State Senate Candidate Says Bikas Should Finish His Term

Rex Rice is disappointed by in Columbia for the past two months, but still thinks Bikas should finish out his term.

Rice, who is now running for a State Senate seat, once held the office as representative of House District 26. He said he considered it an “honor and privilege to represent the people.”

“I remember walking across the State House grounds and looking up at the flags atop the Capitol and what an honor it was to be there,” Rice said. “It put cold chills up my spine that first day, just as it did on the last day that I was there.”

Rice served the district for 16 years, before deciding not to run for reelection and to enter the 3^rd Congressional District race.

Rice had been elected to the position in November 1994 and would take office in 1995. He said it was a tremendous responsibility to serve, as he was 124 legislators who would be writing laws that not only affect the residents of South Carolina, but anyone who deals with the state for business, for travel and for leisure.

“You have to understand that you are one vote for the people you are representing,” Rice said. “You ought to show up for the people.”

Rice said people make mistakes, but he said learn from them and move on.

“He needs to jump back into that part of life, admit that he made a mistake, get over it, try to learn from it and move on,” Rice said. “Show the people you are committed to them.”

Rice also said that Bikas needed to sit down with House Speaker Bobby Harrell and meet with him and explain the reasons for his actions.

When asked about the dress code policy at the State House, Rice said that the policy became a part of the rules during his time in Columbia. He said another representative had walked in wearing khakis and a golf shirt and it just didn’t look professional, especially when multiple TV cameras were there on almost daily basis, before the meetings were televised.

Rice said that even if you weren’t dressed appropriately to sit in the chamber, you could still listen and view the activities in a room outside of the chamber. He said that while you couldn’t participate in the debate, each representative carried a card that could be plugged into any desk outside the chamber and allow the representative to vote. Rice said he voted that way on several occasions, while talking to constituents who had called during session and while returning calls.

Rice said that he didn’t think that Bikas should resign, because at this point and with a new election closing in, it would only be a waste of taxpayer money to hold a special election.

But Rice said he does remember his first years in office.

Rice said that he remembers his first year there being overwhelmed and looked to the people who sat around him in the General Assembly for help. Rice, who knows about construction and cattle, said he was not a lawyer so he had to rely on his other house members.

“Al Robinson in District 5 took me under his wing,” Rice said. “He taught me things, made me understand what went on there.”

Rice said the same was true of people like Phil Owens, Dwight Loftis and Bruce Bannister; they became not only his friends, but also his mentors. Rice had hoped Bikas would seek out those same people to grow and to learn from them.

“I know that Eric was frustrated about the district collapsing,” Rice said. “I went through redistricting in 2000 and the input from each representative is so important.”

Rice said that spending time in the map room and looking at where the lines are drawn and looking at district counts are important.

“If you drag a line one street, it changes things,” Rice said. “But you want to make sure you don’t draw yourself out of the district.”

But Rice said despite where the new lines are drawn, it’s Bikas’ job to be there.

“If you are not going to be there, get an excused absence and have a legitimate reason for not being there to represent your district,” Rice said.

Rice said he has reached out to Bikas several times, after hearing from friends in Columbia that Bikas had not been to the State House.

Rice said Bikas has not returned his phone calls.