Bryan Franklin, center, was elected mayor of Blythewood, and Donald Brock (left) and Eddie Baughman (right) were elected to the town council Monday evening. | Barbara Ball
BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood voters elected a new mayor and two
councilmen Monday night.
Current Town Councilman Bryan Franklin received 330 votes
for mayor, besting former mayor Keith Bailey with 252 votes and Town Councilman
Malcolm Gordge with 121 votes.
Planning Commission Chair Donald Brock was the top vote getter
for two open council seats with 412 votes. Town Councilman Eddie Baughman
captured the other seat with 389 votes. Planning Commissioner Sloan Jarvis
Griffin, III received 311 votes followed by former planning commissioner Marcus
Taylor with 157 votes and political newcomer Barry Belville with 39 votes.
Four Ridgeway/Fairfield precinct votes were accounted for on
the posted results, but there was no indication as to who the votes were cast
for. Richland County Voter Registration provided The Voice with
Ridgeway/Fairfield numbers Wednesday morning – 4 ballots cast with 12 votes:
Franklin, 2; Gordge, 2; Baughman, 4; Brock, 3 and Griffin, 1.
According to Richland County, 731 ballots were cast with a
23 percent voter turnout.
The mayor’s seat and the two council seats are for four-year terms. Franklin’s election leaves an open seat on town council that will be filled by a special election.
Story updated 11/6/19 at 2:41 p.m. with information from Richland County Voter Registration Office.
BLYTHEWOOD – The Voice of Blythewood will host the 2019 Blythewood Candidate Forum at Doko Manor Thursday, Oct. 24 from 7 – 9 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
The forum will feature four of five candidates for town council and three candidates for mayor. Council candidate Barry Belville will not be in attendance.
Town Hall Format
In a departure from formats used for candidate forums in
years past, this year’s forum will follow a town hall format that will include
questions for candidates asked by members of the audience. Those in the
audience who plan to ask questions will need to submit them between 6:30 and 7
p.m.
Council and mayoral candidates will answer questions in two
rounds. Candidates for council will answer questions first, followed by the
mayoral candidates.
Candidates for mayor are former Blythewood Mayor Keith
Bailey and Town Councilmen Bryan S. Franklin and Malcolm P. Gordge. Candidates
for council are incumbent Town Councilman Eddie Baughman, Barry J. Belville,
Planning Commission Chairman Donald Beaton Brock, Jr., Planning Commissioner
Sloan Jarvis Griffin, III and former Planning Commissioner Marcus Taylor.
Door Prizes
An added feature this year will be drawings for six door
prizes to be awarded to members of the audience. Each door prize will be a $100
gift certificate provided by the following six merchants: Blythewood Oil (fuel
from a Blythewood Sharpe Shoppe), IGA/Food Lion (groceries), Papa John’s (a
pizza party), Reese’s Plants (plants), Laura’s Tea Room (High Tea for four) and
Pope Tire Company (products or service).
Free door prize tickets will be available at the door,
beginning at 6:30 p.m. Three door prizes will be drawn following the council
candidate forum and three will be drawn following the mayoral candidate forum.
Mayor J. Michael Ross will serve as master of ceremonies,
and Vance Sharpe will provide sound. Blythewood High School student Abhimanyu
Sailesh will be the time keeper.
Refreshments will be provided. The Manor is located at 100
Alvina Hagood Circle adjacent to Town Hall.
For information about the forum, contact The Voice at
803-767-5711 or email voice@blythewoodonline.com.
The candidates for Blythewood mayor present their plans and platforms.
Bailey
Keith Bailey, 60
A Blythewood resident for 23 years, I was born in
Nassawadox, VA. I am a military child with roots all over the world. I received a B.S. Degree in Business
Management from Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in Hampton, VA, in
1981. As a commissioned second
lieutenant in the United States Army, I served honorably as an active duty
officer for over 22 years, receiving several commendatory awards including
qualification status for Airborne Ranger.
I’ve served in several public service offices here in South
Carolina, including: Mayor of Blythewood
(2008-2012); Blythewood Town Council (2004-2008); Deputy Director for A Better
Way’s “Project G.O.” (Gang Out), an
organization focused on cleaning up gang activity in SC neighborhoods; Vice
Chair of the Board of Directors for Hopes of Higher Education, a non-profit
organization that bridges the educational gap from high school to college for
foster children who reached age of maturity; Co-founder of the Blythewood Youth
Football and Cheer League, an organization that teaches leadership,
followership and team building to youth between the ages of eight and twelve
and served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Francis Burns United
Methodist Church.
I am proud of my record as a public servant of Blythewood.
During my term as mayor, the town government:
Planned and implemented what, today, is Blythewood’s crown jewel – The Manor and Doko Meadows Park
Assisted in transitioning the Blythewood Business Coalition into the Greater Blythewood Chamber of Commerce.
Assisted in establishing the Blythewood Historical Society.
Brought the Rodeo and the Diamond Invitational Baseball Tournament to Blythewood
Welcomed five new businesses to town due to economic enterprise
Beautified Exit 27 (bridge area over I-77) with trees and flowering shrubs.
Negotiated a $450,000 settlement for the Town with SCE&G
Annexed the Google property and over 2000 additional acres into Town limits
Established a recycling point in the town
Developed walking trails in the park
Brought attractive directional signage to the town
Created kiosks on Main Street and at Town Hall to promote town events
During my time as mayor of Blythewood, many of the major
attractions and events in the town were implemented, and many traditions were
started. There is more to governing a municipality than making legislative
decisions pertaining to zoning and ordinances.
I feel it’s important to make life better, more enjoyable and more
fulfilling for those who live, work and play here.
While our previous
accomplishments continue to enhance the town, there is work still to be done.
We do not have enough ball fields. We have traffic congestion and uncontrolled
residential growth. We need to continue working toward road and infrastructure
improvements. And we need to make the best use of our gift from travelers that
keeps on giving – the A-tax and H-tax revenue.
Governing the town is not a new experience for me. If I am
fortunate enough to be elected to serve again, I will continue a vision and a
plan that have proven successful.
With your vote and my experience, together we can continue
to move Blythewood forward.
Franklin
Brian Franklin, 51
I was raised in Blythewood and attended Richland School
District 2 schools here. I graduated from The Citadel as a Distinguished
Military Graduate in 1990, and became an Army Officer. I served for 24 years,
deployed to combat three times, was awarded a Combat Action Badge and two
Bronze Stars, and after serving honorably, retired back to my hometown. Although we met thousands of people around
the world, the unbeatable character, hospitality and hard-working people of
Blythewood called us back home to raise our kids. Of our eight children, five
are still at home with us here in Blythewood (not for too much longer!).
After earning two Master’s Degrees [in Health Administration
(Chapman University) and Strategic Studies (U.S. Army War College)], I turned
to public service. I served on the Blythewood Planning Commission, was elected
Chairman, and later became elected as a Town Councilman (2014-2019). Today, I
proudly serve you as a Councilman, and I now want to employ my leadership to
accomplish my five-pillar vision for Blythewood as your next Mayor:
Engineer smart growth. We must own the new Richland County industrial park expansion, widen our local roads, keep developers in check, and get our traffic problem under control now. We must be vocal and involved in all construction in the Greater Blythewood Area.
Build Partnerships. We must reestablish our relationship with the Greater Blythewood Chamber of Commerce to work with area businesses to build a better future with public-private partnerships. Better relations with the County Council and Recreation Commission are also paramount.
Provide for our Citizens. Now is the time to procure land and build a state-of-the-art sports complex. This facility will also host many family and senior activities which are badly needed in Blythewood today. Simultaneously, we have to build sidewalks to connect our neighborhood and facilities. As I see it, a person living anywhere in town should be able to walk, bike or drive a golf cart all the way to Town Hall on a safe, lighted sidewalk.
Be disciplined. I will enforce our ordinances. If a developer tries to shortcut a project, or clear-cut acres of land only to let it sit idle, there must be consequences. “Woods” are what make Blythe“wood” unique and must be properly maintained when possible within these subdivisions.
Act boldly. I propose we put a referendum on next year’s ballot and offer our neighbors a voluntary opportunity to join us in the Town of Blythewood. Blythewood should include nearly all of the 29016 zip code boundary. Join together or prepare for the City of Columbia to move northward as the population continues to grow.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we must stand up and control our
growth while modernizing our facilities and services. Together we can build a
great new vision on our already solid foundation (kudos to outgoing Mayor Mike
Ross for a job well done). I would appreciate your vote on November 5th– Vote
Bryan Franklin for Mayor of Blythewood.
Call or text 803.800.3922. Thank you.
Gordge
Malcom Gordge, 71
Four years ago I was honored to be elected as a member of
Blythewood Town Council. It has been an extraordinary and rewarding experience
for me and I feel I can build upon that experience and serve Blythewood’s
residents as its Mayor.
My career with Spirax Sarco as Engineering Manager gave me
the opportunity to travel throughout the world giving me a broad perspective of
life and interacting with people to identify opportunities and solve
problems. Since retiring, I have found
that my life-time of experience has been of value in serving the Town as a
Councilman and chairing the Planning Commission before that. I also serve my
local neighborhood as a director of Ashley Oaks HOA and both my wife Emily and
I volunteer our time to the School Improvement Council for Muller Road Middle
School.
Having lived in Ashley Oaks since 2004 I have seen the
effect of unprecedented growth in the Blythewood area and this was the main
issue that concerned me and my neighbors and caused me to become active in the
affairs of the Town. I am not against development per se but it should achieve
at least one of two things: fulfill a need of the Town or improve the quality
of life for the residents of Blythewood.
In my view, Blythewood has far exceeded reasonable
residential growth and is at risk of losing the very assets that make
Blythewood a great place to live in, raise families and appreciate one another.
As Mayor I will do whatever is possible to preserve our
rural zones. The Town’s Zoning Ordinance is in need of simplifying and updating
and I will ensure that review takes place with your input.
I have been an active member of the Transportation Penny
Advisory Committee for Richland County to ensure that the $29 million allocated
to Blythewood is realized for the road improvements that will benefit everyone
using the roads in our Town.
In addition to the Richland Penny Program, I represent the
Town at the Central Midlands Council of Government and negotiated a cost
sharing study for a Traffic Improvement Plan for the Blythewood area which looks
at the road improvements needed for the traffic volume we are likely to see in
twenty years time.
Our Comprehensive Plan is due for an overhaul as we approach
the next decade and I am excited about driving that initiative forward. This is
particularly important with the 2020 Census approaching. Every resident needs
to complete the census so that Blythewood receives the full Federal funding it
is entitled to and make it work for us.
My vision is for an inclusive Blythewood that values its
cultural history and recognizes the value of all citizens. I have been proud to
chair the Committee for Black History month for the last three years and have
seen the value of this event which will continue to grow and develop.
As Mayor, I shall work diligently for you and for the good
of Blythewood.
