MICHAEL GARDNER TO THE RESCUE

I didn’t realize that you had to be a straight-up gangstah thug to survive the mean streets of Spartanburg. In fact, of the many folks I know from Sparkle City, only one of them is a thug. But he’s a completely different kind of thug.

It appears that all of my preconceived notions are wrong though, if the above video is any indication (WARNING: Explicit Language). Of course, I don’t understand most of the words and even if I did, it would be in whatever code rappers use so it wouldn’t matter. But the imagery of gang signs, guys wearing skis masks and self-titled “crime bosses” definitely gets the point across to those of who are illiterate to the ways of the street.

So I guess it’s a good thing that former State Trooper and Head of Gov. Carroll Campbell’s security detail Michael Gardner is running for state senate. Gardner, who has lead international security details for the state in difficult places including the Cold War USSR, is challenging state Sen. Glenn Reese this November for the only Democrat-held seat in Spartanburg.

Gardner will formally announce his candidacy at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Ron’s Hog Pen BBQ in Boiling Springs.

In a brief interview, Gardner listed safety in schools, reforming DUI laws and getting more help from Columbia for roads, bridges and fire departments as his top priorities.

When asked about specifics on how to make schools safer, Gardner said, “There’s a lot of people out there that’s a lot smarter than me that I’d have to talk to before elaborating on that. But that’s an issue that gets forgotten about a lot. That’s just something I would like to open up discussion about, to see if we could make it better.” [JASON SPENCER - Spartanburg Herald-Journal]

I would say Gardner has a pretty good shot at beating Reese. After watching that video though, I’m just hoping he is thug enough to win.