| Glenn F. McConnell | |
|---|---|
| Member of the South Carolina Senate from the 41st district |
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| In office 1980 – |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | December 11, 1947 Charleston, South Carolina |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | N/A |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
Glenn F. McConnell is a Republican member of the South Carolina Senate, representing the 41st District since 1980 and currently serving as President Pro Tempore.[1]
McConnell was one of several South Carolina politicians credited with playing a key role in getting Boeing Co. to announce plans to build a 787 Dreamliner assembly plant in North Charleston, S.C. in October 2009.
However, in the months since the deal was announced, there has been growing questions about just how much the company was promised in incentives. Originally, it was estimated that the incentives package offered to entice Boeing was believed to be approximately $450 million.[2]
Analysis by the South Carolina Policy Council and the Post and Courier have revealed that it's either not clear how much incentive money the company will receive or state leaders aren't being forthright in their disclosures regarding details surrounding the deal.[3]
In fact, the Post and Courier estimated that Boeing will receive more than $900 million incentives, which would easily exceed the $750 million the aviation giant has agreed to spend on the new plant if accurate.[2]
In addition, McConnell and fellow state Sen. Hugh Leatherman asserted that an analysis of the deal by the S.C. Board of Economic Advisors “was provided to the members of the General Assembly, and that analysis showed that with the projected income tax from the plant and its employees alone would more than pay for the incentives and would result in a net gain to our economy,” according to the South Carolina Policy Council.[3]
But a random check by the Policy Council of 10 legislators – Republicans and Democrats, prominent lawmakers and back benchers – indicates that members of the Legislature in fact did not receive such a cost-benefit analysis.[4]
According to an October 2010 report by The Nerve, McConnell recorded salary and expenses of $133,529 for the 2.5-year period from Jan. 1, 2008, through mid 2010, making him the highest-compensated legislator in South Carolina during that period.[5]
Senator McConnell is a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Secession Camp #4.[6] The Sons of Confederate Veterans were charged in 1906 by Lt. General Stephen Dill Lee, Commander General of the United Confederate Veterans, with "the vindication of the cause for which we fought."[7]
During a 1999 appearance on ABC News' Nightline,[8] Senator McConnell made the following statements about the flag:
- I see honor, courage, valor. I see the red, white and blue and the blood of sacrifice that ran through that battle and the people that carried that flag. I don't see black and white. I don't see racism.
- It hurts us to see groups like the Klan holding that flag. You want to talk about a sick feeling? Our group, our historical groups, we are disgusted when we see it. But we're equally disgusted and sickened by the political rhetoric and people say it's an emblem of racism, it's an emblem of hate, it's shameful and all of this. How do they think we feel when it's the emblem of our ancestors? They hurt our feelings.
- We will teach generations to come about the honor of these people and if they are going to choose the road of trying to stereotype us as racists and as hate mongers, then we are forever divided.
In 2000, when the Confederate flag was brought down from atop the dome of the State House, Senator McConnell successfully advocated for flying another Confederate flag from a flagpole in the front of the Statehouse, on the grounds, near the Confederate Soldier Monument.[9] He rejected the suggestion that the Confederate flag be placed in a glass case by saying, "Encasement represents entombment," and by saying that he wanted "no part in symbolically burying the Confederate banner."[10] The resulting bill that was passed in 2000 was called a compromise.[11] Senator McConnell vigorously fights attempts to take down the currently-flying Confederate flag, and he declares such attempts as having the goal of carrying out a "cultural genocide."[12] He has been featured as a guest on The Political Cesspool, a radio show that also promotes the Confederacy.[13]
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