Good Buds Get New Gigs At Statehouse

If you know me or read this blog much, you're aware that I keep up with much of the business going on up the street at the Capitol building. Partisan politics notwithstanding, many of my good friends work in the political industry.

Yesterday, the Senate side of the building had a staff shakeup, whereas two of my good buds will enjoy new roles within the SC Senate Republican Caucus. I can't type anything more accurate than the paragraphs below, so I'll yield to http://www.scsenategop.com for the details.

Good for these fellas on their new gigs. They do a good job, and I'm sure Sen. Peeler (R-Cherokee) is pumped about his new caucus lineup.

From what I understand, political innovator Wesley Donehue will continue to do what he does @scsenategop.com .

Well done, friends. FJ

COLUMBIA, SC – August 17, 2011 – Mark Harmon will take over as Executive Director of the South Carolina Senate Republican Caucus. Prior to this position, he served as the Caucus Research Director for the past six years. He is replacing Lisa Manini-Sox who served in this position for the past 10 years.

During his time as Research Director, Mark worked on several important pieces of legislation, the most recent of which include Tort Reform, Voter ID, Card Check, and Reform of the Unemployment System. He has worked hard at advancing many important conservative issues and will continue to do so as the Executive Director.

“I want to thank Majority Leader Peeler for bringing me onto his staff nearly six years ago, and also for allowing me the opportunity to take on this new challenge. The past six legislative sessions I spent working in the South Carolina Senate as Majority Research Director have been nothing short of rewarding. My goal was simply to do everything within my abilities to help the members help the people of our state by enacting the most commonsense and conservative laws. In my new role as Executive Director, I intend to continue pursuing an agenda to make South Carolina prosper, while also working to build upon the Republican majority in the Senate,” said Mark Harmon.

The goal of the Executive Director is to help expand the Republican majority in the Senate. Mark will help the caucus raise funds for reelection and work with all the Republican Senators to have a unified direction for each legislative session.

“Mark has done an excellent job serving the caucus as the Research Director. I am happy to see him take over this position and look forward to the the future successes his leadership will bring about,” said Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler.

Mark is a native of Gaffney and graduated from Clemson University with a bachelor of science degree in Ceramic and Materials Engineering.

Ben Twilley has been named Mark Harmon’s replacement as the Majority Research Director. Ben will be tasked with researching and forming conservative legislation to help get our state’s economy moving again. He currently serves as a budget analyst for the House Ways and Means Committee. He previously worked for the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. Ben is from Graniteville and he graduated from the University of South Carolina.

“It is going to take creative ideas to get our economy back on track,” Peeler said. “Ben understands South Carolina’s business climate and the impact big government and high spending have on our economy. I know he will help our Senators draft good conservative bills to spur economic growth.”