South Carolina Port Debacle: Failure’s Ever-Escalating Cost

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by WILL FOLKS

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Last week, our media outlet reported exclusively on the unceremonious ouster of Barbara Melvin as chief executive officer of one of South Carolina’s most results-challenged bureaucracies – the S.C. Ports Authority (SCPA).

Melvin’s ouster – referred to by our sources as a “forced resignation” – was generically referenced by the agency as a decision on her part to “pursue other opportunities,” purportedly “for personal and professional reasons.” The politically appointed leader of the SCPA, Bill Stern, accepted Melvin’s decision and praised the former lobbyist for having been “instrumental in moving the Ports Authority in a positive direction.”

Is that accurate, though? And is that all there is to the story?

Make no mistake: this government-run enterprise is not moving in a positive direction. Stern and his supplicants – including one who is literally named “Lackey” – have driven this critical competitive asset completely into the ground.

“I have zero use for him,” a well-connected source on the Charleston waterfront told FITSNews.

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Stern has been on the port board since 2002 – acting as either its chairman or vice chairman for the better part of the past two decades. Over that time, Charleston has seen its status as the dominant port in the southeastern United States completely usurped (and then some) by Savannah. According to the latest data from the American Journal of Transportation (AJOT), Charleston moved approximately 2.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) last year – well below its previous numbers. By contrast, the Port of Savannah moved 5.1 million TEUs last year – up 13.3% from the previous year.

The Palmetto State has also failed to deliver on its 2005 promise to devote its “full faith and credit” to the construction of a deepwater port in Jasper County, the last location on the east coast fit for such a project.

These failures have been pronounced for decades. Sadly, with a handful of exceptions (most notably state senator Tom Davis of Beaufort, S.C.), Palmetto politicians have failed to so much as propose – let alone take – corrective action. One reason for that? Stern continues lining their pockets with campaign contributions.

This month, the price of SCPA’s failure escalated significantly. Despite serving only two-and-a-half years as the entity’s CEO, upon her ouster Melvin was awarded $822,780 in so-called “pre-tax salary continuation” between now and the end of the year. SCPA also agreed to subsidize a $100,000 payout to her taxpayer-subsidized retirement account and pay her a staggering $350 an hour for any work she does while the agency identifies and installs her successor.

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RELATED | MAJOR SHAKEUP AT S.C. PORTS

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Melvin was also allowed to keep her government-provided iPad, iPhone and laptop – and a lump sum payout for any unused accrued annual leave.

Unbelievable, right? Not in South Carolina, unfortunately. Here, status quo politicians have perfected the “rinse repeat” of rewarding failure.

Rom Reddy, founder of the DOGESC movement, blasted Melvin’s agreement as emblematic of this ongoing failure – and the lack of accountability accompanying it.

“Being a private sector guy, I am trying to make sense of the SC State Ports Authority CEO Barbara Melvin’s severance package,” Reddy wrote on X. “Perhaps the agency outperformed and this is a bonus? Nope, the agency significantly underperformed and has let Savannah become the pre- eminent port while mismanaging several capital projects.”

One of those mismanaged capital projects is a massive $550 million rail project and cargo hub. Scheduled for completion two months ago, it is hundreds of millions of dollars over budget – with no timetable for completion.

“I know government marches to a different beat as they play with our money,” Reddy continued, slamming SCPA for “playing loose with the funds of a public agency.”

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I must say being a private sector guy, I am trying to make sense of the SC State Ports Authority CEO Barbara Melvin’s severance package. Lets start with the facts.

The Ports Authority is a public entity that generates revenue from port activities for the benefit of the public.…

— Rom Reddy (@RomReddySC) August 26, 2025

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“The DOGESC movement actively promotes the dismantling of the unaccountable agency state and promotes integrity and transparency with all public funds,” Reddy continued.

With regard to SCPA, Reddy put his finger on the long-term solution – something FITSNews has been championing for the past decade-and-a-half. He also pulled no punches in calling out the state’s current chief executive for his role in the debacle.

“This Ports Authority should not be run by politicians but should be privatized and run like a business,” he said. “The people in charge of this mess are appointed by a governor who has wrapped himself in a flag of incompetence and no accountability as this state lags on every major metric from education to roads to crime but excels in being highly taxed and great spenders.”

“Instead of listening to the DOGESC patriots that now represent a massive statewide movement, looks like we are getting increasingly brazen with the lack of transparency and misuse of public funds,” Reddy continued.

Indeed… now it’s up to Reddy and his movement to hold them accountable since they clearly aren’t doing it themselves.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

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