S.C. Gov.-elect Alan Wilson announces transition team, lists top priorities

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Following Tuesday’s election victory, South Carolina Governor-elect Alan Wilson and Lieutenant Governor-elect Mike Reichenbach held their first formal transition press conference Friday morning.

The Republican ticket won the state’s top executive offices and discussed their upcoming administrative transition, key policy priorities, and next steps before taking office in January.

Transition team

The news conference took place at Reeley’s Auto Body Shop in West Columbia. Wilson said he got his first job at the shop and chose the location in part because of what happens inside it.

“A shop like this is where you come to fix a car, repair a car, improve a car, and that’s really what this transition’s about,” Wilson said.

Gov.-elect Wilson also announced his transition team which he calls their “board of trustees”, including the following:

• Jennifer Wilson of Lexington
• Lieutenant Governor-elect Mike Reichenbach of Florence
• Charisse Reichenbach of Florence
• Co-chairman Thad Westbrook of Lexington
• Co-chairman Randy Lowell of Daniel Island
• Mike Johnson of Columbia
• Bob Castellani of Greenville
• Jim Brown of Florence

Priorities

Gov.-elect Wilson named affordability, modernizing state government, lowering state property taxes, eliminating the state income tax, and advocating for governors’ authority to suspend the gas tax in times of crisis to provide relief to residents and businesses as top priorities.

“Everything we do, our North Star, will be to make our state more affordable for South Carolina families, to make our economy more profitable and prosperous for South Carolina businesses like this business right here,” Wilson said. “And also to make our government more accountable to you, the people of South Carolina, to make it more responsible, responsive to you, and also to make it more transparent.”

“This state belongs to the people of South Carolina, and my goal as governor is to give you as much ownership of your state as possible and to make life more affordable and to make our economy more profitable and to make government more accountable to each and every one of you,” Gov.-elect Wilson said.

Wilson, who has served as South Carolina’s Attorney General since 2011, will succeed outgoing Gov. Henry McMaster. McMaster is term-limited after serving a historic tenure that began in 2017.

“We’re here to do everything we can to fix the parts of government that people just don’t feel are running up to par,” Wilson said.

Gas tax

Wilson said he wants to work with lawmakers to give the governor authority to temporarily suspend the gas tax during a crisis or when prices at the pump are extremely high.

“I also understand that we rely on the gas tax to fund infrastructure projects and road construction, but we also have a rainy day fund,” Wilson said. “So, there needs to be guardrails on that power, but that is another area that I’m going to try to advocate for immediately.”

Audit and transparency

Wilson is proposing what he calls the Families First Audit Initiative, a comprehensive review of state government that would create transparency for South Carolinians.

Reichenbach, a businessman and former state senator from Florence, will serve as lieutenant governor.

Reichenbach spoke about the initiative and about using technology in government.

“That’s the accountability aspect of government. And at the same time, how can we use technology to modernize government, to make the speed at which we provide services to the constituents even faster,” Reichenbach said. “South Carolinians, they deserve the best of what South Carolina government can offer to them. And that’s what the Families First Audit Initiative is going to work to do.”

Wilson also said he wants a public website where people can see how dollars are being spent.

“And I want to be able to create as much transparency as we can,” Wilson said. “All of you, every single one of you should be able, as well as the citizens watching this press conference, should be able to go to a public website, a portal, and they should be able to see how dollars are being spent in real time and easy to understand charts.”

“I’m not going to make it personal; I’m going to make it about the people of South Carolina. Whether I win or lose on that specific issue, I’m going to go turn around and shake the hand of the person that just fought me on it because whether I’m the winner or loser on that issue I’m going to need them and they’re going to need me on an unrelated issue,” Gov.-elect Wilson said.

“We can’t let the petty things that divide us on a day-to-day basis stop us from moving the ball forward for the people of South Carolina.”

Gov.-elect Wilson said additional transition team announcements will be made in the coming weeks.

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