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Phillip Lowe
| Phillip Lowe | ||
 | ||
| South Carolina House District 60 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| 2006 - Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| November 10, 2014 | ||
| Years in position | 7 | |
| Party | Republican | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $10,400/year | |
| Per diem | $131/day | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 6, 2012 | |
| First elected | 2006 | |
| Next election | November 4, 2014 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Personal | ||
| Profession | Physical Therapist | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
 | ||
Contents |
Lowe attended Francis Marion University and the University of South Carolina. He went on to receive his BS from the Medical University of South Carolina in 1982.
Lowe is a Physical Therapist and Developer.
Political experience
Lowe joined the South Carolina State House of Representatives in 2007. He has served in that position since, representing the 60th District.
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Lowe served on the following committees:
| South Carolina Committee Assignments, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Ethics | ||||
| • Labor, Commerce and Industry, Vice Chair | ||||
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Lowe served on the following committees:
| South Carolina Committee Assignments, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Ethics | ||||
| • Labor, Commerce and Industry | ||||
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Lowe served on the following committees:
| South Carolina Committee Assignments, 2009 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Ethics | ||||
| • Labor, Commerce and Industry | ||||
Issues
Cap on superintendent pay
In March 2009, the Marlboro County School Board in a split vote approved buying out then-Superintendent’s Alisa Goodman’s contract for $400,000, adding another $10,000 to cover her attorney fees, according to published reports.
Rep. Lowe said that never sat well with him. On Wednesday, he introduced a bill (H. 3297) that would ban South Carolina’s 85 school districts from offering severance packages to fired superintendents exceeding the superintendent’s annual salary. This would be enforced unless approved by district voters in a special election.
"I understand that there’s a contract, that there’s a need to do something," Lowe said. "But not a golden parachute. This is public money."
Rep. Kristopher Crawford is one of the bill’s five co-sponsors.
"I think we have to be serious about admin costs," said Rep. Crawford.
Molly Spearman, executive director of the South Carolina Association of School Administrators, says her organization "really would question this bill."
"We elect school board members to run their districts," Spearman said. "One of their main (duties) is to hire and fire the superintendent."
Lowe counters that the S.C. General Assembly has the right to address the severance pay issue because school districts receive state funding.
Following were the top 10 highest-paid superintendents last year, according to The Nerve’s analysis of DOE data:[1]
- Phinnize Fisher, Greenville County Schools, $218,167;
- Katie Brochu, Richland District 2, $213,244;
- Valerie Truesdale, Beaufort County Schools, $205,600;
- Cindy Elsberry, Horry County Schools, $205,000;
- Anthony Parker, Berkeley County Schools, $195,000 (recently announced retirement; left position on Friday);
- Percy Mack, Richland District 1, $195,000;
- Herbert Berg*, Lexington-Richland District 5, $193,375 (retired last year);
- Jospeh Pye, Dorchester District 2, $191,267;
- Nancy McGinley, Charleston County Schools, $191,084;
- Lynn Moody, York District 3, $184,240; and
- Marc Sosne, York District 2, $174,916.
- *Published reports listed Berg's annual salary at $195,000.
Presidential preference
2012
Phillip Lowe endorsed Newt Gingrich in the 2012 presidential election. [2] He previously endorsed Rick Perry.[3]
Elections
2012
Lowe ran unopposed in the Republican primary on June 12, as well as the general election on November 6.[4][5]
| South Carolina House of Representatives, District 60, General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Phillip Lowe Incumbent |
99.4% | 10,253 | |
| Other | Write-Ins | 0.6% | 64 | |
| Total Votes | 10,317 | |||
2010
Lowe ran unopposed in the June 8 Republican primary for District 60 of the South Carolina House of Representatives. Lowe defeated Benny Webb (D) in the general election on November 2[6].
| South Carolina House of Representatives, District 61 (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Phillip Lowe (R)
|
6,353 | 59.30% | ||
| Benny Webb (D) | 4,359 | 40.69% | ||
| Write-In | 1 | 0.01% | ||
2008
On November 4, 2008 Lowe won re-election to the 60th District seat in the South Carolina House of Representatives, defeating Zackery Cooper (D).
Lowe raised $116,601 for his campaign, while Cooper raised $6,890.[7]
| South Carolina House of Representatives, District 60 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Phillip Lowe (R)
|
9,095 | |||
| Zackery Cooper (D) | 6,596 | |||
Campaign donors
2012
Campaign donor information is not yet available for this year.
2010
In 2010, a year in which Lowe was up for re-election, he collected $82,454 in donations.[8]
His largest contributors in 2010 were:
| South Carolina House of Representatives 2010 election - Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Top contributors to Phillip Lowe's campaign in 2010 | |
| House Republican Caucus Of South Carolina | $5,000 |
| Carter, Fred | $1,000 |
| Palmetto Business Council | $1,000 |
| South Carolina Trucking Association | $1,000 |
| Fargo, Paul | $1,000 |
| Total Raised in 2010 | $82,454 |
2008
Lowe raised $116,601 in the 2008 election cycle.
His major contributors are listed below.[9]
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| House Republican Caucus of South Carolina | $5,000 |
| Progress Energy | $2,000 |
| South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance | $1,250 |
| 17 different donors each donated: | $1,000 |
Personal
Lowe and his wife, Sonya, have three children.
External links
- South Carolina House of Representative - Rep. Phillip Lowe
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2008, 2006
References
- ↑ "Bill Would Cap Payouts to School Superintendents," The Nerve, January 17, 2011
- ↑ Newt Gingrich 2012, "South Carolina Legislative Endorsements For Newt Gingrich," January 20, 2012
- ↑ Race 4 2012 "Perry Unveils Endorsements From 21 SC State Legislators," September 21, 2011
- ↑ AP.org "South Carolina State Senate and State House Election Results" Accessed November 7, 2012
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission "2012 Candidates," Accessed April 23, 2012
- ↑ South Carolina general election results
- ↑ Follow the Money's report 2008 Campaign donations in South Carolina
- ↑ 2010 campaign contributions
- ↑ Campaign contributors to Phillip Lowe
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
South Carolina House of Representatives District 60 2006–present |
Succeeded by NA |
 |
State of South Carolina Columbia (capital) |
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- 2012 endorsement of Newt Gingrich for President
- State legislative article missing donor information
- Current member, South Carolina House of Representatives
- State representatives first elected in 2006
- South Carolina
- 2010 candidate
- House of Representatives candidate, 2010
- Republican Party
- 2010 incumbent
- 2010 winner
- 2012 endorsement of Rick Perry for President
- 2012 incumbent
- House of Representatives candidate, 2012
- 2012 primary (winner)
- 2012 general election (winner)
- 2012 unopposed
