According to Zip recruiter, the average salary for a S.C. Mayor is $195,297 per year. How does Lisa Sulka, the Bluffton City Mayor, earning a salary of no more than $195, 297.00 annually, win a $50 million slander lawsuit?

MAYOR SULKA VERSUS CHAMBER CRITIC

The town of Bluffton has a Council-Manager form of government. Bluffton is located in Beaufort County. The town council is responsible for the legislative function of the municipality such as establishing policy, passing local ordinances, voting appropriations, and developing an overall vision. The town has a Mayor and Mayor Pro-Tem position. The council has four at-large members who serve overlapping four-year terms. Town elections take place every two years in the fall.

SMALL TOWN, BIG CHAMBER

The town of Bluffton pays what is known in S.C. as “atax” monies to the Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce. ATAX (accommodation taxes) are a 2% tax charged on tourists staying in area hotels.

So why such a big lawsuit win for Mayor Sulka?

It certainly does not hurt to have the legal and judicial prowess of the entire S.C. alliance of Chambers of Commerce, along with, the ability to hand out accommodations taxes in your corner.

Skip Hoagland was the defendant in this $50 million suit, which he lost. Hoagland has been a decades long critic of public tax monies going to the Beaufort County Chamber, Hilton Head Chamber of Commerce, Charleston Chamber of Commerce, and Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

Each of these chambers have close allies in the elected halls of the S.C. General Assembly. Money pours into the campaign coffers of these elected officials. The General Assembly then writes laws that allow the chambers to collect large sums of tax gifts for advertising.

BUT IT’S WORSE

Horry County’s Senator Luke Rankin heads the S.C. Judiciary. In S.C., the legislative branch appoints judges. This group is spearheaded by the Judicial Merit Selection Committee, of which Rankin sits on.

Going before a judge in S.C. means putting your life in these legislative appointed judge’s hands. These are the same lawyer legislators who get donations from the members of these chambers of commerce. In Myrtle Beach, monies come directly from MBACC associated PACs.

How do the Chamber tax subsidies work? Here is the Bluffton example:

Bluffton Mayor Lisa Sulka and the Beaufort/Hilton Head Chamber of Commerce.

The town of Bluffton puts together a board for where these 2% taxes go. The bulk of these taxes have historically been paid to the Beaufort Chamber of Commerce.

Accommodations Tax Board (2% State)

The Accommodations Tax Board (2% State) advises Council in matters concerning the expenditure of revenues received by the County of Beaufort by means of a two percent (2%) State tax on tourist lodging facilities; provisions of the Act require Council to comply with specified criteria, for the expenditure of revenues derived from the tax, and Council wishes to comply with the provisions of the Act.

Meetings are held annually during September beginning at 8:00 a.m.

Meetings last approximately four hours.

Meetings are held in Council Chambers, Administration Building, Beaufort County Government Robert Smalls Complex, 100 Ribaut Road, Beaufort.

Membership criteria are outlined in the State Law. The advisory committee consists of seven members with a majority being selected from the hospitality industry of the municipality or county receiving the revenue. At least two of the hospitality industry members must be from the lodging industry where applicable. One member shall represent the cultural organizations of the municipality or county receiving the revenue. For county advisory committees, members shall represent the geographic area where the majority of the revenue is derived. However, if a county receives more in distributions of accommodations taxes than it collects in accommodations taxes, the membership of its advisory committee must be representative of all areas of the county with a majority of the membership coming from no one area.

WE ASKED HOAGLAND IF HE PLANNED TO APPEAL?

Below is Hoagland’s written response to our request:

 I don’t think so; I think I will just let it stand as an embarrassment to the SC judicial system. Let’s see  how many other defamation lawsuits are filed by elected officials against citizens who honestly and factually criticize their corruption, when in fact there is no law to support it.

We citizens have the legal right to criticize public officials under the constitution, with our free speech rights under the 1st amendment.

This is very dangerous for any judge to even allow a jury, without knowledge of the law, to rule this way. In fact, Judge Murphy did not educate the jury nor did the court even address the Plaintiff’s perjury, a crime, or acknowledge that I told the truth.

As Judge Goldsmith ruled several years back, this case had enough law and evidence to continue and not be tossed out of court as baseless. This ruling was an egregious error of law. In fact, the first I heard of it came from Judge Young in a pretrial hearing I attended just a couple of weeks ago, even though I knew it would probably be a waste of time.

Further, this case was tossed around between a record five judges; it’s unheard of. Obviously, the Clerk of Court, Jerri Roseneau, should be questioned and investigated. She is tied to the local judges I call corrupt, specifically Judge Dukes, and also Judge Mullen, of the Murdaugh Satterfield case. 

Even Governor McMaster said Dukes was basically a fake judge, you just tell him what to say, and has S____t for brains (yes, the Governor actually said that).

Welcome to SC, this case is just another “Murdaugh without the Murders” and a predetermined outcome, controlled by ambulance chasing Murdaugh lawyer Johnny Parker, known for his verdicts against CSX railroad. I tossed this frivolous filth in the garbage where it belongs. This was all about trying to silence my voice and profit their  greedy pockets. I’m sure Parker will try and collect from Pure insurance company, who I fired along with the lawyer they hired.

I am also looking to name Pure and their lawyer in another 50 million 1st amendment lawsuit filed against Hilton Head, Beaufort County, City of Charleston. So, four 50 million lawsuits, total. 

I have already filed another lawsuit against Sulka / Bluffton for violating my 1st amendment rights and will now seek 50m in damages since the bar is set… fair is fair 

This verdict and award is the greatest thing to ever happen to me. I celebrated it, and to shed light on more SC injustice, just like the Murdaugh case. Just the tip of the iceberg.

South Carolina- too small for a state, too large for an insane asylum, never more perfect words spoken.

Excuse typos and misspellings 
  Skip Hoagland