Robert D. “Derry” Beard has filed his candidacy against the incumbent Dwight Stewart for Clarendon County Council Chairman. Beard sat down for an Editor’s Office Interview to discuss his campaign.
Do you have any prior political experience, if so when and where did you serve?
Well, political experience is what got us into this mess to begin with. We have a man in the White House with no political experience, but everyone in the world hates him.
So, you think you’ll be better off with no political experience?
Political experience doesn’t have anything to do with it. You have a businessman in the White House trying to run this country like a business. A lot of counties aren’t getting run like a business. If they were a business, they would be bankrupt or closed.
What made you want to run for this position?
Everything that I was taught was wrong as a child, is now right. Abortion is okay, LGBT is okay, its just everything is all of a sudden right.
What do you see as some of the main issues affecting the county?
There are some things that could be done, and I will leave it at that.
Okay, sounds good.
You are from New Zion, aren’t you?
I am.
Do you know what the only thing holding up land values on this side of the county are? It’s not tobacco, tobacco is gone. Tobacco held our land value up for years, but it's gone now. The only thing holding us up now is East Clarendon Middle/High School. If we continue treating this side of the county the way we are, we are going to screw it up.
What problems do you mean?
I could take you right now and show you two graves; my fathers grave and Sylva Barrineau’s grave. Both men served on the school board at East Clarendon, and neither one asked for a dime the entire time. All of a sudden, board members are going to be given $500 a month just for serving on the board. That is $6,000 dollars a year, with ten board members it's $60,000 a year. We spend it now, but it wasn’t spent before and it doesn’t need to be. Look at the community you live in. It’s a good community to live in, and if we don’t stand up and correct some things it's going to be bad for us.
What makes you a stronger candidate than your opponent?
My opponent has been there for a long time, and what have we ever got on our side of the county? And you live on this side of the county, so you tell me.
I’m not sure.
And that is a sad point for me to be running on, because Summerton and Manning are going to crucify me. But, what have we ever got over here? We don’t have anything.
I understand what you’re saying.
The county recently took over our ball park, because the only way we could get money to fund our recreations was to give them the field. We turned the park over to the family, and they guy working for the county got a raise. We have to give our property to the county so they can decide what money to give us. Is that socialism or communism?
I don’t know.
Which one? They think nobody in Barrineau, New Zion, or Turbeville that knows how to spend the money. I think that people can spend a long time in politics, and that it can be a very bad thing. Do you think Nancy Pelosi should be gone?
Well, this isn’t about me.
Do you think she should be gone? Honest opinion, I could care less.
I don’t really have an opinion on that.
Well, if you can’t speak your opinion, we might as well be communist. It’s a joke. Listen, I’m an old man, I’m 66. How old are you? You have a long way to go brother, and if things are going the way they are going, don’t ever plan on retiring. Unless, you live in a rich family. And if the democrats take over, the rich families are going to be broke too.
What are the citizens getting when they vote for you?
One thing that they will get is someone who puts everybody on a level playing field. It’ll be pretty well like what we have in the White House. If something isn’t right, they are going to be told it isn’t right. Some of this uncovered mess is going to come to light. If you are going to run for office for personal gain, you might as well stop. I can assure you that I am not running for personal gain.
What organizations, clubs or boards are you involved with or serve on?
I’ve been a Mason for years. But, what have boards got to do with it? I’m on this board, I’m on that board. If you’re on a board you aren’t doing anything. That’s what has Santee Electric in a mess. Everyone on that board is doing mighty fine, but us who are paying light bills are not.
What is your current education?
I have a degree in Agronomy, and I bought tobacco all my life. You know how good my degree was?
How good?
It wasn’t worth two cents. There is a young man I’m training right now, he has a college degree and he wants me to train him. I told him to throw his degree out of the window. I learned from the old school.
What church do you attend?
I attend Barrineau Pentecostal Holiness.
Tell us about your family and hobbies so that the citizens may get to know you better.
Whenever I’m not working, I just like to stay home and spend time with my Grandkids.
