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  • Complaint dismissed against Underwood

    CHESTER – Following an investigation, the office of Disciplinary Counsel for the S.C. Supreme Court has dismissed a complaint filed against Chester County Magistrate Angel Underwood by Chester County Sheriff Max Dorsey, for judicial misconduct, in which Dorsey expressed his concerns about Judge Underwood presiding over cases the Sheriff’s Office was part of.

    In an UNCOVERED segment with The Post & Courier in July of this year, the Chester News & Reporter reported that Dorsey filed the complaint against Underwood. In a letter to Dorsey dated October 12, Deputy Disciplinary Counsel Carey Taylor Markel stated that the office “had determined that there is no evidence of any judicial misconduct on the part of Judge Underwood arising out of the matters mentioned in your complaint and that further investigation would not likely reveal any such evidence.”

    The office further informed Dorsey that the Counsel intends to dismiss the complaint. According to the UNCOVERED story, in the initial complaint, Dorsey alleged Underwood (who at the time was the county’s chief magistrate) had a bias against the Chester County Sheriff’s Office since the ouster of her husband, former Sheriff Alex Underwood, who was suspended from office after facing federal indictments. Dorsey was appointed sheriff by Gov. Henry McMaster in May of 2019. He then defeated Alex Underwood (who had not gone to trial at that point and was thus still eligible to run) in last November’s General Election, earning himself a full, four-year term.

    Alex Underwood was found guilty on seven counts in April and is still awaiting sentencing. In a move unrelated to the complaint, Jeffrey Garis was appointed the chief magistrate by S.C. Supreme Court Justice William Beatty in early July. Chief magistrate appointments are done at the sole discretion of the chief justice and Beatty appointed new individuals to those posts in 28 of the state’s 46 counties this year.

    Still, for weeks after her husband’s trial, magistrates under Underwood’s supervision remained tasked with considering criminal warrants submitted by Dorsey’s department. In an interview for the UNCOVERED story, Dorsey questioned why those judges had rejected what the sheriff considered to be some legitimate requests.

    Per that story, records from one case, obtained by the newspaper through an open-records request, show a deputy magistrate denied an arrest warrant for a man who published several Facebook posts calling for Chester police and sheriff’s deputies to be killed. In another, a magistrate rejected a warrant request for a man who allegedly trespassed onto a woman’s property, exposed himself to her and then peed on her husband’s truck.

     “I can’t think of another reason why they would be rejected,” Dorsey said at the time.

    Still, the letter cites a lack of specificity about any punishable action or inaction by Underwood.

    “In your complaint, you allege that since you became Sheriff in January 2021, Magistrate Angel Catina Underwood should not preside over cases in which the Sheriff’s department is a party. As we discussed when we spoke on the phone in September, you did not identify any specific incidents or cases which caused you concern nor any specific conduct that Magistrate Underwood engaged in (or failed to engage in) which caused you concern. As you acknowledged when we spoke, your concerns were general and speculative in nature…This office has determined that there is no evidence of any judicial misconduct on the part of Judge Underwood arising out of the matters mentioned in your complaint and that further investigation would not likely reveal any such evidence.”

    Markel informed Dorsey that he may seek a review of the decision by an investigative panel of the Commission on Judicial Conduct, but must do so in writing by Nov. 11. If Dorsey requests a panel review, Judge Underwood is also given an opportunity to respond, and both Dorsey’s request and Judge Underwood’s response would be considered at the next meeting of the investigative panel, Markel said.

  • All For Kicks

    WINNSBORO – Fairfield County Parks and Recreation soccer players battle in Oct. 7 games at Drawdy Park. Pictured above are 8-12 year old players and below are 4-7 year old players.

  • New meter system aims to make Winnsboro’s billing headache go away

    Ferguson Waterworks representative Rob Watson, left. explains to Winnsboro Mayor John McMeekin at the Tuesday evening town council meeting how the data from new smart meters, which Watson is holding, is transmitted every hour via a transmitter, held by McMeekin, to an antenna on a water tower and then to the town’s billing office. | Barbara Ball

    WINNSBORO – Winnsboro water customers should soon have fewer headaches over their water bills.

    Their meter readers will soon be replaced with smart meters and consistent billing.

    The town is installing the smart meters in two phases. The first phase is being installed for Blythewood’s 1,600 customers beginning later this month. Phase two will bring about 3,500 smart meters to Winnsboro.

    The smart meters will eliminate the need for traditional meter readers who, residents have complained for years, didn’t regularly read their meters. Sporadic reading of meters and billing led to water bills that were sometimes as high as $1,200 for a small home with only two occupants.

    “It was critical that we got a new system for reading and reporting water usage in a timely manner,” Winnsboro’s new Town Manager Jason Taylor said. “We’ve had a tough time keeping enough people on staff to read 300 meters a day. So we had complaint after complaint after complaint about our utility service and billing. We knew we had a problem,” Taylor said. “Now we have a solution.”

    That solution is an AMI (Automatic Metering Infrastructure) system which consists of a new compact smart meter installed at the residence and another small piece of equipment attached to the smart meter that will transmit the meter reading every hour to antennas on the town’s water towers which in turn will send the data to the Town of Winnsboro’s billing office.

    In Winnsboro the system will also read meters for the city’s other utilities – natural gas (2,300 customers), electricity (3,200 customers) and sewer.

    Rob Watson, a field representative for Ferguson Waterworks out of Columbia, told Winnsboro town council members Tuesday evening that the final equipment for the Blythewood water customers had arrived that day and that the system in Blythewood should be up and running the end of the month.

    The Winnsboro system, which has more customers, requires more equipment. Its launch depends, Watson said, on how soon the equipment arrives.

    “But, because the homes are much closer together in Winnsboro than in Blythewood, we should be able to move faster once we get started,” Winnsboro John McMeekin said.

    Taylor said Winnsboro’s total cost for the system to cover both Blythewood and Winnsboro is about $3.9 million. Of that, Blythewood’s system is $791,189.25.

    “Winnsboro is basically a utility business,” McMeekin said. “We are one of only four, possibly five, towns in South Carolina that offers water, natural gas, electricity and sewer, plus we offer garbage pickup.

    “These utilities offer a great advantage as far as being able to revitalize our town,” McMeekin said. “Brought up to proper standards, these utilities can provide revenue which goes back to our citizens. These utilities are not businesses to make money like a private industry. They are businesses for the benefit of our citizens.

    “Run efficiently and properly, this new system will provide correct readings and on-time billing for both Blythewood customers and Winnsboro customers,” McMeekin said. “That’s what we want. We want to provide good service for our customers at a reasonable cost.”

  • Charlotte woman killed in Fairfield crash

    WINNSBORO  – A  two-vehicle crash on I-77 that occurred about 4 a.m., Oct. 1, resulted in a woman’s  death.

    The driver of a 2016 Acura MDX, identified as Heather Diane Vance, 49, of Charlotte, was traveling south on I-77 when she traveled left of the center of the road, ran off the roadway, crossed the median and struck a tractor-trailer that was traveling north, according to S.C. Highway Patrol Master Trooper Gary Miller.

    Vance was pronounced deceased at the scene.  She was wearing a seatbelt, according to Miller, was entrapped and had to be mechanically extricated.

    The driver of the tractor-trailer, who was also wearing a seatbelt, was injured.

    The crash is under investigation by the S.C. Highway Patrol.

  • Council votes to rezone two properties

    BLYTHEWOOD – During a lengthy meeting Monday night, town council approved first reading on two rezoning issues.

    In a unanimous vote, council approved a zoning map amendment for a 10.4-acre property on Langford Road, rezoning the property from Rural District (RU) to Multi-Neighborhood Commercial District (MC) within the Architectural Overlay District. One of the property owners, Jim McLean, represented the applicant, JNT. The MC zoning district has a medium land use intensity for residential, civic, office and retail categories, according to the town’s zoning ordinance.

    The property (TMS# 17800-01-01) is located on Langford Road across from the new Blythewood Farm subdivision and near the intersection with Sandfield Road.

    Council also approved in a 5-0 vote, first reading to rezone .410 acres owned by Barbara Ball, the applicant, from Town Center District (TC) to Community Commercial District (CC), also within the Architectural Overlay District.

    The property (TMS# 15214-03-01) is located at 500 Main Street.

    According to the Town’s zoning ordinance, the Architectural Overlay District is intended to require the review and receipt of a certificate of appropriateness from the board of architectural review for

    • new construction, major improvement or exterior alteration of existing structures which
    • meet the requirements for review. It is intended to promote the development of
    • aesthetically pleasing commercial areas which invite business establishments and will
    • attract resident and visitor patronage $50,000 to

    The second and final vote on both property rezonings will be taken at the October, 2021 meeting.

  • Burnett’s resignation letter made public

    BLYTHEWOOD – After town attorney Shannon Burnett emailed a letter of resignation to Blythewood Town Administrator Carroll Williamson and Mayor Bryan Franklin on Thursday, Sept. 16, both Williamson and Franklin refused to release the letter to the public or to town council members to whom Burnett was responsible.

    While a municipal official in the state said it is not improper for her to submit the resignation to the town administrator, it should have immediately been passed on to council members. The official said the town attorney is employed by council, is the council’s employee and is responsible to council, not the administrator or mayor.

    Blythewood Town Ordinance No. 6.312, 9-21-2009, Sec. 32.03 – Lines of Supervision and General Duties – (C)(1) states that “The town attorney shall be directly responsible to the town council.”

    While the letter was shrouded in secrecy for almost two weeks by Franklin and Williamson, Burnett handed out copies of the letter to councilmen and the media prior to Monday night’s executive session following council’s regular monthly meeting.

    Calling Franklin and Williamson “gentlemen and scholars,” Burnett said “the Town is indeed fortunate to have you both.”

    In her resignation letter, Burnett said she is resigning because she believes, “it is best for the Town to have an attorney on staff who has 100 percent of their time dedicated to the needs of the Town. I cannot do that at this point in my career,” Burnett said.

    “I want to talk to each of you [Williamson and Franklin], and formalize my thanks for allowing me the opportunity to work with the Town as its attorney,” Burnett wrote in the letter.

    Burnett wrote that she enjoyed getting to know “both of you and many councilmen and staff. The time this job needs is not sustainable with my private practice – which isn’t fair to the Town as my clients.”

    According to her resignation letter, Burnett’s last day at work will be Sept. 30, 2021. She said she would remain available to help the Town during her transition or ongoing litigation.

    Following the executive session, council voted to retain Burnett on an hourly basis until a new attorney coil be hired and brought up to speed on the town’s pending litigation.

    Burnett was hired by council in October, 2020 and spent much of her time while there with the Town involved in contract negotiations with MPA Strategies. As the negotiations dragged on for almost two months, and rumors were reportedly spread about Ashley Hunter, owner of MPA Strategies, and a councilman, Hunter filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)  request with the Town for Franklin’s emails, texts, and other correspondence in regard to MPA Strategies.

    Hunter filed a lawsuit against the Town on June 20, 2021, after Franklin failed to send his responsive documents to Hunter.  On July 9, after the lawsuit was filed, Franklin submitted the documents to Hunter’s attorney, Joseph Dickey, Jr.

    The Town ‘s outside legal counsel, David Black of Nexsen Pruet law firm, announced at a special called meeting on July 20, that  a counter suit had been filed against MPA Strategies earlier that day. Also during the meeting, council voted 3-1 to terminate MPA’s contract.

    Following the June 20, special called meeting, The Voice learned that Burnett, along with Williamson and Franklin had signed affidavits attesting that the matters stated in that counter suit were, on information and belief, true.

    The council was not told that the three had filed the countersuit until after it was filed.

  • Former FMH property sells for $1.5M

    WINNBORO – After discussing the former Fairfield Memorial Hospital property sale and other items in an executive session that lasted a little over an hour, council voted 5-1 on third reading to sell the property, all doctors’ offices and the John Martin building to Eau Claire Cooperative Health Center for $1.5 million. The property and leased offices do not include the hospital itself which is being offered for sale by the former hospital board.

    Councilman Doug Pauley cast the lone opposing vote. Councilman Neil Robinson was absent.

    Prisma Health was also interested in the property and leased buildings, but Councilman Doug Pauley voiced concerns the vote was stacked against Prisma.

    “I don’t think Prisma had a fair shot coming in when they gave their presentation,” Pauley said. “They didn’t have the votes before they came in here.

    “I didn’t go in having a preference between Prisma and Eau Claire,” Pauley told The Voice. “But we wasted Prisma’s time having them make a presentation in executive session. It became obvious that the four already knew who they were going to vote for. Them pretending to be deciding between the Eau Claire and Prisma was a joke.”

    After County Council voted to sell the hospital property, Councilman Clarence Gilbert expressed concerns regarding general secrecy among the majority board, including Chairman Moses Bell in regard to trying to broker a deal on the hospital building as well.

    Specifically, Gilbert accused Bell of meddling in and trying to broker deals with buyers for the sale of the hospital building without the council’s knowledge or formal approval.

    “Our chairman is going behind council and trying to negotiate and broker deals and representing the county as a whole, and we know nothing about it,” Gilbert said. “From what I gather, the interim administrator knows nothing about it also. This is something that has to stop.”

    Gilbert said he fears such activity will expose the county to lawsuits.

     “It’s eventually going to get this county sued and he’s [Bell] going to get himself in serious trouble also,” Gilbert continued.

    Bell did not respond to Gilbert’s comments.

    “Bell,” Gilbert told The Voice, “is trying to broker deals that the hospital board, not the county, is in charge of and has the sole responsibility for.”

  • Winnsboro admin aims to clean up the downtown

    A storefront on S. Congress Street in Winnsboro. | Barbara Ball

    WINNSBORO – You might have seen them popping up around town: code enforcement signs on derelict buildings, some of which are dramatic eyesores and some of which have simply fallen into a slow state of decline.

    The message to owners, says Town Administrator Jason Taylor: It’s time to clean up your property.

    “It’s not unique to Winnsboro,” Taylor says of the problem, which is common in small towns, especially those that experience periods of economic stagnation.

    “Properties fall into disrepair at times, and sometimes people need to be reminded that when you live in a community with close neighbors, you need to maintain your property to be considerate to your neighbors.”

    Burned out house on S. Congress St. | Photos: Martha Ladd

    The arrival of new town staff and new elected officials has brought a fresh set of eyes, Taylor says – and their vision is a cleaner and more welcoming downtown.

    It’s something Taylor already has some experience with: When he was town administrator in Ridgeland, he was involved in a similar program of code enforcement combined with public investment in sidewalks, streetlights, landscaping, and parks which was successful in revitalizing the downtown.

    “We had a downtown that was in terrible condition – by far worse than Winnsboro,” Taylor says. “The public investment really spurred a lot of private investment, and those buildings were all occupied by the time I left.”

    On the flip side he says, the long-term risk of inaction is real: “Decay will take your whole town if you let it continue. If you don’t cut it out, that cancer will kill the town.”

    One of the most hazardous cases, he says, has already been resolved: the owner of a burned-out house that’s been sitting for a couple of years decided to deed the property to the town, which has capability to remove the destroyed structure and turn the site into a usable lot.

    Meanwhile, he says, the town is also looking at its own properties and improvements that could be made to those.

    For property owners receiving the notices, he says, the main thing is that they need a plan to make repairs; in some cases, the fix that’s needed is minor.

    Those properties that truly pose a hazard are the biggest priorities, he says, and if those owners refuse to work with the town on a solution, the code violations could be enforced through legal action.

    “All this is headed toward a better quality of life for our citizens,” Taylor says.

    “If we have a more attractive town, a more inviting town, a more pleasant place for everybody to live, if properties are maintained, everybody’s property value goes up instead of down,” he says. “It’s a better, cleaner community, more attractive…. People will potentially want to live, visit, and work here, and our property values will continue to go up.”

    • A building used for storage on S. Congress Street.
    • A deteriorating historical house on S. Congress St.

  • York rallies in fourth to defeat Westwood

    BLYTHEWOOD – Playing at home for the first time in a year, Westwood led York 8-6 at halftime, but the Cougars rallied for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter for a 19-8 victory over the Redhawks in a non-region game at Westwood.

    Julian Milligan put the Redhawks on the scoreboard with a 6-yard touchdown run, and Camren Brown passed to Jordan Jenkins to add the 2-point conversion that gave the Redhawks an 8-6 lead midway through the second quarter.

    Frank Thompson scored from six yards out to put the Cougars up 12-6 with five minutes left in the game. York then recovered a Westwood fumble and converted it to another Thompson touchdown, from three yards out, with three minutes to play.

    Milligan had 87 yards on 23 carries and a score to lead the Redhawks.

    Westwood (1-3) opens Region 4-4A play at A.C. Flora Friday. York (3-1)

  • Attorney calls for Country Chronicle, Franklin to cease and desist

    • Brock
    • Franklin

    BLYTHEWOOD – An attorney representing Town Councilman Donald Brock has demanded that Country Chronicle editor Tonya F. Page and Blythewood Mayor Bryan Franklin “immediately cease and desist from speaking, writing or otherwise publishing all false, injurious and otherwise damaging statements about Mr. Brock.”

    In documents obtained by The Voice, the attorney, Kevin Hall, with Womble Bond Dickinson law firm in Columbia, sent a letter to Franklin, stating that, “We have been advised of numerous false and/or actionable statements made by you in the Sept. 23, 2021 edition of The Country Chronicle, as well as statements made via email dated Sept. 21, 2021.”

    Hall also addressed Page as having quoted and/or published “numerous false and/or actionable statements in the Sept. 23, 2021 edition of the Country Chronicle.”

    Hall wrote that the quotes and statements he addresses include but are not limited to:

    • “That Mr. Brock has lied to the public and swayed votes of other council members based on blatantly false information.
    • That Mr. Brock has engaged in misconduct that has cost the town $40,000 in outside legal expenses.
    • That supporters of Mr. Brock expected to be paid back in some fashion for their support.
    • That Mr. Brock conspired or is conspiring with an outside marketing company or a local newspaper.

     “Publishing these false statements is not protected free speech,” Hall wrote, “but, instead, is a malicious and intentional decision on your part to defame and damage Mr. Brock. By doing so, you subject yourself to tort and other claims including but not limited to defamation, libel, slander and misrepresentation.”

    The letter demands that both Page and Franklin issue a public retraction and apology.

    “If you ignore this demand,” Hall wrote, “we are prepared to initiate litigation to recover (1) damages for harm done to Mr. Brock and his reputation, (2) punitive damages, (3) injunctive relief, (4) attorneys’ fees and litigation costs and (5) all other recoverable damages and costs.”

    The letter further asks both Page and Franklin to provide Hall with written assurance via email by close of business on Monday, Sept. 27, 2021, that they are willing to comply with the foregoing request.

    “Failure to provide such assurance may result in further legal action,” Hall wrote.

    Hall also notified Page and Franklin that they are to “preserve all documents, recordings, phone messages, text messages, emails, and all other materials (electronically stored or otherwise) which reference or relate to Mr. Brock, the Town of Blythewood and/or members of the council of the Town of Blythewood. Mr. Brock will be seeking these documents and others in discovery If litigation is necessary.”

    The Country Chronicle is published out of Camden, but a website for Georgia-based Morris Multimedia lists the newspaper as one of its 60 publications. The company describes itself as one of the largest, privately held media companies in the U.S.

    Related: Town attorney resigns; councilmen not notified