By Rick Abercrombie
Russell Ott, State Senator from District 26, spoke recently to the Optimist Club of St. Andrews-Irmo. Ott’s District encompasses Calhoun County and also includes parts of Lexington and Richland County. The district is characterized by booming industry while agriculture is prominent in the southern half. So the needs of constituents are very diverse.
Ott described life as a Democrat legislator in a state that features a Republican super majority in the House and Senate. After serving for 13 years as a House Representative, Ott replaced 40 year veteran Senator Nikki Setzler. His experience with small town government tells him that party affiliation is of little value at the local level. What does matter is solving problems and issues that confront constituents every day.
Despite his winning his election as a Democrat, Ott sees his district as politically balanced. Kamala Harris carried Ott’s district in the last Presidential election. Ott noted that having first been a House Representative, he has a strong appreciation for the deliberative nature of the Senate’s work.
The speaker describes himself as a fiscal conservative. He observed that hundreds of bills cross legislative desks for consideration, but only a small percentage ever make it to the voting process. Further, he said that if an issue ever becomes a budget line item, it rarely goes away.
One issue that Ott says is experiencing a lot of scrutiny is that of locating the data centers that will be needed to support industrial expansion and artificial intelligence development. A.I. data centers are proven large consumers of electric power, and they also require a sizable supply of water. He feels those centers rightfully should bear a reasonable property tax burden.
Another issue of focus – a long-standing one – is legal gambling. Again, property tax levels would have to be a key element. Revisiting the Homestead Exemption is also a factor in any tax relief discussions.
Pictured are Optimist Club President David Kafitz, Senator Ott, and speaker sponsor Steve Odom who presented the speaker with a copy of the Optimist Creed.
