Former longtime state representative and 2018 Democratic candidate for governor James Smith has a new job.
According to The Post and Courier, Smith is now the executive director of military strategies ad programs for the University of South Carolina's Palmetto College. The job will pay Smith $140,000 per year.
Smith, a Columbia attorney, was a member of the state House of Representatives for 22 years. A resident of the leafy Hollywood-Rose Hill neighborhood, he relinquished his position in the House in order to run for governor in 2018. The Democrat was outpaced by Republican Gov. Henry McMaster in that race.
Former Richland County Councilman Seth Rose is now holds the House District 72 seat formerly held by Smith.
A combat veteran who was injured in the war in Afghanistan, Smith is a major in the S.C. National Guard. He was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart for his service in war.
"Mr. Smith's network of contacts and combination of legal and military experience will assist us in our goal of growing the number of active duty, military civilians, veterans, dependents and other military-related personnel who are directly served through the Palmetto College and the entire UofSC system," university spokesman Jeff Stensland says.
According to The Post and Courier, about 3.5 percent of the student body on the university's Columbia campus are veterans, active service members ir military dependents.