Democratic congressional hopefuls face off in Anderson

Seneca businessman Hosea Cleveland speaks as Mary Geren, his opponent in next month’s Democratic primary for the U.S. House District 3 seat, listens during a forum Tuesday at the Anderson County Library. (Caitlin Herrington | The Journal)

ANDERSON — The two Democratic candidates vying in next month’s primary for the chance to try to unseat Third District Congressman Jeff Duncan took time to answer questions from voters on Tuesday night at the Anderson County Library.

Tri-County Technical College professor Mary Geren and Seneca businessman Hosea Cleveland addressed topics ranging from school safety to environmental concerns on Tuesday while pointing out the importance of voting in the June 12 primary election and making their presence known.

“People don’t even know there’s a primary,” Geren said. “Mr. Cleveland and I are running for Congress.”

The candidates took hard lines on gun control and school safety Tuesday night, with Geren telling voters AR-15-style weapons “do not belong on the streets.”

“This is not a popular stance for me to take,” she said. “We have got to have some common-sense gun legislation.”

Cleveland, a U.S. Army veteran, said a large portion of the gun control problem should be credited to how people treat one another.

“Common sense should have governed the day,” he said. “In public, in the school systems, wherever we are, we are our best friend when it comes to public safety. We’ve got to be aware of what’s going on around us.”

Both agreed some reform was needed to the Affordable Care Act but supported the idea of universal health care.

“I support a Medicare-for-all program and I do believe if (Democrats) get the majority we’re hoping to, we can move forward,” Geren said, later adding the individual mandate repealed in December was a large part of the problem with the ACA.

Cleveland noted the state opted out of Medicaid expansion, leading to larger problems for South Carolina residents struggling to afford health care. He said the uninsured and underinsured “are costing us trillions of dollars a year,” and that the subsidies should boost the program to solvency.

Cleveland and Geren would both enter Congress as minorities, and neither is deterred by that fact. Geren said women “do not have the representation they need in our government,” and Cleveland added he would love to see a day when Congress more accurately reflected the country it represents.

Both candidates acknowledged climate change, and Geren specifically took a hard line against using fossil fuels, which she said Duncan has been pushing for for years.

“Climate change is real. It is not a hoax by the Chinese,” she said, calling it a non-partisan issue.

Cleveland mentioned alternate sources of energy such as solar and wind turbines while touting Seneca’s all-electric bus fleet.

“Can we create enough energy to create so many new jobs that it would change our whole dynamics in terms of our infrastructure?” Cleveland asked voters after mentioning the buses.

The candidates ended the night encouraging everyone to get out and vote and encourage their friends and family to do the same on June 12.

cherrington@upstatetoday.com | (864) 973-6686

Follow on Twitter @GoldenCornerCat

The Journal, Seneca, SC

May 31, 2018

Democrat Bruehl plan to 'listen' in county council run

SENECA — As he prepares for his first run for elected office this fall, Democrat Bill Bruehl says he doesn’t have a “stump speech” to give every time he goes out to meet voters. And he doesn’t plan to put one together.

     “I don’t have any speeches to give,” Bruehl recently told The Journal. “I want to listen to people. I will go anywhere, and if somebody says, ‘OK, go ahead and talk,’ I’ll say, ‘Tell me what you want; tell me what concerns you,’ and we’ll have a conversation. If people want to shout me down, I’ll say, ‘Come on up here and we’ll talk on the stage.’ I think it’s time for us to listen to one another with respect, and that’s where I am.”

Bruehl, 86, is a retired professor and former department chair of the Theatre Arts Department at Stony Brook University in Long Island, N.Y. He has written about 25 plays in his career and in retirement still spends four to six hours a day working on his latest novel.

     He and his wife, Marty, are natives of Pennsylvania and have been married for 62 years. They moved to their home on Lake Keowee in Oconee County about 17 years ago. He said they came down to visit and knew this was the area where they wanted to live because of “the natural beauty of the area.”

“We came down here because it was beautiful, the paradise we’ve been searching for all over this country — this was it,” he said. “We came down on a Friday to visit friends, and on Saturday morning we had a Realtor. Nine months later, they found this house for us. “

     Bruehl said he had tried to get other friends to run for public office, but finally decided to run himself to give Democrats like him a choice in elections. He said local party leaders suggested he run for the county council seat in his district. He will face the winner of the June 12 Republican primary between John Elliott and Edda Cammick in the November general election.

     “We would go to the polls every year to vote and there weren’t any Democrats — all those slots were empty,” Bruehl said. “Democrats didn’t have Democrats to vote for.”

He plans to spend the next couple of months attending meetings and studying the local issues.

“I intend to go (to council meetings) on a regular basis, watch and listen to the people see how they operate,” he said. “It gives me a chance to go to school and find out what I need to know.”

     He said he would like to work to bring people together.

     “The basic problem in our country is the division we have, dividing ourselves essentially into two camps that are fighting and generating hatred,” Bruehl said. “I know that’s a national issue. If I can contribute a little to undermining that division and hatred, if I can bring people together, that’s what I’d like to do.”

     While he said he knows the chances of a Democrat winning a county council seat in Oconee are “pretty slim,” he is looking forward to the “adventure” of being a candidate.

“I was raised to serve,” he said. “The last time I served the country I was 19 during the Korean War, for three years. Here I am again, and I’m saying, ‘I am going to try to do this.’”

The Journal

Norm Cannada

ncannada@upstatetoday.com | (864) 973-6680

Follow on Twitter @NormCannada

6th Annual FUNdraiser

Sunday, June 3, from 5 to 8 pm, is Oconee County Democratic Party's 6th Annual FUNdraiser at South Cove Park in Seneca.  Come join us and have fun with your democratic thinking friends. We will have great food, entertainment (jazz and gospel), and several candidates on hand.  Come hear from James Smith (Governor), Hosea Cleveland and Mary Geren (3rd Congressional District), Jody Gaulin (SC House 2), Bill Bruehl (County Council 1), and Sandra Sloan (Oconee School Board).  The ticket is $25 and includes admission to South Cove Park.

Buy your ticket here:  https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ocdpweb

League of Women Voters' Forum

The Clemson League of Women Voters will sponsor a forum of Primary Candidates for the 3rd Congressional District on May 29th at 7 pm at the Anderson Library ( 300 N. McDuffie St
Anderson, SC).  Come and hear from Hosea Cleveland and Mary Geren.  More details soon.

H. 3548 would ban access to nearly all safe and legal abortions in SC

From SCDP: H. 3548 would have devastating consequences for women's reproductive health in South Carolina and we must do everything we can to defeat it.  This is NOT a DRILL — H. 3548 is a bill that would ban access to nearly all safe and legal abortions in South Carolina and it's up for its final vote in the South Carolina Senate RIGHT NOW. We need to show our support for the Democrats that are filibustering this bill. They need to see you, Philip, in the gallery of the Senate. They're doing everything they can to support the women of South Carolina and we need to be there for them.  We'll be providing regular updates through the SCDP Twitter account, be sure to follow along, and you can catch the live stream here if you're not in Columbia today. Again, this is not a drill and we need you in the Senate gallery right now.  What’s going on in the Senate right now. The House Bill (3548) was originally what's known as the 'dismemberment' bill that would ban a certain type of abortion. After some legislative wrangling, the bill ended up in a format that Democrats hoped 1. could be defeated outright 2. would be filibustered if not 3. would be struck down by the courts if it made it through both Houses and received the Governor's signature.Senator Kimpson from Charleston is currently at the well filibustering this bill with lots of support from his colleagues. They're doing a tremendous job of standing up for South Carolina's women and we'd love any support you can give them, particularly with folks coming to Columbia to be in the gallery and lobby of the Senate.

May Breakfast Meeting

OCDP's monthly Breakfast meeting will be in a different location this month.  Take note and Join us!

May 19 - 9 am - 11 am
Oconee Heritage Center
123 Browns Square Drive, Walhalla, SC

Oconee County is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, and we have arranged for Center curator Jennifer Moss to address our breakfast. As usual, please bring a breakfast item to share.
Want to know more about the Oconee Heritage Center? Click here.