PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C. —  Gresham Barrett stopped in Litchfield Tuesday on his Putting South Carolina Back to Work Tour, and described how he would like people to work as a team to solve South Carolina’s problems.

Barrett, who also stopped in Hilton Head, will be in Myrtle Beach on Wednesday.

He told the crowd of about 50 people that the answer to the state’s issues is “not in Washington.”

“I’ve been in Washington for seven and a half years, the answer is in our states and in our sovreignity,’’ he said. “If we had governors who stood up and said, ‘We are taking our nation back.’”

Barrett said he believes that innovation and “not taxation” is how we  can solve our energy problems.

He also said that health care decisions should be made by an individual and their doctor, not by the federal government.

Barrett said he also believes in working for a common goal in South Carolina.

“We have 270,000 people without a job in South Carolina,” he said. “There are some tough times ahead.”

Barrett said to attract industries to the state, and create jobs, there needs to be a concentration on improving the ports and highways.

“We have got to be prepared,” he said. “We have got to have a governor who roles up his sleeves and makes sure everybody is sitting at the same table.

“We need to have that infrastructure prepared, you want to sign a contract one day and turn the dirt the next.”

 Barrett was also asked about impact fees in Georgetown County, which many believe are a detriment to attracting new industry to the area.

“I do think there are some things at the state level so we can encourage growth,” he said. “Those fees are a drag on our industry, there is no doubt.”

By Kelly Marshall Fuller

Kfuller@gtowntimes.com