S.C. Senator’s Losses Overwhelming

By Tim Gehret
Reporter
Published: October 6, 2008

Robert Ford moved from New Orleans to Charleston on the heels of the civil rights movement. Within six months he was on the city council.

“I guess the old word was community organizer,” says Ford. “But the Methodist Church decided to make it community developer in 1969.”

He knew going into public service meant spending time away from home. But in the past five months, he’s had no choice.

“I just hope nobody never has a fire. It’s the worst thing that could happen to you,” He says.

On May 4th an overloaded power cord gutted Ford’s house. From the outside, you could barely tell. And that’s part of the problem.

“My problem is that I didn’t have enough coverage of the personal belongings in the house.”

Catastrophic events, whether they affect an entire city or are confined to just one house, often bring with them lessons learned. In this case, the Senator says while it’s important for every homeowner to know what’s covered under their insurance policy, it’s equally, if not more important to know what isn’t.

Things like cars, boats or trucks in the driveway need their own policies. Things already damaged before the fire like plumbing are not covered.  Also important is knowing whether a policy covers “replacement costs” or “actual cash value” of the home. Actual cash value is the amount the house is worth after depreciation. Replacement cost doesn’t deduct for depreciation. The difference could be thousands of dollars.

In most cases the house itself is covered for a fire. Ford says his problem was underestimating the value of what was inside.

“I’m something like $129,000 off.”

On October 22nd, supporters will try to help the senator make up the difference.

A gesture, he says makes public service—worth the effort.

“A state senator job is the best job you could imagine.”

We looked into what South Carolina lawmakers earn for their service. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, senators and house members make a flat $10,400 annual salary. They are paid $131 a month for food and housing while in session.

The senator’s insurance company has foot the bill on a condo since May. The house should be finished in a few weeks.