Candidate profiles: S.C. House District 61
South Carolina’s redrawn legislative maps created the newly formed state House District 61 that runs along U.S. Highway 501 in parts of Conway and Myrtle Beach.
Voters on Nov. 8 will choose between Republican Carla Schuessler, 50, and her 33-year-old Democratic opponent Ashlyn Preaux.
Schuessler, former executive director of Habitat for Humanity Horry County, is currently the chief operating officer at Complete Legal Defense Team.
Preaux works as a rape crisis counselor and victim advocate. She’s also a member of the Forestbrook Elementary School PTA.
Ashlyn Preaux
Why did you decide to run for office?
After years of partisan bickering and out of touch politicians, I believe it’s time for a new generation of leaders who will actually work to improve the lives of all South Carolinians. When I saw that this open seat was going to go uncontested, I decided to put my name on the ballot to give voters something to vote for other than the status quo.
How would South Carolina residents benefit from your leadership?
My dedication to fix our problems instead of creating new ones, my compassion for my community and my neighbors, and my willingness to work with anyone to accomplish a common goal.
Do you believe South Carolina’s elections are conducted fairly?
While South Carolina’s independent State Election Commission avoids the partisan conflicts in other states, I believe there is always room for improvement and so two things I would like to see change are: Confirmation receipt to ensure your vote has been recorded successfully ; eliminate straight ticket voting to avoid skipping over non-partisan and uncontested elections. Voting should be a conscious and informed process that should be fostered and encouraged.
What legislation would you sponsor?
I would co-sponsor two pieces of legislation of immediate concern. First, I would pick up where S.150, the “SC Compassionate Care Act,” left off. The proposed legislation ended with a dispute over its constitutionality, and I would work to eliminate that obstacle. Thirty-seven states allow for the use of medical marijuana for numerous treatments and it’s time for South Carolina to do the same.
Second, I would work to modernize the outdated approach to current state education funding. Two pieces of legislation underlie the current approach to public education: the Education Finance Act (EFA) from 1977 and Act 388 from 2006. EFA uses a weighted-student funding model to improve funding equity and Act 388 lowered residential property taxes and compensated with an increase in the state sales tax. The result has been inadequate education funding and little transparency to taxpayers.
Carla Schuessler
Why did you decide to run for office?
Over the past 25 years I have worked hard to build strong relationships, bring people together, find common ground, and solve our issues in Horry County.
My decision to run for office isn’t influenced by a personal or professional agenda, rather a desire to continue serving and giving back to the community I care so much about. I believe serving District 61 in the State House of Representatives will allow me to apply all that I’ve learned and experienced to solving the issues and addressing the concerns that impact my neighbors, friends, and family.
Our area is unique in many ways, and it is imperative that we have a cohesive delegation working together on our behalf in Columbia. I am confident that I am the right person to join this team and ensure that our community continues to be a great place to live, work, and raise a family.
How would South Carolina residents benefit from your leadership?
South Carolina residents, and specifically those that live in District 61, would benefit from my leadership due to my extensive business experience, record of service in our community, and reputation for being a solutions-driven problem solver.
Through my professional roles in HOA management I developed a skill set for listening to residents and bringing people together to solve problems.
Through my experience running a multi-million dollar non-profit, and more recently as Chief Operating Office of the Complete Legal Defense Team, I have managed complex budgets, projects, and partnerships and I know what it takes to get things done through collaboration, negotiation, and compromise.
Do you believe South Carolina’s elections are conducted fairly?
Integrity in our elections is of the utmost importance, and I believe all South Carolinians would agree that anything short of a fair and lawful election is unacceptable and un-American.
South Carolina recently enacted new legislation to further ensure election integrity by establishing early voting, standardizing and strengthening the absentee voting system, and enhancing penalties for violating elections laws. I applaud this effort and fully support further reform to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat.
What legislation would you sponsor?
Listening to our community throughout the campaign has been informative and allowed me to better understand the important issues that we all share concern with.
Residents are concerned about roads, schools, public safety, and inflation. When elected, I will work hard to bring home our fair share in taxes to Horry County so we can address our infrastructure and flooding needs.
I will work hand in hand with the SC General Assembly to come up with creative solutions to address the crisis in our schools. I look forward to working on legislation that brings Horry County better roads, better schools, and safer streets.
This story was originally published October 24, 2022 at 5:00 AM.