Category: Government

Teens Released to Custody of their Parents

BLYTHEWOOD – When fights broke out among a large group of teens at the Town’s Movies in the Park event last Saturday night, April 26, four juveniles – at least two of whom were females, according to town hall sources – were charged with Breach of Peace and Affray (fighting in a public place), but not arrested. According to the Sheriff’s Department, the teens were released to their parents.

“All of the subjects are juveniles and because of their ages they were not arrested,” Richland County PIO Jennifer Spurrier stated in an email to The Voice. “Instead, deputies filed Petitions to Family Court to charge them.  Many laws have age limits to where law enforcement cannot arrest the juvenile but instead will file a petition with the Family Court effectively “charging” the juvenile with a crime,” Spurrier stated.

According to the Guide to Juvenile Court in South Carolina, published online by the University of South Carolina Children’s Law Center, juveniles are not arrested. Instead, petitions are filed with the family court where it is determined whether the allegations in the petition are true beyond a reasonable doubt. The case is either dismissed with a finding of not guilty or a predisposition evaluation is required (unless the juvenile receives probation) in which case a judge decides the outcome for the charges.

It is the fourth incident since last summer in the town that resulted in teen fighting, arrests, charges, shootings, or injuries. 

Teen fights resulting in injuries and arrests erupted during the annual July 3rd fireworks celebration in Doko Park last summer. Teen fighting terrified moviegoers at the March 22 Movies in the Park event. And 60+ rounds of gunfire resulted in a person being shot and five arrests when, according to Sheriff Leon Lott, 200 teens swarmed downtown Blythewood on April 5.

While council members were divided on whether to cancel the April 26 Movies in the Park event, Blythewood Mayor Sloan Griffin posted the following statement on the Town’s Facebook page last week prior to Saturday’s event.

“As we prepare for the April 26 ‘Movies in the Park’ event at Doko Meadows Park, I want to take a moment to emphasize that your safety and peace of mind remain our top priorities,” Griffin posted on Facebook. “In partnership with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, we are implementing enhanced security protocols to ensure a family-friendly and secure environment for all who attend.”

With patrol cars on site and several deputies in the area where large groups of teens were congregating, the fights broke out within 15 minutes after the start of the movie. Terrified parents ran from the park with their tots in tow. Councilwoman Erica Page ordered the movie shut down.

Those charged “were detained and questioned on the incident that occurred.” the Sheriff’s report stated. “It is very unclear what caused the fight but [redaction] mentioned that [redaction] and her friends jumped her out of nowhere and she was not even there to fight but to watch the movie.”

Two other teens were also charged.

“Me and the other deputies that were there was (sic) able to detain two suspects that had a (sic) involvement in the incident [redaction] where both were detained and questioned [redaction] were not [there to] fight one another, they just happened to be the ones that got caught in the same area due to their friends knowing one another,” a second report stated. “No story was made clear on why the fight took place or any information on how the parties knew each other,” the report stated.

During a regularly scheduled town council meeting Monday night, the issue was not on the mayor’s agenda.

Near the end of the meeting Councilman Rich McKenrick asked that it be discussed and that council go ahead and vote to shut down the Movies in the Park, the Rocking Red, White, and Blue July 4 fireworks event, and the Juneteenth event for the safety of the community until the town events could be made safe. Griffin suggested moving such a discussion and vote to a later date. Council decided on May 19 at The Manor at 6 p.m.

The issue was on the agenda for the Wednesday, April 30 special called budget meeting that was held shortly after The Voice went to press. Read about that meeting here.

BLYTHEWOOD – Rezoning re­quests for three large-acre Bly­thewood 29016 properties will come before the Richland County Council for a public hearing on Tuesday, March 25. The first of three required votes on the re­zoning will be taken at that meet­ing. Of the three required meet­ings, this March 25 meeting is the only one where the public will be allowed to speak for or against the proposed rezonings.

Commercial Zoning

Applicant DuBose Williamson is requesting the rezoning of a 14.03-acre property at the in­tersection of Wilson Blvd. and Turkey Farm Road where the de­veloper proposes to bring com­mercial and retail businesses. Williamson is asking county council to approve the rezoning from HM/RT (Homestead/Res­idential Transition) to GC (Gen­eral Commercial) which allows commercial and retail develop­ment on the site.

The county’s planning staff and  the planning commission both recommended against the rezon­ing.

Four Blythewood residents spoke out against the rezoning at the Feb. 3 planning commission meeting.

“The water from this particular property is going to hit Hawkins Creek watershed,” said nearby resident Jeanette Robinson. “My property is at the end of this watershed and every time a development is approved on this watershed, my property gets hammered. It is being severely damaged. I have begged this county to stop the nonsense.”

Robinson said there is a conservation easement just above her property and that the drainage from the watershed drains through that conservation.

“That conservation easement was put there to preserve,” she told council members. “Richland County is not doing a good job preserving. The county does not have sufficient infrastructure to accommodate the traffic from this proposed development. I don’t know when the county is going to look at its infrastructure instead of just rubberstamping everything,” Robinson said.

The Planning Commission voted 5-2 against recommending the requested GC rezoning to council, who will hear the proposal on March 25.

100’s of Homes

Representative for the developer, consultant Brandon Pridemore, appearing before the Richland County planning commission on Feb. 3, requested that a 198.84-acre property at 800 Mount Valley Road combined with a 64.84 acre property at 812 Mount Valley Road be rezoned from AG (Agriculture) to R3 (Residential 3). The developer proposes to build 600 single-family homes on the two properties.

The 2015 Richland County Comprehensive Plan for the two large-acre parcels at 800 and 812 Mount Valley Road designates this area as Neighborhood (low density). The county’s planning staff concluded that these properties should not be rezoned from AG (Agriculture) to R3 (Residential 3) because R3 zoning is not compliant with the objectives for Neighborhood (low density) zoning.

While the applicant conceded that the requested R3 zoning does not comply with the comprehensive plan, he said he’s looking at the big picture of what’s happening in that area with Scout’s arrival.

“These properties are within half a mile of Scout and we felt this would be a good opportunity to supplement the housing needs that will probably be coming with Scout,” Pridemore has not been clear about the number of units per acre the developer plans to build but says it will be relatively low density. What we’re building will be complimentary to what’s there.”

Mount Valley resident Mark Johnson and other neighbors agreed that a lot of development and expansion is going on because of Scout.

“But a lot of us that live here don’t want that additional traffic and neighborhoods,” Johnston said. “These two parcels are fed by dirt roads and most homes in the area sit on 3-5 acres. We enjoy the rural, the woods, and the animals.”

Johnson pushed back against what Pridemore said would amount to low density development, noting that R3 zoning allows the developer to build up to 6 homes to the acre and 1,800 homes for the entire development.

The planning commission agreed with the residents, voting 6-1 for disapproval of the proposed rezoning of both Mount Valley parcels.

To speak for or against the rezoning requests, citizens should arrive about 15 minutes early to sign up to address council. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 25, in Columbia at 2020 Hampton Street, in county council chambers.

WINNSBORO – During the Feb. 17 Fairfield County Council meeting, Fairfield County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Brad Douglas said the Sheriff’s Office is already working on its budget for fiscal year 2025-26, and that he has serious concerns as to whether the department can safely sustain its services in the county until the new budget year begins July 1, 2025.

Critical Situation

“We’re in a critical situation with our vehicles,” Douglas told council members. “We’ve had to rent vehicles because we had no available spares. We’ve had situations arise where on-call officers’ vehicles broke down when they were responding to scenes. In one particular instance, an investigator – who’s assigned vehicle had previously broken down, leaving him stranded on the side of the road – was responding to a call of a deceased person when the spare vehicle he was driving also broke down, again leaving him stranded. An off-duty investigator had to be called in to respond.”

 “Officer safety is a real concern for us,” Sheriff Will Montgomery said. “I want to make sure that we are putting our deputies in vehicles that allow them to do their jobs safely and efficiently. Our responsibility is to provide the law enforcement services to our citizens that they deserve, and to provide effective public safety for the entire county. We need safe and dependable vehicles to do that and, right now, we don’t have that.”

Douglas said the department has been low on vehicles for two-and-a-half years.

“During that time, we were also down over 15 deputies – over 25 percent of our department’s manpower – so the lack of vehicles was not as impactful then since we didn’t have the deputies to drive them,” Douglas said.

Now that the department is almost fully staffed, Douglas said the full effects of its vehicle crisis is being felt.

“We recently secured an SRO grant for three SRO vehicles which has freed up three older marked patrol cars that we can add to our patrol fleet, but that really doesn’t put a dent in our aging fleet,” he said.

High Mileage, Aged Vehicles

Going into detail, Douglas said that 48 patrol cars – not including spares – have over 100,000 miles; 14 of those have over 150,000 miles; and four of those have over 200,000 miles. Douglas said twenty-six of these vehicles are 10-15 years old.

“All of these vehicles are driven every day and present a number of serious safety hazards,” Douglas said. “High mileage vehicles are more prone to engine, brake, and transmission failure which can compromise the vehicles’ performance during emergency response situations.

“And these high miles are not normal high miles. They’re much harder miles and take an unnatural toll on the vehicles,” he said. “These miles are run up under heavy and stressful use, sometimes at high speeds over prolonged shifts.”

Douglas pointed out that these are actually the department’s better vehicles.

“Our specialized unit vehicles – criminal Investigations, civil process/Court security, narcotics, etc. – are in even worse condition,” he said. “Some have over 200,000 miles, with most falling into the 150,000+ miles range.

“We have historically had a pool of spare vehicles with 4WD capabilities for severe weather events when our deputies are often responsible for transporting essential personnel –  911 dispatchers, Board of Disabilities staff, nursing home staff, etc – if they are unable to get to their places of work,” Douglas said.

He said the department’s ability to transport these personnel was significantly compromised during the recent cold weather events.

“We had to rely on overtime to get those few deputies – whose vehicles are equipped with 4WD – to assist in providing these services.”

High Cost of Repairs

Douglas said older, high mileage vehicles lead to more repairs.

“We’ve already gone well over our vehicle maintenance budget this year just to keep our deputies in running vehicles,” he said. “This past year, we’ve put new transmissions in several vehicles that are over 10 years old, and we’ve put new engines in even older cars.”

Douglas said the department is going to have to paint some of its vehicles that are over 10 years old because, he said, “they are embarrassingly unprofessional looking.”

“This is glaringly evident when we work with neighboring agencies,” he said.

With a sustained call volume and increasing responsibilities, Douglas said the department’s work load is only going to get heavier and the need for reliable vehicles greater.

A Better Option

“Over the last five fiscal years, we’ve received 18 new vehicles (excluding grant-funded vehicles and replaced wrecked vehicles), that’s an average of 3.3 new vehicles per year.

“Continuing this trend has us retiring our vehicles at approximately 15 years of age. If the county continues to purchase vehicles the way that we always have, we will continue to live on the edge of these vehicles’ capabilities by running them until they literally fall apart,” Douglas said. “We will always be in this crisis and without the ability to properly protect our citizens.

“There’s a much better option that we hope the county will consider,” he said. “We’ve identified a leasing program that many agencies (big and small) are going to. This is a system that ensures that safe, dependable, and professional-looking vehicles are always in service. While initial costs are slightly higher, these programs demonstrate that they effectively offset these costs through far fewer maintenance costs/issues and higher resale values which we receive credit for.

“We would love to have an opportunity to have a leasing vendor give a presentation for county council and the administration to consider,” Douglas said.

Only Council members Don Goldbach and Peggy Swearingen had input and asked questions concerning the leasing program. After they spoke, Council Chair Clarence Gilbert said he would be willing to sit down and discuss the department’s vehicle needs.

 Settlement Ends Approximately $1M in Payouts and Legal Fees

BLYTHEWOOD – The last of two lawsuits filed by Ashley Hunter, CEO of MPA Strategies LLC, against the Town of Blythewood has been settled, all but closing the door on the Town’s almost four-year soap opera that one columnist described as the Town “making a mountain of public debt out of a molehill of personal spite.” 

Another lawsuit filed by Hunter and a countersuit filed by the Town against Hunter had already been settled. 

How It All Started

The most protracted and expensive legal battle in the Town’s history set sail on Feb. 22, 2021, after town council voted 3-2 to contract with MPA Strategies LLC instead of the Greater Blythewood Chamber of Commerce to provide marketing services and grant writing for the Town. 

Mayor Bryan Franklin, who cast one of the two losing votes, and the Chamber leadership, which lost the bid for the contract, sallied forth in an almost four-year effort to bring Hunter, and those they accused of conspiring with her, to their knees. 

During those years, Councilman Donald Brock, The Voice publisher Barbara Ball, and to some extent, then-Councilman Sloan Griffin – Hunter’s alleged co-conspirators – suffered a steady barrage of unsubstantiated accusations, withering public tirades, and myriad other attempts by some members of the Town and Chamber leadership to intimidate. 

Defamation Settlement

According to the settlement agreement, signed Dec. 20, 2024, the South Carolina Municipal Insurance and Risk Financing Fund, on behalf of the Town of Blythewood, agreed to pay $122,000 to Hunter in exchange for releasing the Town, its elected officials and employees from all claims concerning a defamation lawsuit Hunter filed against Franklin in January, 2023.

The settlement included a further stipulation that the Town of Blythewood re-issue (to Hunter) a check in the amount of $6,400, which had been tendered to MPA Strategies, LLC in August of 2021, for work Hunter had performed for the Town. That check was never negotiated because the Town placed it into escrow after it abruptly terminated Hunter’s contract on Aug. 28, 2021, in violation of the contract’s stipulations, according to Hunter’s attorney Paul Porter with Cromer, Babb, and Porter law firm. After a year in escrow, the original check was no longer negotiable.

2023 Settlement

The Dec. 20, 2024 settlement came a year to the week after The Town paid out $36,000 on Dec. 28, 2023 for Hunter’s legal fees to settle a Freedom of Information lawsuit that she filed against the Town on June 28, 2021, seeking declaratory relief for Franklin’s alleged Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) violations. State Statute 30-4-110(E) states that a settlement or conviction awarded for the prevailing person or entity in an FOIA lawsuit is restricted to reasonable attorney’s fees or other costs of litigation. 

In addition to the payout to Hunter in the 2023 settlement, the Town also agreed to drop 10 counterclaims it had filed July 20, 2021 against MPA and that it (the Town) had paid at least four attorneys to aggressively prosecute. 

The counterclaims accused Hunter of, among other things, fraud, civil conspiracy, SC Unfair Trade Practices, Federal False Claims, and Gross Negligence. The counterclaims did not include any supporting evidence, but they did include numerous inuendoes and significant inferences that Brock, Griffin, and Ball were co-conspirators in Hunter’s alleged scheme. According to Porter, the counterclaims were highly unusual and had serious legal and factual problems from the outset.

Who Won? Who Lost?

In the end, the Town gained nothing.

It is estimated the Town and its insurance provider paid out approximately $1,000,000 over the MPA legal war, including total payouts of $164,400 to settle Hunter’s two lawsuits and the Town’s countersuit and at least $800,000 in legal fees. The total of the Town’s fees and costs associated with the lawsuits has never been released to the public by the Town. 

At the forefront of Franklin’s 2023 re-election bid for mayor, was his promise to keep stoking the fire under the MPA lawsuits. He lost the election in a landslide defeat to then-Councilman Sloan Griffin who promised to fire the Town’s attorneys and settle the lawsuits. 

The Town’s former lead attorney in MPA’s FOIA lawsuit and the Town’s countersuit, David Black, was ultimately fired by the new town government. Prior to Black’s firing, the two powerhouse law firms he was affiliated with, Nexsen Pruet that later became Maynard Nexsen, were paid approximately $500,000 by the Town with public money from the general fund. 

Blythewood Attorney Shannon Burnett, who served on the Town’s legal team, was also fired by the new government and was paid $238,753 of the public’s money from the general fund, according to documents released by Town Hall. 

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Hunter Files for Sanctions Against Black 

The last remaining remnant of this legal debacle is a motion that Hunter filed in January, 2024 – which is still pending – calling for the court to sanction Black. 

Hunter’s call for sanctions stems from Black’s refusal to withdraw from the case even after he was fired on Dec. 11, 2023 by the Town’s newly elected Mayor Sloan Griffin. Black also refused to file the December, 2023 MPA/Town of Blythewood settlement agreement with the Court after it was agreed to and signed by both parties. Black’s delay caused Hunter to lose a high-level crisis communication certification that, she said, impacted her earnings significantly. 

Black argued that the MPA lawsuits should continue – against the wishes of the current majority council – in order to protect the Town’s best interest. 

Porter countered that [The Town’s] “best interest” is lawfully determined by council [town council], not their counsel [attorney] or a special referee. 

“This is how democracy works,” Porter wrote in a motion in opposition to a motion filed by Black to Appoint a Special Master to oversee the lawsuits, a move that the current mayor and council said could effectively block them from making decisions for the Town concerning MPA. 

“This case was heavily covered by the local media in Blythewood,” Porter wrote in his Jan. 2, 2024, Motion to Enforce Settlement. 

“Constitutional provisions vest [the Town’s] citizens with the right to select their government and representatives. The Town’s citizens did so in November, 2023 when they elected a new mayor and town council,” Porter wrote. “In doing so, the Town’s citizens rejected elected officials who supported the continuation of this legal action in favor of candidates who opposed it. 

“Maynard Counsel (Black) does not have any authority to disregard the will of the voters and their elected council,” Porter said. 

“Defendant’s record counsel (Black) was not elected. Defendant’s town council was. Whether or not to settle a case is the choice of the client, not their lawyer,” Porter wrote. “The ethical rules of professional conduct make this clear,” he said, quoting: ‘A lawyer shall abide by a client’s decision whether to make or accept an offer of settlement of a matter.’” 

“Maynard Counsel wants to disregard the instructions of its client’s democratically elected decision-makers in order to continue this costly and unnecessary litigation over the objection of the Defendant (Town), who presumably will continue to be billed [by Maynard Counsel] for time spent on continuing this litigation,” said Porter. “This is shocking.” 

The Voice reached out to former Mayor Bryan Franklin, Councilmen Donald Brock and Rich McKenrick, and former Chairman of the Chamber Phil Frye for comment. Only Frye responded (after press time), but declined to comment.

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Who is Ashley Hunter?

 Ashley Hunter is the owner and CEO of MPA Strategies LLC,  a full-service marketing and grant writing business that was named the 2024 Best Marketing Firm in South Carolina by the Guide to South Carolina.

Located in Cayce, MPA’s clients have included the cities of Rock Hill, Florence, Camden, Mullins, Westminster, Batesburg-Leesburg, and Lake City, as well as the Cayce-West Columbia Chamber of Commerce, the SC Bar, and a number of law firms, political candidates, associations, businesses and individuals.

Prior to starting MPA Strategies in 2011, Hunter, a South Carolina native, spent six years working for the largest association management and lobbying firm in the state. She was selected for The State Newspapers “Top 20 Under 40ʺ in 2012 and named one of the 2018 Women of Influence by the Columbia Regional Business Report. In 2021, Hunter was named an SC Phenom by the Columbia Regional Business Journal. 

Hunter is the former Chairman of the Board for the Healing Families Foundation, and a volunteer Guardian ad Litem for Richland County. She served as a lobbyist for the Municipal Association of SC, and is certified by FBI-LEEDA in Media and Public Relations (MPR). 

Hunter, a single mom, resides in the City of Cayce with her two daughters.

Blythewood Residents Speak Out Against Rezoning

COLUMBIA – The Richland County Planning commission heard a request Monday night, Dec. 2, for a rezoning that would allow as many as 300 apartment units on almost 20 acres located on Wilson Boulevard immediately south of Turkey Farm Road.  The address of the 19.8-acre property is 10141 Wilson Boulevard (TMS # R14800-05-11).

In a 6 – 2 vote, the commission made a recommendation to Richland County Council to disapprove of the request. However, the commission’s recommendation is non-binding on county council which will take the first of three votes on the matter at a zoning public hearing to be held at 6 p.m., on Tuesday, Dec. 17, at the county council chambers, 2020 Hampton Street in Columbia.

The applicant, DuBose Williamson, representing Canvas Residential Partners out of Charlotte, is requesting the property be rezoned from HM (Homestead) zoning classification to GC (General Commercial) zoning which would allow for multi-family living units as well as commercial development and light industrial uses.

According to Richland County Zoning Director Geo Price, the parcel lies within the neighborhood low density designation of the county’s comprehensive plan, and is not located within a neighborhood activity center as prescribed by the comprehensive plan.

“The staff recommends ‘Disapproval’,” Price said, “because the requested zoning is not consistent with the recommendations of the comprehensive plan.”

In an email to The Voice, Price also clarified that the rezoning request is for the General Commercial (GC) zoning designation.

“Any uses permitted outright within the GC zoning district would be allowed on the parcel,” Price wrote. “While the applicant has expressed an intent to establish a multi-family use on the property, approval of the requested rezoning does not limit the applicant to this specific use.”

Granting the rezoning request would allow not only the 300 apartments, but it would allow the property owner to use the land for a broad range of almost 100 commercial uses characterized primarily by retail, office, and service establishments, in a primarily automobile-oriented environment, according to the county’s planning staff’s report. Those permitted uses include fleet terminals, service stations, heavy vehicle wash facilities, as well as manufacturing, assembly, and light fabrication.

Based upon a gross density calculation, the maximum number of units for this site is approximately 317 dwelling units, according to the staff report.

The area where the 19.8-acre property is located is primarily characterized by undeveloped parcels, and residential properties. Eight Blythewood residents who live in proximity to the parcel spoke out Monday night against the rezoning.

Fourth generation owner of property on nearby Folk Road, Janet Robinson, told the commission they must stop approving development within the Hawkins Branch watershed.

“It’s imperative that this county learns from what happened in 2015,” Robinson said. “My property has been irreparably damaged because of this kind of development permitted in the watershed. This is irresponsible development and has to stop.”

Longtime Turkey Farm Road resident Glen Didyoung said he recognizes growth is coming, but called for smart growth that maintains the integrity of the existing area landscape.

“Smart growth considers the consequences of inappropriate rezoning,” Didyoung said. “To inappropriately alter the landscape of the neighborhood by changing the zoning and to fit a plan – that doesn’t fit – into the landscape of the area is not smart growth. Apartments and businesses don’t fit in this neighborhood.”

Ryan Copeland said he’s only lived in Blythewood for four years, and enjoys the peace and quiet of his neighborhood.

“I want to protect the integrity of this area,” Copeland said. “The density of 300 apartments would equate to 450 additional cars – a lot of development in this area has not been planned well.”

Westwood High School is located on Sharpe Road West, approximately 3/4 of a mile southwest of the subject parcel.

The 2015 Richland County Comprehensive Plan, “PUTTING THE PIECES IN PLACE”, designates this area as Neighborhood (Low Density). Low-density, single-family neighborhood developments are preferred in this area, the staff report states.

Price told the commission that the planning department’s staff recommends ‘Disapproval’ of this map amendment as it is not consistent with the 2015 Comprehensive Plan recommendations. 

“Although the proposed map amendment would allow for retail and commercial uses along a primary road,” Price said, “the subject site is not located within a Neighborhood Activity Center and is not within a contextually-appropriate distance from an intersection, as prescribed by the Comprehensive Plan.

The issue will be on the Richland County Council’s Dec. 17 agenda for a rezoning public hearing and the first of three votes council will take on the rezoning. That is the last chance the public will have to publicly address council concerning the proposed development. Those wishing to address council about the rezoning should arrive a few minutes early to sign up to speak. The public will not be allowed to speak at the two meetings where the last two votes are taken.

Council chambers are located in the Richland County government building, 2020 Hampton Street in Columbia.

BLYTHEWOOD – Three weeks ago, Mayor Sloan Griffin unilaterally hired a deputy administrator who, The Voice has learned via Google, is under criminal investigation by SLED (State Law Enforcement Division).

Griffin hired Tiffany Cooks on Nov. 7 as the Town was searching for an assistant town administrator. He announced her hiring in an email on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024

Town Administrator Daniel Stines had formed a search committee the first of September, 2024, composed of the mayor, the town marketing manager, the town administrator, and two Manor employees.

After interviewing 16 applicants, the committee offered the job to one then another of the three finalists. The first choice, then the second choice applicants turned the job down in succession after each accepted counter offers from their current employers. 

Griffin then dispensed with the committee and the remaining 14 applicants and took over the search, himself, settling on Cooks, who had not applied for the job. Griffin notified council members and town hall staff of the hiring in an email. Griffin also decided to change Cooks’ title from assistant town administrator to deputy town administrator. 

Cooks had applied for the town administrator’s job earlier this year but, by law, council hires that position, and the majority of council did not select Cooks. 

A native of Buffalo, NY, Cooks was elected Williamsburg County supervisor in 2018, but was defeated when she ran for reelection in 2022.

A Google search revealed that Cooks had been accused of while serving as Williamsburg county supervisor, and that she is under investigation by SLED.

A spokesperson with SLED told The Voice on Monday, Nov 18, that Cooks is being investigated, but would not disclose any other information about the investigation except to say that it had been prompted by a call from Kelvin Washington, Cooks’ successor as the Williamsburg County supervisor, on Feb. 10, 2023, to investigate the case. The investigation was formally opened on Feb. 28, 2023.

When The Voice asked Griffin about Cooks giving herself multiple financial supplements in her position as Williamsburg County Supervisor, he dismissed the issue, saying, “Wasn’t that during a natural disaster? You have to go back and look at the dates to see if they were under Federal declaration.” 

To that end, Griffin shared a Facebook comment posted by Cooks in July, 2024, about the overtime pay in question. It said, in part: “As per page 13 of the county policy approved in 2015, the County Supervisor can approve overtime for both exempt and non-exempt employees during declared and undeclared disasters.”

The Voice has been unable to reach Cooks for comment. 

“There are some places where they have to give overtime to all staff in order to qualify for certain funds,” Griffin said. “But I’m not going to get too deep into that stuff. I’m not worried about it. If something comes out, something comes out …this is just stuff like MPA. It’s too much politics. She [Cooks] hasn’t been indicted on anything,” he said. 

In a press release that Griffin sent Nov 18, announcing Cook’s hiring to The Voice, the Minority Eye website, the Blythewood town administrator, the town’s attorney, town clerk and marketing employee, he noted that Cooks holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Leadership from Ashford University, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy focusing on Applied Management and Decision Science from Walden University. 

“As Deputy Town Administrator, Dr. Cooks will oversee critical operations, spearhead grant initiatives, and work closely with the mayor and local stakeholders to implement strategic growth and enhance community services,” the release stated.

Asked to comment on Cook’s hiring process, Councilwoman Andrea Fripp declined.

“I will refrain from commenting on the appointment, by the Mayor, of Dr. Cooks until the conclusion of the SLED investigation,” Fripp said.

Councilman Rich McKenrick and Mayor Pro Tem Donald Brock felt differently.

“It would be my hope that our Town government follow established procedures while hiring for any town position,” McKenrick said when contacted by The Voice. “Our town leaders should be looking for the most qualified individuals through the interview process and consider all available information when considering a candidate, specifically, in this particular matter, an ongoing SLED investigation that has been publicized repeatedly for some time in the media.”

Brock said he had questions not only about the candidate’s circumstances, but about the hiring process in general.

“It’s my position that the hiring of Ms. Cooks under these circumstances is quite concerning. I have numerous questions for the mayor regarding this hire and look forward to having them answered,” said Brock. “The SLED investigation not withstanding, the fact that it appears that the hiring process was circumvented is also concerning. 

“I feel these questions must be addressed by the entire governing body. We are the stewards of the Town and must be diligent in all aspects of the Town’s operations,” Brock said.

Councilwoman Erica Page did not respond to The Voice’s request for comment.

Cooks currently serves as the town administrator for the Town of Estill, SC, where she spearheaded transformative projects, including the $250 million ‘Project Green Spark,’ aimed at economic and community development, according to the mayor’s press release.

Asked if Cooks, who will be paid $90,000 annually, would report to Town Administrator Daniel Stines, Griffin said she would report to both Stines and the mayor. Stines, who previously served as the Town’s interim administrator, is paid an annual salary of $107,000.

Griffin said Cooks will report to work at Blythewood town hall on Jan. 13, 2025. He said she has 27 years of experience in public safety, local government and emergency management as well as an exceptional record of academic and professional achievements.

During an interview with The Voice about his hiring of Cooks, Griffin said that, as strong mayor, he will be doing the hiring for all town hall employees, and that Stines will hire employees for public works positions and other similar jobs.

WINNSBORO – At 10 a.m. Friday morning, the Fairfield County Election Commission reviewed 24 provisional ballots and one fail safe ballot (that were cast on election day) to determine their validity. The result of that review and determination failed to change the results of Tuesday’s election.

Don Goldbach, who had a 10-vote lead over Ann Corrao in the race on Election Day for Dist. 2 county council seat, gained one provisional vote, and Carrao gained two, solidifying Goldbach’s win with 617 votes to best Corrao’s final vote count of 608.

Goldbach told The Voice that he received a phone call from Dist. 2 County Councilwoman Shirley Greene after the election offering any help he might need to help acclimate into her council seat.

“She was very gracious in her offer, and I plan to take her up on that. I thanked her for her service this past four years and look forward to talking to her in depth about the county’s business,” Goldbach said.

In Dist. 4, top vote earner Carl Bell, maintained his win over incumbent Tim Rosborough. Bell gained one provisional vote while Roseborough gained two. The final vote count was 670 for Bell and 494 for Roseborough.

In Dist. 6, Oren Gadson, with one provisional vote to bring his total votes to 459, bested Sarah Bryant who received two provisional votes for a total of 433.

Stubbs wins Dist. 17

In the Dist. 17 senate race, Winnsboro Attorney Everett Stubbs bested incumbent Mike Fanning on Election Day with Stubbs earning 27,914 votes to Fanning’s 27,882. Late in the afternoon on Friday, after more than 100 provisional votes (cast on Election Day) were counted and verified as to their validity in the four counties represented by Dist. 17 – Fairfield, Chester, Lancaster, and York.

Stubbs maintained his win after that verification review with 27 provisional votes added from York County, 12 from Fairfield County, 1 from Chester County, and 6 from Lancaster County, for a total of 27,960 votes. Fanning added 49 provisional votes for a total of 27,931 votes.

According to Stubbs, Senator Mike Fanning called him following the election to extend congratulations on his win. Fanning submitted in writing a waiver of a recount, saving the election commissions in all four counties a lot of time and money to count almost 60,000 votes.

“I called him back to say I appreciated his call, the way he did this and for his service to the citizens in Dist. 17 for the last 8 years,” Stubbs said.