That's Our Nikki

Our governor, Nikki Haley, promised transparency in government. You know, no secrets, everything above board. No, um, hikes. But what I think she meant is that it will become transparent that she is out to do what's best for Nikki, not for the people of South Carolina.

Case in point: Nikki, as is her right as governor, has removed Darla Moore from the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees, and replaced her with a man who donated $4,500 to Nikki Haley's gubernatorial campaign.

Like I said, that's her right. And her mouthpiece, er, spokesman, Rob Godfrey, said Moore was removed from the board a week ago, but damn the transparency, we'll keep it a secret for a week: "As is the case with many of our appointees, the governor looked for a fresh set of eyes to put in a critical leadership position –- a governor's appointee to the USC board."

Hmmm, sounds good, you know a fresh set of eyes. And those eyes belong to Lexington attorney Thomas Cofield.

Okay, an attorney will be on the Board of Trustees, replacing Darla Moore, who graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1975, and since 1998 has pledged more than $70 million to USC's business school because, as she says, she'd "like to see [USC] become once again a nationally-recognized business school" graduating the best and brightest minds in business.

She's out, and the campaign donor is in.

And on the very day that Nikki Haley announced that Moore had been removed from the Board of Trustees, news broke that  the Moore School's--named for Darla Moore--graduate international business program is once more the number two business program in theU.S.

But she's out.

Haley's surprise move has elicited strong reactions on both sides of the issue. While everyone understands that the governor has the right to do what she's done, many feel it was an insult to Darla Moore, who has given a lot of money to help the university. Well, maybe Darla Moore didn't give a lot of money to help Nikki Haley become the transparent governor that she is today.

Haley wrote on Facebook--how Sarah Palin of her--that: "Each governor deserves the chance to appoint board members that share his or her vision to a board. Being that there are 19 board seats, and that a governor has but two appointments, we believe it's entirely appropriate to put people in those slots who share our vision for the university."

I think she means someone who "shares my vision", not someone who has a proven vision for the university.

That's our Nikki.

source