Letter to the editor: Speaker Smith will do anything he can to make Sumter better

I am writing with the hope that voters of House District 67 will understand how important it is that we send Murrell Smith back to Columbia as our state representative.

I served in the House for 10 years. At the orientation for new House members, the then-speaker of the House told us that we should strive to be the best state representative that we could be AND the best representative possible for our constituents. Murrell's political career has followed this guideline.

Many, including me, believe the speaker is the most influential elected official in our state. One reason I believe this is because the House controls the purse strings of government. All legislation related to revenue must originate in the House. As speaker of the House, Murrell appoints the chairs of legislative committees. He also gets the first look at every bill that is filed. It's a very big job, and Murrell has shown that he can handle it.

I was the mayor of Sumter for 20 years (2000-2020). From that position, I watched Murrell grow from "back bencher" to member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, to chair of that committee, to speaker. He worked very hard at home and in Columbia. He learned the legislative process and rules; he developed relationships with other members. As former mayor, I can tell you that many city improvements that we all enjoy and are thankful for would not exist or would not be as nice (or impressive) had it not been for assistance from the state through Murrell's efforts.

For instance, I am sure most voters have noticed work going on at Sumter Opera House. When finished, it is going to be positioned to become one of the premier performance venues in the Southeast. With city revenue sources alone, we could only hope to do the job piecemeal and over decades. As it is, SOH is going to be so much better and reopen in 2027.

No one in Sumter should feel bad about getting state money; for years we got little or none. We had no representative on the Ways and Means Committee. Maybe you think spending state money on local projects is not a good thing. We can disagree about the policy, but in the meantime, if we don't take our share of the money, it will be offered to another entity, and they will take it.

Murrell's value to our community as a legislator goes beyond the money he brings home. If anything comes up affecting local government, our local leaders are among the first to hear about it. Murrell keeps the local team up to date. The speaker is at the table on every issue. But his biggest asset may be that, if anyone calls Murrell for help, he will do his best to help them.

So Murrell is an excellent state legislator and an excellent representative for his constituents here in Sumter. His legislative skills and love of his hometown lead him to do anything he can to make Sumter better.

I have seen what it means to have a speaker of the House on your team. I also know how it is when Sumter has had no one on the Ways and Means Committee. It took 20 years of hard work for Murrell to get from the back bench to the speaker's office. We need to help him stay there as long as possible.

Please vote for Murrell Smith for House District 67.

JOE MCELVEEN

Sumter