Condon appointment faces challenge

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Former S.C. Attorney General Charlie Condon has been appointed interim chairman of Santee Cooper’s board of directors by Gov. Henry McMaster, but the move faces pushback from state legislators.

In March, McMaster appointed Condon to serve as board chair for the state-owned utility until former chairman Leighton Lord’s term ended in May. Lord resigned in December 2017 amid fallout from the failed V.C. Summer nuclear reactor project which Santee Cooper co-owned along with S.C. Electric & Gas.

Late Monday, after McMaster’s office announced Condon’s appointment, Senate President Pro Tem Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, and Senate Minority Leader Nikki Setzler, D-Lexington, sent McMaster a letter challenging the governor’s authority to make the move. The letter asserted that the position could not be filled without lawmakers’ approval, the Charleston Post and Courier and The State newspapers reported.

The letter noted that the appointment was not made when the Legislature was in session and was not confirmed by the Senate Judiciary Committee before the legislative session ended in May.

“Fortunately for Santee Cooper’s ratepayers, these distractions haven’t kept Mr. Condon from being appointed by the governor and commissioned by the secretary of state,” McMaster spokesman Brian Symmes said in an email to the Columbia Regional Business Report. “He’s the new chairman of the board of Santee Cooper right now.”

The Public Utilities Review Committee approved Condon’s appointment earlier this year.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Luke Rankin, R-Horry, told The State that he believes Condon’s appointment must be approved when lawmakers return to the Statehouse in January.

McMaster sent a letter to Senate President Kevin Bryant saying the confirmation was made pursuant to sections 1-3-210 and 58-31-20 of South Carolina State Laws.

“South Carolina ratepayers simply can’t afford a leaderless Santee Cooper making a year’s worth of decisions,” McMaster said in a statement announcing Condon’s appointment. “I am confident Mr. Condon’s leadership will result in a much-needed focus on transparency and accountability.”