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Jason Mills
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Jason Mills (Democratic Party) ran for election to the South Carolina State Senate to represent District 41. He lost in the Democratic primary on June 9, 2020.
Mills completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Jason Mills was born in White Plains, New York. He pursued his undergraduate education at the Ohio State University and his graduate education at Ohio State and the Citadel Graduate College. His career experience includes working as a pharmacist and a hospital administrator.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: South Carolina State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for South Carolina State Senate District 41
Incumbent Sandy Senn defeated Sam Skardon in the general election for South Carolina State Senate District 41 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Sandy Senn (R) | 50.9 | 37,234 |
 | Sam Skardon (D)  | 49.1 | 35,926 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 60 | ||
| Total votes: 73,220 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for South Carolina State Senate District 41
Sam Skardon defeated Jason Mills in the Democratic primary for South Carolina State Senate District 41 on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sam Skardon | 63.1 | 6,690 |
 | Jason Mills | 36.9 | 3,919 | |
| Total votes: 10,609 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Sandy Senn advanced from the Republican primary for South Carolina State Senate District 41.
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jason Mills completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Mills' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am a husband, a father, a neighbor, and a healthcare provider. My family lives on James Island and we enjoy all things outdoors. Whether it's a relaxing day on the beach, a hike in the mountains, playing with our 3 dogs attending one of our kids sporting events, or spending time in the yard. Over the last 14 years I have worked as a front line healthcare provider (pharmacist) in a hospital setting as well as an administrator over a variety of healthcare related policies. Over the last five years I have become involved at a political level trying to advocate for population health. My big three pillars towards achieving population health in South Carolina are addressing environmental issues, education, and healthcare. In 2019 I was voted President of the South Carolina Society of Health-System Pharmacists which allows me to further my goal to update the states approach to healthcare. In addition, as a concerned and involved citizen, I have watched our state legislature fumble issues (for example the V.C. Summer nuclear expansion project) or take on issues that are ultimately meaningless (for example the Fetal Heartbeat Abortion Ban) and steal time from other pressing state issues. I never intended to get into politics, was never groomed for it or raised into it. But now that I have been involved in several political initiatives I have found that I want to serve my community more and I believe I can do it better. I believe in healthy change and transparency.
- I represent everyone in the community that wants the "American dream." Just like many of you I am following the formula: go to school, get a job, get married, buy a house, have children, raise children, make a difference. I want to more make of a difference.
- While I am a healthcare provider, I identify more as an engaged member of the community. As such I have many interests regarding our community, not just healthcare related topics.
- My approach to any job is to process the data and evidence before making a change. Just going off of hearsay or a "gut" feeling is not enough. I do my best to remain objective and make sure all options have had the opportunity to be reviewed, regardless of political pressure.
Population health and strategic growth. Under population health I focus on three major focal points: education, environment and healthcare. For education South Carolina needs big changes. More support for our public school systems and educators (more resources, better pay), dramatic updates to our curriculum's and how we measure success (focus on mastery not test scores), and change what the academic school year looks like (year round schedule - 6 weeks on/1 week off, 6 weeks on/2 weeks off, etc). As a parent of two children in the public education system, I see the need for these changes first hand. For the environment my main focus is on drinking water quality. Since the dawn of civilization the connection between clean, drinkable water and a healthy community has been known. Yet even in 2020 we still have neighborhoods that have a water source contaminated with waste. Access to clean water is paramount and should be a guarantee. Healthcare is one of the largest budget items for the state, yet no real care is extended to ensure those dollars are being utilized appropriately. More effort and resources should be placed on preventative care and better contracting with outside entities to reduce expenditures. Strategic growth is one that affects everyone in my district. Anytime a new pad of concrete is poured near our neighborhoods, everyone knows two things immediately - more traffic and more flooding. I'm not saying we can't grow, but let's make wiser choices.
There are so many people I look up to for a wide array of reasons. But three come to mind immediately, a personal one, a historical one, and a close to home one. My father worked like crazy to give me every opportunity possible. He is an intellectual through and through. I always appreciated his approach to problem solving. Just when you thought you had a "bullet proof" plan along would come my dad with a well thought out question or comment that would challenge the entire line of thinking. Ultimately leading to a better plan. My dad is not a subject matter expert in all things. But when he wants to know more about a topic he approaches the learning process with passion. He digests, dissects, compares and contrasts information better than anyone I have ever met. It is a rare event to have him state "hmm, I never thought of that". To this day I still bounce ideas off of him to get his opinion and I welcome any dissent.
For a historical figure I have always been fascinated with President Theodore Roosevelt. He was bold and outgoing but had his fair share of demons and self doubt. He was a student of history and followed his instincts, many times before measuring potential political fallout. One such example was his dinner with Booker T. Washington. The first time a President had invited an African American to dine at the White House. Terrific piece on NPR.org discusses this. Another example, and a local one at that, was his appointment of Dr. Crum as Collector of the Port of Charleston. Dr. Crum was well qualified for the position. However he happened to be African American and be in the South in 1902. Both of these moves were extremely progressive for the time and Roosevelt did suffer political and personal fallout from both. But these moves speak of his character and moral code.
This is where most people put typical citations, like "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey or Sun Tzu's "Art of War" when they want to sound cerebral. Or perhaps the Bible for obvious reasons. All good, don't get me wrong, just not very informative these days. When I think of two works that not only speak about me but to me, I think of "The Mismeasure of Man" by Stephan Jay Gould and "The Hound of the Baskervilles" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Gould's work in the "The Mismeasure of Man" is a fantastic voyage of how data can be misinterpreted and when put in the hands of powerful men can lead to catastrophic decisions. Good lessons to be learned. And frankly anything by Doyle, but the Baskervilles novel is more than a short story and highlights both deductive logic and trusting your friends.
By far the most important characteristic is the ability to review and digest data. We are in a time of data crisis in that many are fed bad information and that information is then propagated. Our legislators need to have background in reviewing data and using evidence to support findings. Speaking from experience, bad data can be extremely harmful. Just look at the current situation around COVID-19 and medication. An agent, hydroxychloroquine, was touted as a very effective agent in the fight against COVID-19. This despite having no good evidence to support its use. Every patient and caregiver had this information jammed down their throat while the medical community was pleading to "pump the brakes". That medication is a very well known agent and as such, has very characteristic cardiac side effects. Yet panic and group think from the White House on down practically forced the prescribing of this agent.
Background in public service as a healthcare provider
Experience with the practice of using evidence-based data
Over 13 years experience being a leader in a hospital setting
Managing large budgets and setting fiscally conservative goals
Recognizing that good leadership comes primarily from the ability to listen
Recognizing that an opinion or idea can change over time
Demonstrated history understanding and completing complex projects
Be consistent, be honest, don't be afraid to cause a scene. The members of our community need to be able to trust their representatives to do the right thing in a manner they can predict. Moreover, our representatives need to be counted on to have firm resolve around issues that affect their community regardless of the potential political fallout.
Making South Carolina the public education capital of the U.S.
The Challenger Space Shuttle explosion. I was six and remember my class being brought into the library with many others. The TV cart was rolled in and I can still remember the big nylon straps securing the TV to the cart. Prior to the launch, several of the teachers were explaining that a school teacher (Christa McAuliffe) was one of the astronauts. When we were told this there were a lot of questions and jokes, but it did grab our attention. Then the big countdown. The teachers engaged the kids to participate, so we were all counting NASA style "T-minus 10, 9, 8..." as loud as we could. Then the boosters shot out smoke and fire and the shuttle (complete with a giant orange fuel rocket) left the launch pad. The teachers began cheering and smiling. Now this was 1986, so nothing was in high definition and we couldn't hear the TV at all. You couldn't see the shuttle after about 5 seconds, all you could see was orange with a trail of smoke. Then suddenly, there was a plume of orange and several trails of smoke. The teachers held their hands to their faces for what seemed like ages but was probably a minute or two. For a brief period there were a lot of confused looks between teachers which then cascaded to the students. We were abruptly moved back to our rooms where it was explained what happened.
Cashier at Wendy's. I needed to buy a car so I could get to football practice, which started in mid-July. So I only worked there for two months (it was a cheap car). But being the cashier in the drive through means more than just taking orders and taking money. I was the fry guy, the chili guy, the buns guy, the guy who took the temperature of the items in the salad bar (remember those?) to make sure they stayed cold and the guy who had to clean the dining room after the lunch rush. That was technically my first job.
Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton
First time I read it, I couldn't put it down. While the science parts are a little questionable these days it's still a good read, especially for a day on the beach.
First time I read it, I couldn't put it down. While the science parts are a little questionable these days it's still a good read, especially for a day on the beach.
Kermit the Frog. Always the voice of reason, has amazing & loyal friends, a woman who loves him, and he never backs down from a challenge.
Last Dance With Mary Jane - Tom Petty
The knowledge of who I am. Some individuals are lucky in that they know exactly what they want to do, know exactly what they like, and know exactly where they are going. For me, most of that didn't come until I was in my mid 30's. It wasn't until I had become a husband and dad that I became comfortable that that was my role. Until then I was still struggling with what defined me. My home life? My job? My hobbies? It was when I realized I had a responsibility to try and impact the community for the better for my family that I became comfortable with who I am.
Obviously the term length differences define priorities. Our members in the House have a time motive to move items through the legislative process as quickly as possible to prove to their constituents they are an influential member of the general assembly. On the Senate side the ability to sit through two full legislative periods in their 4 year term allows for a bit more time to digest proposed bills and assess any potential consequences in a more methodical manner.
Yes and no. Yes in that experience is beneficial to any role, government or otherwise. However, I do not believe it should be a prerequisite to obtaining a seat in the general assembly. That decision is up to the voters.
Updating our infrastructure without affecting taxes for our citizens. Obviously that is a broad statement, but we have massive infrastructure issues in this state that no one in Columbia seems to want to address until people are marching in the streets. Take education as one example, South Carolina has and continues to struggle with education needs. Our public education systems need to be viewed more as investments than cost centers. Our traditional myopic view of education has led us to the circumstances we are in now. Education drives economic growth.
Additionally, we have flood mitigation efforts that need to continue. Charleston went to the effort of bringing in the Dutch to discuss our future. From this point forward every pad of concrete that is laid down in our communities needs to be extremely scrutinized for flood potential.
Additionally, we have flood mitigation efforts that need to continue. Charleston went to the effort of bringing in the Dutch to discuss our future. From this point forward every pad of concrete that is laid down in our communities needs to be extremely scrutinized for flood potential.
Challenging. It is the basis of our government. The whole point is to establish checks and balances. Both the Governors office and the Legislative chambers should be offered a venue to present their case and welcome challenging dialogue. It is through that discovery process that progress is made for the betterment of our citizens. Sure it may involve compromise. Within reason of course. But compromise denotes there is a willingness to move forward and it not controlled by one group over the other.
Of course. Relationships can be built upon so many different interests. While I would share interests with some legislators based on geography (e.g. flood mitigation) I would also expect to have and observe relationships based on legislative interests (e.g. education reform). It should be the expectation of any legislator to create and maintain coalitions he/she feels best matches the interest of their community.
Corrections and Penology
Education
Ethics
Finance
Fish, Game and Forestry
Interstate Cooperation
Very much! Given my background as a healthcare professional I believe I would be beneficial in a leadership role in the Medical Affairs committee.
Only if I can prove effective. I have a strong opinion of those who move up to Governors or members of our federal branches in title simply because of "who they know" vs. have proven effective. I have aspirations of working in Washington D.C. at some point in my career.
Indeed. One such story came from a constituent who could not reconcile why certain appointments were not given to those who were clearly qualified for the role. In particular, the fact that many of those appointments were given to white, well-financed men. This was absolutely a personal story. State level appointments have huge impacts on our state and local communities.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 4, 2020
Current members of the South Carolina State Senate
Leadership
Senate President:Thomas Alexander
Majority Leader:Shane Massey
Minority Leader:Brad Hutto
Senators
District 1
Thomas Alexander (R)
District 2
Rex Rice (R)
District 3
Richard Cash (R)
District 4
Michael Gambrell (R)
District 5
Tom Corbin (R)
District 6
Jason Elliott (R)
District 7
Karl Allen (D)
District 8
Ross Turner (R)
District 9
Daniel Verdin (R)
District 10
Billy Garrett (R)
District 11
Josh Kimbrell (R)
District 12
Vacant
District 13
Shane Martin (R)
District 14
Harvey Peeler (R)
District 15
Wes Climer (R)
District 16
Michael Johnson (R)
District 17
Everett Stubbs (R)
District 18
Ronnie Cromer (R)
District 19
District 20
Ed Sutton (D)
District 21
Darrell Jackson (D)
District 22
Overture Walker (D)
District 23
Carlisle Kennedy (R)
District 24
Tom Young (R)
District 25
Shane Massey (R)
District 26
Russell Ott (D)
District 27
Allen Blackmon (R)
District 28
Greg Hembree (R)
District 29
J.D. Chaplin (R)
District 30
Kent Williams (D)
District 31
Mike Reichenbach (R)
District 32
Ronnie Sabb (D)
District 33
Luke Rankin (R)
District 34
District 35
Jeffrey Graham (D)
District 36
Jeffrey Zell (R)
District 37
Lawrence Grooms (R)
District 38
Sean Bennett (R)
District 39
Tom Fernandez (R)
District 40
Brad Hutto (D)
District 41
Matthew Leber (R)
District 42
Deon Tedder (D)
District 43
George Campsen (R)
District 44
Brian Adams (R)
District 45
Margie Matthews (D)
District 46
Tom Davis (R)
Republican Party (33)
Democratic Party (12)
Vacancies (1)
