WINNSBORO – Assistant County Administrator Laura Johnson has
submitted a letter of resignation to County administrator Jason Taylor,
effective June 4, 2021, the day before Taylor leaves his job and takes over as
Town Manager of Winnsboro.
Johnson is the third high level county employee to leave or be forced out in the last two months. The county attorney, county administrator, a department head and other employees have also resigned following a purge by the new majority leadership on county council.
Johnson, A CPA, will retire after 30 years in state and
local government. Her resignation letter included a note to Taylor who promoted
her from Comptroller to the Assistant Administrator position two years ago.
“When you selected me to be your Assistant County
Administrator, I was honored that you trusted me enough to give me this
opportunity to be your “right-hand woman.” I have learned a lot and have
enjoyed working with you. I will greatly miss our very blunt and honest
conversations. I think we make a great team, one that is built upon cooperation
and trust. So it is bittersweet for me to submit my letter of retirement from
Fairfield County. I have poured my heart into this job, and I have thoroughly
enjoyed working with you and all the department directors, elected officials
and staff.”
Johnson began her career in state government at the Office
of the State Auditor and the Department of Public Safety. She came to Fairfield
County as Comptroller in 2002. Her accomplishments, Taylor said, have been
many.
She implemented a new accounting system and time clock
system, developed written policies and procedures for Finance, developed an
account code structure, ensured GASB pronouncements were implemented,
implemented a fixed assets system and implemented, evaluated and modified
internal controls in several areas.
“Going back to 2013, Johnson said, with the exception of two
of those years, the county’s fund balance has increased (i.e., revenues
exceeding expenditures), despite what is currently being conveyed to the
citizens.
Taylor said Laura’s leaving will be a huge loss for the
county.
“It has been a pleasure working with Laura,” Taylor said.
“I’ve enjoyed working with her in her role as comptroller for the county, and
then I was delighted to be able to work with her as my assistant county
administrator. She had her heart in the job and was very much a professional in
how she approached everything. She’s going to be missed.”
Richland County Transportation Penny Tax officials will hold a public hearing on May 26 from 6 – 8 p.m. at The Manor, to receive input from town residents in regard to the construction of a roundabout at the corner of the Boney Road and McNulty Street intersection. | Ashley Ghere
BLYTHEWOOD – As part of the Richland County Transportation Penny Tax program, the town is in line to have Creech Road extended from Blythewood Road down to Main Street (Highway 21/Wilson Boulevard) as well as the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of McNulty Street and Boney Road.
Before plans are drawn up for the two projects, Richland
County officials want to hear from the residents of Blythewood regarding their
preferences for the extension and the roundabout.
A public meeting for that purpose is set for 6 – 8 p.m., May
26, at The Manor.
Of the four Blythewood projects that will be completed with
Penny Tax funds, the first will be to widen and improve the Creech Road
Extension down to Main Street. Second
priority is to widen and improve McNulty Street from Main Street to Blythewood
Road. The third priority is to widen and improve Blythewood Road from I-77 to
Main Street. And the fourth priority is to widen and improve Blythewood Road
from Syrup Mill Road to Fulmer Road.
“The big one the County wants input on is the intersection
of Boney Road and McNulty Street,” Blythewood Town Administrator Carroll
Williamson said. “They want to know if
we would rather have a four-way stop or a roundabout.”
“We want to get some public input before the government
proceeds to make changes to the intersection,” Mayor Bryan Franklin said.
Council voted unanimously to recommend to Richland County
Council a Penny Project Priority List for the town.
WINNSBORO – Fairfield County Administrator Jason Taylor submitted his resignation to County Council earlier today, effective June 7, 2021.
Taylor sent the short, to-the-point email to Chairman Moses
Bell and the other six council members at noon, Thursday, April 8.
Taylor
“After careful consideration, it has become clear to me that
it is time that I pursue other opportunities.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time serving as the County Administrator.
Fairfield County still has many immediate challenges that must be addressed,
but with record recent investments and jobs from new industry, along with the
planning being done for needed infrastructure, the County is on a path to a
bright future. Please accept this letter
as my official resignation to be effective June 7, 2021.”
Taylor said he has not had a response from Bell at this time.
Taylor’s resignation follows months of his beratement at public council meetings from new County Council Chairman Moses Bell and new council member Shirley Greene. Bell also brought pressure on the county’s attorney Tommy Morgan who resigned in January. During that time two other top employees left the county’s employ. Also in January, the county’s new leadership limited Taylor’s contract to five months, and last month Bell ordered Taylor to discontinue all advertising with The Voice and to instead place the ads in the county’s ads in a newspaper published out of Camden.
Council hired Taylor in May, 2016, after the county had gone through a three year upheaval that included the resignation of the county administrator, two investigations by SLED and an election that turned over the majority of council.
Taylor was instrumental in the development of the 1,200 acre
megasite – now one of the top available industrial sites in the state.
Comment received by The Voice from County Council Chairman Moses Bell after this story was posted: “We have received correspondence from Jason Taylor, resigning his position as Fairfield County Administrator, effective June 7, 2021. We are thankful to Jason for his efforts to improve the economic environment in Fairfield County and we look forward to continuing our growth as a community. The County Council meets again on Monday, April 12, 2021, at which time we are likely to discuss this matter and take appropriate actions. This is a time for us all to work together.” –Moses Bell
Alexandra Watson, one of many Winnsboro residents who have lodged complaints with the Town over inconsistent and high utility bills – and the town’s lack of response to those complaints – said her family’s February gas bill was $408.26 for 27 days while their January gas bill was only $125.01 for 34 days. | Barbara Ball
WINNSBORO – After years of complaints about water billing from both Blythewood and Winnsboro customers, the town of Winnsboro is looking at options to upgrade its meter-reading and billing system.
Why now? The cost of better technology has finally come down
to a price that a small town can afford.
“Basically, we’re looking at trying to do a better job for
our citizens and our customers,” Winnsboro Mayor Roger Gaddy said. “We want our
billing process to be accurate, and we want to be proactive in identifying
problems in the system.”
Gaddy readily acknowledged longstanding complaints: that
variation in the length of billing cycles results in inconsistent billing, a
problem that’s worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic; that errors have
sometimes resulted in erroneous bills; and that leaks can go undetected for a
while, resulting in large and unexpected charges for water use.
Two Options
The two options now being considered by town leaders, he
said, are aimed at upgrading the meter-reading and billing system to address
these complaints.
The first option, presented by Elgin-based Ferguson
Waterworks at a town council meeting, is completely automated, enabling an
antenna to communicate with upgraded meters that send back usage data in real
time. This provides two advantages: a labor-free way to implement consistent
billing cycles and the ability to recognize unusual usage indicative of a leak
and alert homeowners early.
“What they can do is they can put an antenna on the top of
our water tanks, and of course put electronic meters on the water meters, that
will give them the ability to look at what people are using water-wise,” Gaddy
said, “so if they’ve got a leak at their houses… they can identify that and be
proactive in calling the people instead of people getting a big bill.”
This option has a higher up-front price tag but would result
in cost savings over time because the town would no longer need to employ
people to go and read utility meters, Gaddy said.
The second option, presented by Border States Meter-Reading
Group, would upgrade meters to communicate not with a tower, but with a device
that meter-readers could use from the road. It would streamline the collection
of meter information to eliminate errors and provide more consistent billing,
but without the ability to spot leaks as quickly. “What they do is they put a
meter on your water meter and… it’s kind of a ride-by meter reading where an
individual can ride by and read the meter without having to go in the backyard
and fight off dogs and that sort of thing,” Gaddy said.
The up-front cost of this option is lower, but it would
require continued employment of meter-readers and so could have a higher cost
over time, Gaddy said.
Of course, both options also require ongoing fees and
maintenance, and Gaddy said the town is still awaiting the cost estimate data
that will be needed to make a good comparison between them. He anticipates the
town council will have the information it needs to make a decision soon.
Blythewood Pilot
Gaddy said $800,000 for a Blythewood pilot project, which
would serve about 1,500 customers, is in the budget for this year.
Assuming all goes well with the chosen option, the plan
would be to then upgrade the system in the town’s main water service area – and
the town has the money to put this in its 2022 budget. The hope then would be
to extend the technology upgrade to Winnsboro’s other utilities – sewer, gas,
and electric.
Winnsboro is one of just five municipalities in South
Carolina that have these four utilities – which Gaddy credits with its ability
to avoid charging town property taxes.
While he said he’s still awaiting information and the town
council has yet to make a decision, Gaddy said he likes the idea of an
all-automated system because of its simplicity and the opportunity it offers to
be proactive about water leaks. It’s a plan that Mayor Pro Tem John McMeekin,
who is running for Gaddy’s seat in April, has been eyeing for some time.
“We’ve got a proposal from both of the companies,” Gaddy
said, “but we have not made a decision which one we are going to go with yet.”
He said the town looked at systems like these a few years
ago, but the cost then was too high. In the time since, the complaints have
continued – and the cost has come down.
Town Has The Money
“The good thing is we do have enough money in the budget
that we can certainly do the pilot project of the water in Blythewood, and we
have enough money in the budget that we could put the system in for water in
Winnsboro,” he said, “and then, once you have that basic system in, if you
decide to expand it to electricity and natural gas in Winnsboro, it’s not going
to be a major financial commitment.”
Gaddy, who after 12 years as mayor is not seeking re-election, says it’s likely the town will make its decision within the next six months and have at least the pilot project installed within the next year.
A rendition of the planned restoration of Mt. Zion.
WINNSBORO – Cancelling plans for a new county building would trigger litigation that could cost Fairfield County upwards of $13 million, some council members say.
“If the ultimate goal is to tear down this project, we’re
probably looking at a $13 million lawsuit we can’t afford,” Councilman Neil
Robinson said during a special meeting Feb. 10. “We’re looking at our bond
rating going down and we’re looking at no other plan to house [county]
employees.”
Robinson’s grim warning came in response to Council Chairman
Moses Bell’s suggestion to create an ad hoc committee to “review the Mt. Zion
contract to determine the costs to the county from the beginning to the end.”
Council members voted 4-3, with Bell and council members
Mikel Trapp, Shirley Greene and Tim Roseborough supporting the committee. Bell
appointed Greene, Roseborough and Robinson to serve on the committee.
In October 2018, the council in a supermajority 5-2 decision
voted to repurpose the old Mt. Zion Institute into a new county building and
lease it at an estimated cost of $4.2 million.
The current council, however, has consistently voted 4-3
since they were seated on Jan. 11, 2020, and in the opposite direction as prior
councils recently have voted.
Bell stated an ad hoc committee was needed to determine the
true costs associated with the Mt. Zion plan.
“We continue to get this question—how much is it costing us?” Bell said, not specifying who is asking the question. “The purpose of this [committee] is just to see how much this is costing us from inception up until
now.
“We need to look at the cost end of the building,” Bell
continued. “We don’t know what that’s going to look like.”
“Is the true intention of Mt. Zion committee to lay the groundwork for canceling the contract?
– Councilman Neil Robinson
Gilbert, though, said spending time revisiting the Mt. Zion vote also risks hampering ongoing projects, such as infrastructure upgrades and recruiting industry.
“Shouldn’t we be looking forward instead of looking
backwards?” he said. “It just doesn’t make any sense. We as a council and the
administrator should be moving Fairfield County forward.”
Greene countered by saying it’s the council’s responsibility
to evaluate how taxpayer money is spent.
“We’re responsible for making sure our money is spent
judiciously. We can’t do that if the information isn’t in front of us,” Greene
said. “If we’re going to move Fairfield forward, we have to make sure we have
all the financial information that we need.”
Robinson said he worries the true intention of the Mt. Zion
committee is to lay the groundwork for canceling the contract.
“Before this new council came in, it was already said that
the first thing on the agenda was to tear down old projects,” Robinson said.
“It kind of seems like we’re following suit with that. If we spend two years
digging up all old stuff to make sure it’s correct, we won’t get anything
done,” Robinson added.
Bell responded that he’s heard conflicting figures about the
true cost and forming a committee will help pin down the exact figure.
“We want to settle all the questions,” Bell said.
Councilman Doug Pauley reminded Bell that the answers to
cost-related questions can be found in recordings of the various public
meetings and town halls the council held on the subject.
“I’ll tell you what’s amazing to me, except for Ms. Greene
and Mr. Roseborough, who have recently been elected, all five of us were here when
the Mt. Zion contract was done,” Pauley said. “Now we get to this point and you
don’t have a clue what was spent, what was discussed. The five of us already on
council should’ve already answered these questions.”
The Mt. Zion committee has been tasked with reporting back
to the council within 60 days.
Also during the Monday night special meeting, council
members voted 4-3 to create another ad hoc committee, this one to hire a new
county attorney.
Former county attorney Tommy Morgan is resigning effective
March 1, citing the shifting political landscape in Fairfield County following
the November election.
The Feb. 10 vote initially began as a motion for “the
council to hire the new attorney” without any additional details.
Pressed by Robinson, Gilbert and Pauley for details, Bell
said he’s looking to form a committee, which wasn’t stated in the original
motion.
Bell said he would be chairing the committee, which would
also include Councilman Trapp, and that County Administrator Jason Taylor would
serve in an advisory capacity.
The committee will interview the attorney candidates and
make a recommendation to the council.
There was no discussion of advertising the county attorney
vacancy. Rather, Bell said, “We’re thinking about reaching out to those persons
we know with the help of attorneys that we know today.”
The agenda for last week’s meeting also contained an item
regarding forming a third ad hoc committee to review census data, but action on
that item was postponed.
Bell, Greene, Roseborough vote in favor to make it happen
WINNSBORO – Following an executive session Monday night to discuss and receive
legal advice regarding the county administrator’s contract, council voted 4 – 3
to renew County Administrator Jason Taylor’s contract, but for only five
months.
Taylor
Councilman Mikel Trapp made the motion to renew the contract until June 30, 2021, end of the fiscal year. Councilwoman Shirley Greene seconded the motion.
“I think we need to give Mr. Taylor a longer time – a year,”
Councilman Douglas Pauley said. “Mr. Taylor has done a great job, and we’ve
been moving Fairfield County forward, so I would like to see it at least for a
year.”
“I have to agree Mr. Pauley,” Councilman Neil Robinson said.
“We should at least give him a year for evaluation if that’s what the new
council members want.”
“As a new council person, I think that basically, we’ve got
to have a chance to work with Mr. Taylor,” Greene said. “We’ve taken a look at
some of the legal ramifications and some of the legal points have been made,
and giving us the chance to work with Mr. Taylor and to be able to evaluate him
the way it should be done, and having some relationship with him and his work
is basically what I see as a new council person.”
Green, Council Chair Moses Bell, Trapp and new councilman Tim Roseborough voted ‘for’ the five-months of employment. Councilman Clarence Gilbert, Pauley and Robinson voted ‘against.’
A source told The Voice that the terms of the extension of
the contract were not discussed with Gilbert, Pauley and Robinson in executive
session, rather Bell asked the attorney to review Taylor’s previous evaluation,
but nothing was discussed or disclosed regarding extending his contract or
limiting his employment, the source said.
“It was a surprise to the three of us when Mr. Trapp made
the motion to renew the contract for only five months,” Robinson said.
Rumors had been circulating through the county for the last week that Taylor would be placed on administrative leave Monday night, but that rumor did not materialize.
When The Voice asked Bell for a comment following the vote,
he said, “No comoment,” several times before walking away.
“I’m totally disappointed in this,” Gilbert told The Voice
following the meeting. “Mr. Taylor has done so much for this county. He’s the
ultimate professional, easy to work with, honest. He has such vision for our
county. Why would we want to turn back our progress at this point? I would hate
to think it’s a personal vendetta. But it was planned. There was no substantive
discussion about it,” he said.
Taylor was hired in May, 2016, with a contract for $120,000
each year for a three-year term.
In July, 2018, council voted unanimously to extend Taylor’s
contract for another year and also voted to increase the period of compensation
for Taylor in the event of termination without cause to two years. Council
members also approved a 3.44 percent pay raise, increasing Taylor’s salary from
$123,997.60 to $129,297.52.
Billy Smith, council chair at that time, praised Taylor’s
performance, saying, “Jason, I think you’re doing a great job.”
Taylor came to Fairfield County from Jasper County, where he
was previously the town administrator for Ridgeland since 2002.
He also spent eight years with the S.C. Department of Social
Services and four years as Saluda County’s economic development director.
County Council Chairman Neil Robinson recently credited
Taylor for guiding the council’s directives to fruition over the last four
years.
“While much was accomplished in 2019 in Fairfield County,”
Robinson was quoted in an end of year story in The Voice, “despite the ensuing
pandemic and all the associated challenges, 2020 was a phenomenal year in
Fairfield County for economic development, jobs, infrastructure and a laundry
list of other accomplishments.
Praising Taylor for his work to turn the county around, Robinson
said, “His vision and knowledge of where we should be and how we get there
surprises me every day. In the last four years we’ve brought more than 1,000
jobs, six new industries and $70 million in investment. We’ve accomplished more
this year and last year than we have in the previous ten.”
This story which first appeared online on Tuesday, Jan. 26, has been updated.
Bender: The Meeting is Illegal and a ‘Do-Over’ is Warranted
COLUMBIA – In a meeting Monday afternoon that turned out not to be accessible to the public, the Richland County Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend rezoning a 15.14 acre parcel on Rimer Pond Road from Rural (RU) to Low Density Residential (RS-LD) for a housing development proposed by developer Kevin Steelman.
Due to COVID restrictions, the public was not allowed to
attend the meeting, nor were they able to view it virtually due to what a
county spokesperson said were technical difficulties. But the fact that the
meeting was not accessible by the public didn’t stop the commission from voting.
“While streaming did not allow for public viewing, the
meeting was recorded and all efforts will be made to have the
audio of the meeting…placed on the county’s YouTube channel,” Geonardo Price,
manager over zoning for the county, said following the meeting in a texted
comment to The Voice via Stephen Gilchrist, chairman of the planning
commission.
At press time on Wednesday, the audio had not yet been made
available to the public.
While the inaccessible meeting may satisfy Richland County
officials, Bill Rogers, Executive Director of the S.C. Press Association, said
it sounds like an illegal meeting.
“If the public doesn’t have access to the meeting, then
posting the audio later would not solve that problem,” Rogers said.
“The public has to somehow have access to the meeting at the
time it is happening. They must be allowed to either be present or have access
online,” Rogers said. “If not, the county has two problems. If anyone wanted to
challenge that vote, they’d probably win. Another problem is that it dilutes
public confidence in the government.”
Media attorney Jay Bender, who represents the S. C. Press
Association, said the meeting should be rescheduled and the rezoning request
re-voted.
“If the public had no access because the doors were locked
or the technology failed, I believe the meeting was in violation of the law,”
Bender said. “The FOIA says all meetings shall be public. If there is no
contemporaneous public access, the meeting is not public. A ‘do over’ is
warranted.”
Price told The Voice on Tuesday that the county does not
plan to re-do the meeting.
He said the process will move forward to the next regularly
scheduled meeting which will be the zoning public hearing to be held in county
council chambers via zoom at 7 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 17. At that meeting, county
council members will take the first of three votes on the rezoning request.
Residents can submit written comments to council that will be read into the
record by a county employee. Those
comments must be emailed to planningcommission@richlandcountysc.gov It is the
only other meeting concerning the rezoning where the public will be allowed to
have input.
While some residents along Rimer Pond Road have spoken out
against more residential development along the road, many say the more
worrisome issue is that there are already two large neighborhoods exiting onto
the two-lane Rimer Pond Road within a stone’s throw from where the road
intersects with Highway 21.
“Traffic is a nightmare now at drive time,” Rimer Pond Road
resident Trey Hair said. “The line of traffic sometimes backs up on Rimer Pond
Road from Highway 21 for almost a mile. What will it be like when traffic from
the additional 1,000 or so Great Southern Homes neighborhood and the 40 homes
from the new neighborhood also enter onto Rimer Pond Road in the mornings?
Traffic will be at a standstill. Council needs to solve the traffic congestion
problem in that area before it creates more traffic,” Hair said. “But since we
couldn’t hear the meeting, we don’t know if they addressed the issue or not. We
were told that they unanimously voted to recommend the rezoning.”
Information about the meeting is listed on signs posted at
167 Rimer Pond Road. The signs were reposted on Wednesday by the county to be
more visible.
A packet of complete information about the rezoning can be
requested from Richland County Planning and Zoning at 803-576-2172.
Written comments must be received by county council
(planningcommission@richlandcountysc.gov) on or before Wednesday, Dec. 16.
Rene Green defeats 2-term school board incumbent Paula Hartman.
WINNSBORO – Fairfield County voters changed the balance of power of the county government Tuesday night, turning out two of three county council incumbents.
Voters also narrowly rejected the capital project sales tax referendum (Penny Tax) with a 4,758 to 4,438 vote. The tax had been placed on the ballot to raise additional funds to pay for a proposed $32 million wastewater treatment plant.
With a razor thin margin of 6 votes, challenger Shirley
Greene, with 956 votes, defeated District 2 County Councilman Jimmy Ray Douglas
with 950 votes. Director of Fairfield County Voter Registration Debby Stidham
said the less than one percent difference in the two vote totals will trigger
an automatic recount which will be conducted on Friday. There are also 30
provisional votes that will be looked at by the county’s election commission on
Friday as well.
In County Council District 4, former county employee Tim Roseborough
defeated District 4 Councilwoman Bertha Goins with 796 votes to Goins’ 539.
Cynthia Parnell-Rivers received 401 votes, and there were 19 write-in votes.
County Council Chairman Neil Robinson (District 6) easily retained his seat by defeating challenger Bob Prather in a landslide vote of 836 to 297. There were 89 write-in votes.
Senator Mike Fanning (D), with 7,550 votes defeated
challenger Erin Mosley (R) with 4,472 votes.
Annie McDaniel (D) retained her seat in House District 41
with 7,458 votes to challenger Jennifer Brecheisen (R) with 4,566. Eleven
write-in votes were cast.
School board trustee incumbent Joe Seibles fended off
challenger Carrie Suber-O’Neal in a 1,112 to 600 vote. There were five
write-ins votes.
Two-term school board trustee incumbent representing
District 2, Paula Hartman was defeated by challenger Rene Green 1,045 to 716.
There were 8 write-in votes.
In other local races, Fairfield County Sheriff Will
Montgomery (D), with 9,830 votes, defeated Ed Eddie Jenkins with 1,854. There
were 42 write-in votes.
Fairfield Clerk of Court Judy Bonds (D), unchallenged, took
10,905 votes over 114 write-in votes.
Fairfield County Coroner Chris Hill (D) was unchallenged and
received 10,891 votes. There were 101 write-in votes.
According to voter registrations officials, there was an
unprecedented 70+ percent turnout for all county races.
The results are preliminary and will be certified on Friday
at 10 a.m. in the Voter Registration office.
An updated story will appear in the Thursday issue of The
Voice.
The Voice has provided space for each of the local candidates to talk about their candidacy, and here is what they had to say. These comments are unedited.
Erin Mosley, SC Senate Dist. 17 Candidate
Mosely
My name is Erin Mosley and I am the Republican candidate for SC Senate District 17. I am a lifelong conservative Republican and believe in accountability, transparency, trust and integrity in all elected officials. I believe in limited government, less taxation, school choice and being a voice you can trust for all citizens of District 17.
I am pro life, pro law enforcement, pro education, and pro
veterans issues. We need representation
at the state level to defend life. We
should always support the precious gift of life and continue to be a voice for
the voiceless.
Law enforcement officers are vitally important to the
preservation of our communities in maintaining safety and building
relationships with citizens. I would not
support defunding the police. I will
always support our law enforcement across South Carolina.
I believe in all avenues of the education system. I believe that parents should always be able
to decide where their child should attend school. Parents should always have the choice to
ensure their child’s educational success no matter if it is a virtual, private,
charter or public school. I am the
daughter of a Vietnam Veteran, my dad served 2 tours in Vietnam and was a
Purple Heart recipient. We owe every
liberty and freedom we have to our veterans. They will always have my
attention, support and I look forward to better meeting the needs of our
veterans.
I am a resident of Chester County and graduated from
Lewisville High School in 1994. I went
directly into the workforce from high school and soon after graduated from
Cosmetology school. I worked as a hair
stylist until my husband and I started a family. I am founding member of the Progressive
Association of Chester County Communities a non-profit 501 (c)3 that serves all
of Chester County communities. There I
served as secretary, board member, and now the current president until
2021. In 2016, I became Chairman of the
Chester County Republican Party. In
2018, I was appointed to the Chester County Zoning Board of Appeals. One of my favorite quotes is, “If we ever
forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under,”
by Ronald Reagan.
I would appreciate your vote and I look forward to serving
District 17.
Senator Mike Fanning, District 17 Incumbent, did not submit any comments.
Annie E. McDaniel, SC House Dist. 41 Incumbent
McDaniel
I know District 41 and will fight tirelessly for it because I have lived here virtually all of my life. I am a lifelong resident of Fairfield County and have been educated by our public schools. I am a proud alumna of the University of South Carolina (UofSC) where I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, major in Accounting. I later returned to UofSC and graduated with a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and completed two Ph.D. level education administration courses in Finance.
I served 18 years on the Fairfield County School Board which
provided awesome preparation for my next journey.
In November of 2018, I was elected to the SC General Assembly
to represent District 41. My 2018 bid was historic because I became the first
African American since reconstruction, and the only African American woman to
ever hold this seat and represent District 41. Our destiny as a State and
District are truly tied together as one and I am committed to ensuring that our
destiny is bright!
Noteworthy accomplishments include: first freshman
legislator to get a bill passed (E-Rate expansion) and my appointment as the SC
State Director for the National Women in Government Organization. I proudly serve on the Medical, Military,
Public, and Municipal Affairs Committee and COVID-19 Employment, Workforce and
Business Recovery Committee. Endorsements
include: SC Education PAC Council, Planned Parenthood, AFL-CIO, Realtors
Association and Care in Action. I have
written several press releases, the latest was published in The State Newspaper
“On Health Care Training” which emphasizes the need for the state to offer free
or reduced education cost for Health Care New Hires and Health Care
Education. I assisted constituents with
various matters due to the Pandemic. I
awarded scholarships to assist students with pursing their educational goals. I was the first to expose House District 41
to the Food Boxes. Please contact me to
discuss additional accomplishments or other issues.
I assisted with exposing House District 41 in many ways, to
include representation and state and national conferences and conventions and
ensuring that several of the Presidential Candidates visited SC. The Lt. Governor and I have worked on several
projects to benefit House District 41 and the State.
I am proud of the work I have accomplished thus far and am
dedicated to continuing to fight for you and your families. I would be honored to receive your support on
November 3rd.
Jennifer Brecheisen, House Dist. 41 Candidate
Jennifer Brecheisen
I am an artist, a mother, and a Christian-not a politician. I am running, because in this time of uncertainty we need people in office that know the needs, fears, and struggles of the working class in SC. I believe a Congresswoman should be humble but also assertive and bold to be able to fight for her constituents. My slogan is Progress the Right Way – that means we need a foundation as a starting point from which to progress. That foundation is our Constitution. I believe taxes should be low, we should feel safe, our children should have good educations, and we should have the infrastructure in place to be able to live our very own American Dream right here in SC.
I would like to lead District 41 and South Carolina to
freedom. My plan to achieve this is very
specific. Here are just a few points
within that plan.
Introduce legislation to ban all city and statewide mask
mandates. As a person with Lupus, RA,
and Sjogren’s Syndrome, I understand the fears of those with compromised immune
systems. I believe anyone that feels they need a mask for protection should be
able to wear them. I also know there are
people with health issues that prevent them from wearing masks; therefore, I
believe South Carolinians should have medical freedom to choose what’s best for
them.
Reduce Crime by restoring Constitutional Carry to SC. Our 2nd amendment is paramount to being able
to protect ourselves not only from criminals, but also from any dictatorial
regime and even our own government. In
SC the violent crime rate is 4.9 which is much higher than the national average
of 3.7. By definition, a criminal won’t follow the law, but they WILL practice
self-preservation. They will be less
likely to offend if they know their own life is at stake.
Work to ensure each school district has an in person 5 day
per week option and introduce legislation to let you put your child’s
educational money where you want it. You
do not need any group indoctrinating your children with values you don’t agree
with no matter what side of the political spectrum you are on.
Liberty can ONLY be protected by we the people. No one
should be dictating to us whether we can breathe or protect ourselves. We don’t want the government in our lives,
our wallets, or our children’s minds.
Will Montgomery, Sheriff Incumbent
Will Montgomery
In the time that I’ve served as the Sheriff of Fairfield County we’ve made many positive changes to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Fairfield County. Some of our accomplishments from the past 6 years are listed below.
Crime rate is down.
Drug arrest are up.
We’re more involved with our communities.
We’ve added 6 new School Resource Officers.
More training available to all employees.
More deputies on patrol in our communities.
Updated technology.
Added a Gang Task Force.
Added a K-9 position.
We’ve built stronger relationships with other agencies. (Local, State and Federal)
A complete fitness gym to help keep employees in good physical shape.
We reorganized our rank structure to improve order in our chain of command.
We reorganized all call signs to improve communications.
We improved our communications with our citizens with social media and the use of Reverse 911.
We’re one of the first law enforcement agencies in the United States to issue body cameras to all of the deputies on patrol.
We’ve improved the way we investigate all internal complaints.
We’ve built a good relationship with all media outlets.
Open door policy in place to improve availability.
More community meetings conducted across the county.
A good working relationship with our County Council.
We’ve received over $1.5 million dollars from grants. (Equipment and training)
Pay increases and added benefits for all employees.
Church security program.
Citizen’s Advisory Committee.
Security check program.
New evidence room.
We’ve never gone over budget to make these changes.
These are just a few of our accomplishments in the past 6
years, and I look forward to continuing our progress in the right direction for
the future of our County.
Thanks to all of my supporters for making this possible
.Please Vote November 3, for proven leadership and a Sheriff that is familiar
with our County.
Ed “Eddie” Jenkins, Sheriff Candidate
Ed Jenkins
Our communities deserve to have the best minds and manpower as well as equipment to protect and serve Fairfield County, and to take back our communities from crime! As your Sheriff, I will see to it that this becomes a reality.
Sheriff William Montgomery recently stated on social media
that crime in Fairfield County is low, but I beg to differ. Since that statement, we all know that many
of our communities have experienced shootings and have been terrorized by violent
individuals who are taking over and destroying what Fairfield County truly
stands for.
In fact, over the course of six (6) years, Fairfield County
has been heavy plagued with multiple gun violence incidents in which people
were wounded and/or killed: Within the
last few months, there was a shooting at the Deerwood Apartments, which lead to
another gun victim, threats of gun violence occurred at the Element Industrial
Plant and two recent shootings caused mayhem in the Greenbrier and Ridgeway
areas. In addition, in speaking with
concerned citizens, I found that there have been several gun violence incidents
that resulted in unsolved murder cases and did not make it through Grand Jury
because of the lack of evidence.
As your sheriff, I will provide swift response and thorough
investigations of all crimes. We need a
sheriff who is assertive and will always exert strong leadership!
In speaking with many individuals and through close
observations, I discovered that there are no programs in place in Fairfield
County to prevent rising gun violence.
Therefore, my goal is to formulate an effective plan to reduce gun
violence throughout our county.
Sheriff William Montgomery has failed us! He has not
established a partnership with our communities and that is why violent
encounters have occurred rapidly during his six years as Sheriff of Fairfield
County. Community policing tactics are not effective because many of the
citizens, particularly our youths, either fear or have no respect for the
deputies. I want to remind the Fairfield
County citizens that we did not have all these acts of gun violence during
former Sheriff Herman Young’s era.
Sheriff Montgomery stated that he added a Gang Task Force,
but citizens feel that our youths are heavily involved in gang activities and
recent shootings are gang related. Local
news sources and citizens insist that no arrest has occurred.
As your Sheriff, I will partnership with the community to
implement an effective plan that will focus on youth violence prevention.
Vote for ED “Eddie” Jenkins for Sheriff of Fairfield County
on Nov. 3, 2020
Paula Meisner Hartman, FCSD District 2 Trustee Incumbent
Paula Hartman
It has been my privilege to serve on the Fairfield County School District Board of Trustees for eight years. It has been a challenging, fulfilling experience. I first ran for the board in 2012, out of my love for children and this county and to help the school district be the best it can be.
Today, I am running for a third term with those same goals
but with a broader understanding of my role and responsibilities as a member of
the board.
The ultimate job of the school district, of course, is to
provide a quality education for our children, to provide the rigorous
instruction that will give them the tools to be successful – to be college, job
or military ready.
It has been my personal goal as a board member to make
careful suggestions that are right for the students, the district and the
community – suggestions that will guide the district in the right direction,
even when I stand alone.
While I have a degree in child development from the
University of South Carolina and have continued my education in dyslexia, ADD
and ADHD, I am not an educational expert. But my education, my willingness to
learn, my experience on the board and as a parent and grandparent gives me the
ability to research and draw on knowledgeable sources to reach sound decisions.
I have lived in Ridgeway most of my life and enjoy serving
my community. I know my constituents, and I know they expect not only a
well-run school district, but one that is also transparent and responsive to
the community. Our school district is one of the most financially blessed
school districts in all of South Carolina. But we must always strive to make
the most of our financial blessings in order to help our students succeed.
While my basic role on the board is to help set the school’s
vision, implement policy, oversee the budget and hire and evaluate the
superintendent, my overall goal is our students’ success, real success, now and
for the rest of their lives – that’s what every parent wants for their child.
As a board member,
honesty, openness and ensuring our students’ success have been a hallmark of my
service. I ask for your vote on or before Nov. 3 so that I might continue to
represent District 2 on the FCSD Board of Trustees.
J. Renee Green, FCSD District 2 Trustee Candidate
J. Renee Green
My name is J. Renee Green. I am running for the School Board of Fairfield County. I am a lifelong educator, with over 35 years of classroom teaching experience; the majority of that teaching experience has been within Fairfield County School District. Education is, without question, my passion and purpose. It is my goal to bring this passion and knowledge to the Fairfield County School Board.
I have been blessed to walk in my purpose as a Special
Education teacher here in Fairfield County. For over 30 years, I have educated,
embraced, and advocated for every child entrusted to my care. I understand what
educators and school personnel need to be successful. I also understand the
importance experience plays in making sound decisions that will help grow every
child that walks through the doors of Fairfield County Schools. My experience
will also play an important role in making sound decisions that help educators
teach, help alleviate some of the stress they may feel, and help promote love
walking into our school buildings every day!
As a classroom teacher, I realize the importance of
representation. Not only will I represent and speak for educators, I will also
represent and speak for parents. Both of my children are products of Fairfield
County Schools, so I have the unique experience of being both a teacher and
parent in Fairfield County Schools. This knowledge and experience will serve as
a guiding light for practices that are in the best interest of our children,
parents, educators, and staff.
In addition to being a public school educator for over 30
years in Fairfield County, I am also highly active in the community. A few of
the community and school-based activities I am or have been involved in
include, but are not limited to, coordinator for the Special Olympics (10+
years), advisor for the Fairfield County Youth Council of the NAACP (5+ years),
volunteer at Lake Wateree Dutchman Creek Fire Department, coordinator for the
Recycling Initiative, trainer for Fairfield County School-Wide Discipline
Initiative, advisor for the Teen Institute, and job coach for students with
disabilities.
As a Fairfield County School Board Trustee, I will help
ensure all students are prepared to transition to their next level of learning.
I will be accessible to the public and continue to bring first-hand experience,
positivity, and teamwork to our district! Together WE succeed!
Joe Seibles, FCSD District 4 Trustee Candidate
Joe Seibles
As a lifelong resident of Fairfield County, a product of Fairfield County School District schools, and a retired educator and school administrator, I love my community. I am also a parent of three Fairfield County graduates and a grandparent of three current students in the district. I will provide relevance to the board from an educator and a parental perspective. I am running for Fairfield County School District School Board because I care about our students, teachers, bus drivers, custodians, food service workers, resource officers and all the people who make up our schools in Fairfield. I want to give them the support they deserve, and I want our community to have a voice in our schools.
I want to let each voter know that their vote matters. I would like to have your vote because I believe
that I can help improve the quality of education for our residents. My primary focus would be to work on programs
that would benefit all students.
I would greatly appreciate your vote on or before November
3rd.
Carrie Suber, FCSD District 4 Candidate, did not submit any comments.
WINNSBORO – An important local question is on the ballot this year in Fairfield County: a proposed penny sales tax, earmarked to fund a much-needed wastewater treatment plant.
If it’s not approved, county officials say, that will mean
other, typically less popular, sources of revenue will have to be used to fund
the plant – for example, a property tax increase, a sewer rate increase, and
potentially cuts in services like public safety.
The county has purchased the land and is moving forward with
the project. It’s up to the voters in Fairfield County to decide whether to
impose the new sales tax or use one or more of the other funding sources
instead.
County officials held an information meeting Tuesday evening to answer questions about the wastewater treatment plant project and the penny tax question on the Nov. 3 ballot. They answered questions from the public during the virtual town hall meeting, which was held via Zoom.
“The wastewater treatment plant is a need, not a want,” Fairfield County Economic Development Director Ty Daven port said, explaining that Fairfield County is nearly at capacity with its current wastewater treatment capabilities, making further development in the county a near impossibility without adding more capacity.
Part of understanding the current plan for adding sewer
capacity means recognizing how much has changed since the failed nuclear plant
project – once viewed as an economic savior for the revenue infusion it was
expected to provide – fell apart.
In some ways, it means a different future than was
anticipated five years ago, when the previous county council and administrator
put together a 50-year plan.
“When you do things, you have to do them in the context of
your times, and at that time I think they were confident that the nuclear plant
would be built, and that they would have enough money to essentially put in the
lines and hook to Richland County or Columbia,” Fairfield County Administrator
Jason Taylor said in response to a question about the county’s departure from
that plan.
“It was not going to be that we would have a [wastewater
treatment] system here in Fairfield County,” he said.
But in the current reality, Taylor said, not only would the
county lose autonomy by being dependent on Columbia’s wastewater systems, but
the fees and costs involved would be too high. Without a new infusion of
nuclear plant revenue to fund its infrastructure needs, the county has had to
come up with a new plan.
Finding a good site for a wastewater treatment plant was a challenge, county officials have said. But after an extensive site search and negotiations with the landowner, Fairfield officials settled on the site that they just purchased, which is located on Cedar Creek near Interstate 77’s Exit 32.
It had to be located on a stream large enough to discharge
the treated wastewater, and also close to industrial development areas.
Pumping it to the Broad River would cost more than double
the current plan, Davenport said, in response to a viewer’s question about the
options considered for the project. Also, neighboring Richland County took a
position against Fairfield’s proposed plant.
“The reasoning they gave was that Richland County currently
operates a wastewater treatment plant on the Broad River that has been
allocated a certain amount of discharge. And I guess pollutants in the
discharge… are at their max,” Davenport said.
“And if we’re allowed to discharge into the Broad River,
then they’ll have to spend more money, basically, to reduce the amount of
pollution that they’re putting into the Broad. So, it affects their budget.”
Bill Bingham, owner of American Consulting Engineers, the
engineering firm hired by the county, talked through some of the details of
Fairfield’s new plant.
“The current proposal, as it stands right now, is for a
membrane bioreactor wastewater treatment facility. What this means is basically
that it is a tertiary, which is the highest level of treatment we have in
wastewater. It basically meets a Class I reliability standard, which means you
have full redundancy so that if one component goes bad, there’s another
component to take its place,” Bingham said.
“MBR technology is basically a very fine filter… This is a
biological plant, which removes the waste using special bugs to eat the waste,
but then you’ve got to filter those out, and the membranes provide the filter,
and what results is a water that is near drinking water quality.”
He said the plant will also come with an odor control system
so that it does not emit an odor to surrounding areas.
In response to a question about the potential for
contamination of Cedar Creek, Bingham’s brother Bill, also with the company,
made a familiar comparison: “Much like you have a nuclear plant here in
Fairfield County and that nuclear plant has redundancy, that means there are
multiple systems. If one fails… there’s backups to backups.”
In response to a question about current infrastructure,
Taylor said the construction of this new plant will free up capacity in the
existing system, allowing for expansion in the town of Winnsboro using current
wastewater capacity – and touted the importance of local partnerships.
In addition to the town of Winnsboro, the county also has
partnerships with the town of Blythewood, which is considering purchasing 60
acres of the site to build a sports complex on land adjacent to the sewer plant
site, and the state, which has helped with the purchase of a mega-site for
future industrial development and is helping with the sewer plant project as
well.
County officials’ overall vision for the site goes beyond
adding sewer capacity for current needs and is focused on the big-picture
economic development of Fairfield County.
In addition to the mega-site, county officials also hope to
see commercial and industrial development take off around Exit 32 with the
addition of new wastewater capacity.
“We have ample natural gas, we have ample electricity, we
have great highway access off of I-77, we’re close to an international airport
and we’ve got a large labor pool to pull from,” Davenport said. “So, we are in
a good – a great position, really. We just do not have the sewer capacity to
maximize our potential.”
The county has done well with industrial announcements in
recent months, Davenport said, and a big announcement was made this week
Oldcastle APG is coming to Fairfield County and will make use of some of the
remaining capacity.
“If we do not add capacity and we have one medium-sized
industrial user come online, we will have no more capacity left and we will be
in a moratorium situation, will be shut down as far as our recruitment of new
industry, as well as our existing companies – they won’t be able to expand,” he
said. “It is a critical situation, a critical need we have. We really do have
to move forward.”
But his hope is that the project, which has a construction
timeline of 24 to 30 months, will do more for Fairfield County than just meet
immediate development needs; his hope is that it will facilitate the kind of
development that reverses a 50-year trend of population loss by providing opportunity
for the county’s young people.
“We purchased a 1,200-acre mega-site located on I-77,”
Davenport said. “We need to allocate between 500,000 and a million gallons per
day for that site so we can be successful in recruiting a larger employer. It
will possibly be a large facility that is going to be kind of a game-changer
for the county, and it’s critical that we keep moving forward.”
In the big picture, he said, while building wastewater
infrastructure comes with a price tag now, the private industrial and
commercial development that this investment makes possible will generate not
only enough revenue to cover the cost of infrastructure, but to potentially
reduce property taxes and increase services throughout the county.
The penny sales tax is a common means of funding capital
projects in South Carolina and is used by 43 of the 46 counties in the state,
including Richland, Davenport said. Some basic necessities, including food and
medicine, are exempt from the tax.
“The good thing about the Penny sales tax is that it does
not single out property owners, it is an alternative to property tax,” Taylor
said. “It has the added benefit [that] non-residents – not just residents – and
visitors would also pay.”
Also, the revenue from the tax is tied to a specific project
– in this case a sewer plant and its associated infrastructure – and cannot be
used for anything else. So, if voters decide to impose the tax Nov. 3, they
will be designating the money for this project only.
Asked about the impact of the tax on the average person,
Taylor summed it up this way: “Basically, if you spend $1,000, you’re going to
spend $1,010. It’ll impact you $10. And again, it will impact those outside of
the county who spend money here, and in that respect it’ll be transferred in.”
