December 22, 2013

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ELF ON THE SHELF

WE CARRY A LARGE ASSORTMENT OF

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VOL. 119, NO. 59 WWW.THEITEM.COM

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2013 | SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA

FOUNDED OCTOBER 15, 1894

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Tuomey interim CEO outlines plan for tenure ‘Strong mayor’ vs. councilmanager BY BRADEN BUNCH bbunch@theitem.com

Former, incumbent Sumter brass discuss pros, cons of systems

For Michael Schwartz, getting the local Sumter hospital into a strong position for the future is the current in a long line of tasks he has undertaken during his extensive career. Having spent more than 40 years in health care, al-

most exclusively working in high-level administer positions at nonprofit hospitals throughout the SCHWARTZ east coast, Schwartz now finds himself coming out of retirement to serve as the interim CEO of Tuomey Healthcare System.

He comes to Sumter after being named to replace Jay Cox, the hospital’s long serving CEO who resigned shortly after the hospital found itself on the losing end of an extended — and, in many ways, unresolved — lawsuit with the federal government. While negotiations are continuing to resolve the

lawsuit once and for all – Schwartz says the hospital, which currently faces a $239 million ruling, is making “incremental� progress in its discussions with the federal government - the need for meeting the health care demands of Sumter continues. SEE SCHWARTZ, PAGE A8

EVENING OPTIMISTS BRING SMILES TO KIDS’ FACES

BY BRISTOW MARCHANT bmarchant@theitem.com On Dec. 3, only a month after they elected a mayor and other officials, voters in Columbia went back to the polls to decide whether or not to change their city’s form of government. The question on the ballot involved an arcane shift of powers and responsibilities among municipal officials, moving from what’s called a “council-manager� form of government to a “strong mayor� system. Voters ultimately McELVEEN rejected a change to strong mayor system, with 57 percent of Columbia voters against the move. It was a result that pleased some officials in the area of Sumter, where the councilmanager form was pioneered more than 100 years ago. “I’m a big believer in the council-manager form of government,� said Steve Creech, a former Sumter mayor who also served as president of the S.C. Municipal Association. “Overall, it’s the purest form of government. It keeps politics and corruption out of administration.� Under council-manager, an elected mayor and city council vote to institute policy, pass ordinances and set the city budget, but most administrative SEE STRONG MAYOR, PAGE A4

Group gives dozens of bikes to children BY MATT WALSH matt@theitem.com The Evening Optimist Club Project Chairman Tom Lawrence and his family have refurbished thousands of bicycles over the years to bring a brighter Christmas to underprivileged chil-

ABOVE: Michael Lawrence, 21, puts the finishing touches on bicycles that were given to children on Saturday during an event held by the Evening Optimist Club at Westside Baptist Church.

dren in Sumter. “I work in a bike shop now because I have so much experience fixing bikes,� said Michael Lawrence, 21, son of the club chairman and a Costal Carolina University student who works

LEFT: Xavior Conyers rides a new bike he received from the Evening Optimist Club on Saturday. MATT WALSH / THE ITEM

SEE BIKES, PAGE A11

Airmen keep eyes out for Santa

One of the F-16s from McEntire Joint National Guard Base’s 169th Fighter Wing takes off from a runway recently.

BY ROB COTTINGHAM rcottingham@theitem.com As children wait anxiously in their beds the night of Christmas Eve, a few will be plotting to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus as he delivers their gifts.

PHOTO PROVIDED

DEATHS

20 N. Magnolia St. Sumter, SC 29150 (USPS 525-900)

www.theitem.com

Good luck with that. But as far as tracking Santa’s movements, none have been as involved and enthusiastic as the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Santa Tracking program. Every year, NORAD tracks the

Information: 774-1200 Advertising: 774-1237 Classifieds: 774-1234 Delivery: 774-1258 News, Sports: 774-1226

Linda Aaron Eugenia B. Bateman Phyllis Henderson Eric J. Mathis Sammie Lee McKnight

Ruby Mae J. Temoney Dorothy V. Sampson Harriette Stuckey A11

progress of Santa’s deliveries through Christmas Eve and Day, relaying his progress online, on the radio and on TV. Many know about the yearly tracking of Santa’s SEE ALERT, PAGE A4

OUTSIDE CLOUDS, THEN RAIN

INSIDE 5 SECTIONS, 36 PAGES

Mostly cloudy throughout the day; rain and thunderstorms at night. HIGH: 77 LOW: 64 A12

Business Classifieds Comics Daily Planner Opinion Television

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