up and pay Mr. Long for his labor?  I’m sure swindling the little guy will make a great addition to Lindemann’s “accomplishments” throughout his political career as he is campaigning for the State House.

Because I live in York County the notorious shenanigans of York County Councilman Paul Lindemann (R) have always been a favorite topic of disgust here at CPO.  Like many small men inflicted with delusions of grandeur, he never disappoints the media’s craving for that next raw, juicy story.  Yes, he’s about to do it again.  Paul Lindemann is diving head first into……


are you ready for this……


wait for it……


The man is going to run for the South Carolina State House.  Yes, it’s true.  His arrogance knows no boundaries.  It’s so thick it’s become a veil over his eyes cloaking reality. 

Who does he think is going to fund his campaign?  No donor with an ounce of integrity in just their pinky finger is going to allow themselves to come within a visible radius of this guy.  Who is going to put their money and reputation behind a candidate who will be annihilated with the resurgence of news stories covering his multiple DUIs, infractions of the law, thousand of dollars in bad checks, and lawsuits for not paying his employees?  Only someone lost in a Quixotic fog of pure fantasy would think they stand even the smallest morsel of a chance.  Why am I not surprised that Mr. Lindemann fits that bill?

Oh, what a year this will be.

When former (I love being able to put that adjective in front of his name) State Representative Carl Gullick of South Carolina’s 48th House District announced his resignation earlier this year I was looking far and near and keeping my ears open for any word on another run from last year’s challenger to Gullick, Kyle Boyd.  It seemed he had disappeared from the political realm, but the silence was deceiving.  Mr. Boyd has surfaced, but he isn’t shooting for state government this time; rather he is looking to clean up our own government here in York County.  Kyle Boyd will be challenging York County’s very own version of Chicago boss Richard Daley.  We know him better as Paul Lindemann.

Yesterday afternoon Boyd announced his intentions to seek the First District County Council seat that encompasses Fort Mill and Tega Cay and he brings a positive message to the table.  Boyd advocates smart planning of our fast growing county without an overly burdensome tax bill being hoisted on our residents.  Better roads, better utility infrastructures, and a highly trained work force to bring business and further prosperity to the county.  Boyd is a strong fiscal conservative and staunch supporter of controlled spending.

I briefly met Kyle last year when he ran against Gullick.  I believe him to be a trusting and principled individual worthy of a place in our government.  In a testament to his character you will notice something missing from his Web site.  That would be negative politics.  You won’t see negative attacks on Lindemann (though they’d certainly be warranted) or dirty mudslinging.  You’ll see a positive and forth right vision.  Boyd doesn’t need to attack Lindemann anyway.  That’s what people like me are for and Lindemann doesn’t seem to have any problem ginning up his own unfavorable press of himself.

Here is the press release sent by Boyd’s campaign (I’m a day late posting it):

Kyle Boyd Announcing for York County Council District 1After weeks and months of consideration former SC House Candidate Kyle Boyd feels a calling to run for York County Council District 1. His announcement will take place at the Bandstand in downtown Fort Mill. The announcement will be made Thursday, July 16 at 3:00 PM.

Kyle is a principled leader who will bring fresh ideas to York County Council. He founded and currently serves as Headmaster of the Walnut Grove Christian School, which serves over 80 students and 15 teachers. Kyle Boyd is the true fiscal conservative, who pledges to lead on tax reform and will hide nothing in our budget, He will look at controlling county spending and bring accountability, and honesty and integrity back to the office Boyd believes York County is a great place to raise a family with strong community and family values.

Our leadership in County Council in District 1 has ultimately failed the people when it comes to accountability and what the true focus is when it comes to leading, the people. As your next councilman I will promise to bring leaders and the citizens back into working together for a common good and that is to work together to make sure we have the best opportunities possible for our community.

The purpose for his announcement this early is because Boyd wants to get out and the community and let the people see who he is and where he stands on issues, Boyd believes it is vital that the people have a personal relationship with their elected officials.

# # #

Carl Gullick is resigning from the South Carolina State House as he is moving to Kentucky for his wife’s new job.  I think this is fantastic news here in York County and for those who live in the 48th House District as Gullick played a large role in trying to push a tobacco tax increase in order to expand the nanny state with more government subsidized health care.  He was also one of several Republicans that stood in the way of the governor’s efforts to control government spending, thus aiding in its growth and contributing to the massive budget crisis we have seen here in the state over the past year.  Gullick was almost tossed from the House last year by a primary challenger who came within 180 votes of defeating him, but him leaving by his own accord so soon after will work just as well.

This vacancy leaves open a special election this November to replace him and the challengers have been lining up for the past month.  On the Republican side is businessman Roger Costner, founder and CEO of Brothers Air and Heat.  Costner has a lengthy list of goals in mind for the county and state if elected.  Among them are increasing jobs, solutions for affordable health care that do not include an unconstitutional universal health care program from the Federal government, drilling off shore, a Fair Tax for South Carolina, and fighting illegal immigration.

Another GOP candidate is Fort Mill businessman Greg Rogers.  Now this guy is shady.  I truly believe that the people a man keeps in his company is a reflection of himself.  Well, Mr. Rogers’ business partner happens to be none other than local sleaze bag York County Councilman Paul Lindemann, whom I just wrote about…. again….yesterday.  Now certainly Greg can’t be directly blamed for all of Lindemann’s indiscretions, however he was partnered to a slew of bad checks in excess of $10,000 written by Lindemann’s business just a few month ago to pay for an April 1st forum on illegal immigration at Winthrop University featuring former Congressman and presidential candidate Tom Tancredo.  Tancredo called the York County Sheriff’s Office when the check he was paid with was returned to him citing account closed.  Two more checks totaling $14,230 paid to the organizers of the event also bounced, with a $10,000 check from that amount being written by Rogers himself.

I would link to the story on this, however, something very odd has occurred.  Even though this story is only three months old it has mysteriously been removed from both The Herald’s and the Fort Mill Times’ Web site.  Now why would that be?  Hmmmm….. that’s a mystery.  Fortunately for all of my readers, I am a resourceful man and have found the Herald article cached on the Internet and here is the whole thing.

Apr. 30_Authorities are investigating whether York County Councilman Paul Lindemann’s company wrote bad checks to cover the costs of an event sponsored by the business.

Lindemann said Wednesday that everything is “100 percent resolved.” He and his business partner blamed the problems on a misunderstanding with the bank and a post-dated check.

 Lindemann’s Fort Mill development firm, Pinecrest Holdings, sponsored an immigration reform forum April 1 at the Winthrop Coliseum. The main speaker was former Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo, an outspoken critic of U.S. immigration policy.

Three weeks after the event, Tancredo contacted the York County Sheriff’s Office to report that he tried to cash a check for $833 from Lindemann’s company. But the check was returned with notice that the account was closed, Tancredo told the Sheriff’s Office, according to an incident report.

The local organizer of the event also filed a police report citing two faulty checks. One written for $4,230 came back from a closed account while a second for $10,000 came back as insufficient funds, organizer Virginia Faircloth told authorities.

The $10,000 check came from Lindemann’s business partner, Greg Rogers, a 29-year-old Fort Mill native who helped promote the rally, according to the report.

The York County Sheriff’s Office is investigating, said Capt. Jerry Hoffman, who declined further comment.

Faircloth, of Rock Hill, set up the event through the South Carolina FIRE Coalition, a grass-roots group that advocates for tougher immigration laws. She sent invitations to dozens of elected officials and activists.

The rally drew a crowd of 150 to 200 people to the 6,100-seat basketball arena, Faircloth said.

On Wednesday afternoon, Rogers and Lindemann gave their explanations. Both men said the faulty check to Tancredo and the $4,230 check to Faircloth resulted from a misunderstanding with their bank; Rogers said the bank closed the account instead of correcting a wording error in the account’s name, as he had requested.

Rogers said he mailed a certified check to Tancredo on Wednesday afternoon.

As for the $10,000 check, Rogers said it wasn’t meant to be cashed immediately. Rogers said he wrote the check as a good faith gesture and post-dated it with the understanding that he would pay in smaller increments.

“Paul and I both feel we have satisfied our involvement with that event,” Rogers said. “Considering everything that’s been said and done, all Paul and I want to do is put this thing behind us.”

Lindemann and Rogers gave Faircloth a $4,230 cash payment on Wednesday morning, both men said. Faircloth confirmed she received that amount.

“Everything is 100 percent resolved,” Lindemann said Wednesday afternoon. “Everything’s been fulfilled.”

Reached by cell phone in Providence, R.I., Tancredo said he believes the payment will come through.

“The person is sending me a check,” Tancredo said. “I’m assuming it will be OK. That’s about all there is to it. I believe him.”

But Faircloth said vendors are still owed $5,000 for catering, sound equipment and a rental car used by Tancredo. “They have a long way to go to resolve this,” Faircloth said.

Lindemann, 30, also faces legal issues on a different front.

In a suit filed last month in York County civil court, a former employee says Lindemann’s company owes him compensation for six weeks of work. The employee, Derrick Grimsley of Rock Hill, claims he tried to cash a paycheck for $1,750, but it didn’t clear the bank, according to the suit.

Grimsley said he was fired Jan. 13 after being told repeatedly he would get paid “the next day” or “the end of the week,” the suit states. Grimsley says in the suit he never got paid.

Rogers and Lindemann declined to comment, citing the pending lawsuit.

The suit comes less than a year after Lindemann was arrested in Columbia on a drunken driving charge.

Lindemann settled the case in February by agreeing to plead guilty to driving with an unlawful alcohol concentration. He paid a $400 fine, authorities said.

Lindemann, a Republican, said he plans to continue serving on the County Council. He was elected last year to a second, two-year term. He holds the District 1 seat representing Fort Mill, Tega Cay and a small part of Rock Hill.

“Just like everybody else, I’m human and I’ve made mistakes,” he said. “Have they all been resolved? Absolutely.”

Lindemann is the definition of a mistake and I don’t see his relationship with Greg Rogers catapalting Rogers’ political ambitions.  A third GOP candidate, Sammy Rhodes, is also in the race, but I am still trying to find out some information on him.

On the Democrat side, small business owner Pansy King-Reid is making a run for the seat.  She is the mother of two and comes from a very political family.  She is the brother of State Representative John King (D-Rock Hill) and daugher of the late Christopher King, the first black mayor of Chester.  She is a member of the Springfield Middle School PTA and Nation Ford High School Basketball Parents Association and she has a lengthy resume of community service and charity.  On the issues she is strong on public education and greener energy alternatives.

These are the four candidates.  This is right in my backyard so I’ll be paying close attention to this one.

Despite being the youngest member of our county council here in York County, First District Councilman Paul Lindemann (R-Tega Cay) has given the older political dinosaurs in our state a run for their money when it comes to notoriety.  If it’s not multiple DUI arrests or a domestic dispute outside the house of a woman who is not his wife or writing over $10,000 worth of bad checks to political rallies, it’s allegedly stiffing a contractor for work done on his home in the Stepford country club community of Tega Cay.

A Fort Mill construction worker has filed a civil case against York County Councilman Paul Lindemann claiming he was stiffed for work he did on a Tega Cay home Lindemann owns.

John Long contends Lindemann owes him thousands of dollars for work done last summer to a Windjammer Drive home, according to court documents filed Thursday. Now, Long has a message for Lindemann: Pay up or settle in court.

Fort Mill Times

Now to be fair, this is just an accusation at this point.  It’s Long’s word against Lindemann, but given Lindemann’s past I’m sure you can come to your own conclusion here.  Let’s put it this way, I’ve never known any person as innocent as pie whose name kept showing up in the newspaper over and over again not to be admired.

So how did this guy get reelected last year?  Oh, that’s right, partisan voters.

I swear, this guy should have his own news cycle.  What a piece of work.  He’s had a bazillion DUIs, still drove around anyway, somehow managed to get reelected last year despite that, and now he has his wife arrested for slapping him in the face.  This is starting to morph into an upscale Jerry Springer episode.

What the woman ought to be arrested for is trespassing, not for her husband being too much of a wuss to deal with being slapped by his wife.

A York County councilman’s wife faces up to 30 days in jail after police said she slapped her husband during a confrontation at another Fort Mill woman’s house.

Authorities charged Jennifer Ann Lindemann, 29, of 1080 Isom Road in Fort Mill with criminal domestic violence, according to a report from the Fort Mill Police Department.

Fort Mill Times

Domestic violence my ass.

And the Nazis have won a sweeping victory in my own back yard.

The ban applies to all businesses in the unincorporated areas of the county, though municipalities such as Fort Mill, Clover and York won’t be affected. Rock Hill passed a similar measure last month.

Under the ban, people who light up inside businesses, restaurants and other indoor public places could face fines as high as $50. Businesses that allow people to smoke in violation of the bans also could be fined.

Amy Bovender, general manager at the Six Pence Pub in Fort Mill, said her business has been open for more than two years, and being smoke-free has been a plus.

“It’s worked out great for us,” she said. “Our customers love the fact that they can come in and enjoy a drink (and) not be asphyxiated by cigarette smoke.”

The Herald

And you see, the Six Pence Pub (which has awesome food, by the way) is a perfect example of why a smoking ban isn’t needed because the power of the free market will take care of it on its own.  There is a market for non-smoking restaurants and Ms Bovender tapped into that market successfully, just like there are people who will still want to go to a place where they can smoke inside.

“I’m as pro-business as they come,” County Councilman Paul Lindemann said. “I’ve said every time that I’ve run a campaign or done anything that I would never detriment a small business. And I hope this doesn’t come back to bite me.”

The same Paul Lindemann who can’t stay sober while driving down the street votes to tell people they can’t smoke on private property?

What a hypocrite.

The Republicans have dominated the York County Council in recent years.  The seven person council has been comprised of six Republicans and just one Democrat, but that all changed with Tuesday’s election.  My councilman, Republican Rick Lee, suffered a surprise defeat by his Democratic challenger, Chad Williams.  Williams defeated Lee by 415 votes according to unofficial results.

In another watched council race, Paul Lindemann easily won reelection to the First Council District.  Lindemann was the one who has had several run ins with alcohol while on the road in recent years.  This is a seat that should have changed hands, but it appears that the straight party lever saved Lindemann.

I don’t generally pay much attention to county and town races unless the story is reaching far and wide, because there are simply too many county and local governments to pay attention to.  However, I live in York County so I am pointing out this race for York County Council District 1 which covers Fort Mill and Tega Cay.  As I wrote about here back in July, this is Paul Lindemann’s third DUI.  We cannot have a member of government who lacks the judgment and self control to know when not to get on the road and put people’s lives in danger.  Lindemann has two challengers, Marion Davenport (D) and Brian Smith (G).  If Lindemann is reelected it sends a message that York County residents don’t expect their elected officials to bring ethics and integrity to representing their communities.