Beaufort County Council candidate profile: Laura Von Harten

A short bio and Q&A with Beaufort County Council candidate Laura Von Harten

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Age: 50

Political party: Democrat

Office: Beaufort County Council District 4

Number of years living in the district you seek to represent: 10 years

Family: Single, no children

Education: Bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Kentucky; certificate in family services, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, N.C.

Current occupation/employer: Beaufort County Council District 4 representative, adjunct professor of anthropology at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, pianist at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Beaufort, freelance writer

Employment, military and volunteer history: Seasonal Farmworker Health Program Advisory Council for Beaufort-Jasper-Hampton Comprehensive Health Services, 2010 to present; vice chairperson of the Daufuskie Island Binyah Foundation, 2011 to present; Human Services Advisory Board member, 2009 to 2011; ethnographic researcher for MRAG Americas in Tampa, Fla., 2005; project director for the Beaufort County Historical Society Oral History Project, 199 to 2002; museum manager for Historic Beaufort Foundation, Beaufort, 1997 to 1998; adjunct anthropology professor at Eastern Kentucky University, 1992 to 1994

Public offices held: Beaufort County Council District 11 in 1996, County Council District 4 in 2000

Unsuccessful bids for public office: None

Other prior political and government experience: Beaufort County planning assistant, summer 1997; education coordinator for the Beaufort Museum, 1995 to 1997

Key endorsements you've received: In 2006, I was endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters of South Carolina. My campaign team considered it a high honor because LCV generally focuses on state offices. This was a rare instance of LCV setting their sights on local government and endorsing a local candidate in a tough race in what they considered a bellwether county in S.C. conservation leadership.

Campaign contributions: $1,675

Campaign expenditures: $863.36

Biggest contributor: Elizabeth Chamlee, $500

Why should people vote for you?

With eight years of experience on County Council, I am no longer a newcomer. I have a deep understanding of the back stories behind today's issues. I have been privy to dozens of executive sessions that deal with matters critical to the well-being of our county. I have a keen institutional memory that serves our body well. Most of all, I have a passion for ensuring Beaufort County remains a great place to live and work.

What are the three most important issues you would address if elected?

1. Economic development: Misinformation abounds about the history and current state of Beaufort County's economic-development efforts. I would like to do a better job communicating with the public about County Council's goals, its time frame for achieving those goals and its standards for monitoring progress. Most important, in the next four years we need to continue to implement the recommendations of the Avalanche Report (commissioned by the Lowcountry Economic Alliance).

2. Trash transfer station: When the landfill we use in Jasper County gets full, we will have to start transporting solid waste long distances to other counties. To keep fuel costs and taxes down, we need to build a transfer station where waste from local garbage trucks can be compacted and placed on tractor trailers. It is well past time to start the EPA-recommended public process for deciding on a site.

3. E-newsletters: The weekly email newsletters distributed by Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling make me feel more in touch with city government. It would be helpful for Beaufort County to offer something similar -- noteworthy upcoming meetings described in plain English, links for press releases made in the past week, explanations about why something is being done the way it is -- the possibilities are endless.

What other issues do you see as important?

What specific steps will you take to make government more open and accessible to the public?

Have you ever been convicted of a felony, been disciplined by a professional licensing board or organization or had an ethics violation filed against you? If so, please give the details.

I have been fined by the S.C. Ethics Commission for submitting forms late.

After the 2006 election, someone complained that a letter sent by one of my supporters did not contain information about who paid for printing and postage costs. However, the letter was not sent by my campaign. This person also complained that, in an official campaign mailing, the cost of obtaining the mailing list was not included as an in-kind donation. I did not know that the person who gave me the list had to pay for it. The ethics commission found that I was not at fault on this matter, and I resubmitted my campaign finance reports with the updated in-kind contributions duly noted.

Have you ever filed for bankruptcy, had your mortgage foreclosed, or been delinquent on your federal, state or local taxes? If so, please give the details.

After my 1991 divorce, I was delinquent on federal taxes because my ex-husband did not pay income taxes the last year we were married. I made good with the IRS. I also eventually paid off past due-medical accounts for services provided by doctors in Beaufort who were kind enough to treat him without asking for up-front payment.

I have been delinquent with state/local business personal property taxes. There was confusion about the correct entity to bill my taxes -- for some businesses the local auditor does the work, while for other state-regulated businesses (as mine was) the S.C. Department of Revenue manages personal property tax returns. This was straightened out, and I paid my taxes.

Are there any personal details about yourself that voters would be interested in knowing?

I was raised on Lady's Island and in Beaufort. I grew up working in my family's shrimp business on Lady's Island and graduated from Beaufort High School in 1982. I used to speak fluent Spanish and still speak the language, though with a lesser degree of ease.

This story was originally published October 21, 2014 at 5:29 PM with the headline "Beaufort County Council candidate profile: Laura Von Harten."