Where Tameika Stands on the Issues

FIGHTING CRIME + IMPROVING PUBLIC SAFETY

A former assistant Attorney General, Tameika Isaac Devine has dedicated most of her adult life to helping people and improving the public safety in neighborhoods across Richland County and the State of South Carolina. As a City Councilwoman, Tameika was one of the first elected officials to tackle the
issue of rising gang violence and crime developing which led to tougher penalties and pre-emptive programs to save our youth. As our next State Senator, we can count on Tameika to support our First Responders, invest in more pre-emptive programs that combat youth violence, and work hand in hand with our community to reduce crime and improve the public safety of every neighborhood in Senate District 19.

TAMEIKA ISAAC DEVINE WILL FIGHT FOR OUR RIGHTS

Tameika Isaac Devine has always been a proponent of every individual’s rights. It seems with every year that passes, today’s Statehouse is more interested in taking away and limiting our rights rather than protecting them and us from danger. Tameika strongly supports voting rights and making it easier for people to cast their ballots. She supports a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions with her doctor. And, as a former prosecutor, she has always fought for our right to justice and public safety. We can count on Tameika to stand up in the State Senate and fight for all of our rights.

INVEST IN EDUCATION AND OUR PEOPLE

A graduate of Richland County public schools, Tameika Isaac Devine knows the value of our schools and teachers and understands how strong education systems unlock the doors to opportunities. That’s why she has been a strong supporter of all three school districts in Richland County and Senate District 19, and has advocated for full funding of our schools and getting more dollars into the classrooms. As a City Councilwoman, she worked with city staff to develop programs and initiatives that empowered residents to improve and learn new workforce skills that are needed for higher-paying jobs and careers. As our next State Senator, Tameika Isaac Devine will be a champion for the down-trodden and a voice for working families all across District developing initiatives and opportunities that invest in our people and families.

CREATING AN ECONOMY THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE

As the owner and principal of her own business, Tameika Isaac Devine knows the challenges that entrepreneurs and small business owners face daily and what it’s like to struggle just to meet a payroll. That’s why she has always been a strong supporter of our small businesses and working-class people. As a City Councilwoman, Tameika helped develop opportunities for local businesses to compete for work with local governments as well as programs that educated and enlightened people at all levels of spending on better ways to manage income and expenses, and living within a budget. As our next State Senator, Tameika Isaac Devine will continue her efforts to find ways to provide every citizen of Senate District 19 a fair shot at success as well as work to develop opportunities for businesses to invest in the hard working people of our state.

​ADDRESSING OUR NEEDS + THE DEMANDS OF GROWTH

Growing up in the Folkstone neighborhood, Tameika Isaac Devine has seen the change and tremendous growth that has taken place across Senate District 19. The growth in our district over the past 30 years has been tremendous but with growth comes new challenges and threats, as well as opportunities and success. Tameika Isaac Devine knows our communities and the people of Senate District 19 because she is one of us. That’s why we count on her to address and work tirelessly to insure projects that improve our infrastructure (like roads and water lines) are fulfilled in a timely manner and not stretched out for decades. She will also be an advocate for better planning and timing of projects that reduce traffic congestion. And most importantly, Tameika Isaac Devine believes growth and development should not be a zero-sum process and everyone should thrive from redevelopment. That’s why she will work everyday to ensure that when one part of our District gets needed attention and growth, it does not come at the expense of other parts of District 19 that will be left behind.

LAND CONSERVATION AND PROTECTING COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Tameika Isaac Devine is a strong proponent of protecting South Carolina’s most precious natural resources. She has been a strong supporter of Land Bank legislation in the past and will be a sponsor of legislation that protects more land in the future for generations in the future to preserve. Additionally, with the only Rosenwald School in Richland County being in this State Senate District, she has a proven record of supporting those special places and structures that contributed so much to the history of our African American predecessors. Their stories are important to learn from, to appreciate, and to guide as we move deeper into the 21^st Century. Throughout her service on City Council, she has been a supporter of preserving our natural treasures and histories, and in the State Senate she looks forward to working with partners to help protect even more across the state.

​CLEAN AIR + WATER IS NOT JUST GOOD POLICY — IT’S THE LAW

As a High School student, Tameika Isaac Devine remembers the federal Clean Air + Water Act passing the halls of Congress and being signed into law by the first President Bush and thinking to herself, “Wow, why wasn’t this already done?” But in the more than 30 years since that historic legislation was codified and from her experience working in local government, she now understands and appreciates more fully why we need dedicated public servants who are fiercely dedicated to the principles of clean air and water. As a member of City Council, she was a strong supporter of protecting our rivers and fought for ways to reduce carbon emissions and to combat and clean up pollution. And as our next State Senator, sheI will take those efforts to the next level protecting our most vulnerable and underserved communities by funding the state’s Clean Water plan and keeping in place the regulatory processes that are under attack.

SUPPORTING & EMBRACING CLEAN ENERGY AND ACCESS TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES

During her service on City Council, Tameika Isaac Devine was a strong supporter of reducing our dependence on foreign oil and fossil fuels by supporting Columbia’s efforts to embrace hydrogen fuel cells and opening up efforts to move toward electric vehicles. As State Senator for District 19, she will continue those efforts by working to increasing the number of vehicles in the state’s fleet that aren’t run by fossil fuels, as well as support and draft legislation that provides incentives to businesses and local governments who shift away from vehicles and objects that add to the pollution of our state’s clean air.