COLUMBIA – A ruling has been handed down in the Town of Blythewood lawsuit in which four members of the Blythewood Town Council – Mayor Pro Tem Donald Brock, Rich McKenrick, Andrea Fripp, and Erica Page – filed for a temporary and permanent injunction to stop Blythewood Mayor Sloan Griffin from enforcing his Executive Order No. 3 concerning his ability to hire town hall employees.
Judge Daniel Coble – in the Richland County Court of Common Pleas – has ruled that the Council’s Motion for Temporary and Permanent Injunction is granted.
This is a developing story and more information will be posted later this morning.
WINNSBORO – Following adjournment of the Feb. 10 Fairfield County Council meeting, Clerk to Council Kimberly Roberts handed out to all council members a list of the 2025-26 appointees to council’s five standing committees.
County Council Chairman Clarence Gilbert made the
appointments – a chair and two members for each committee – as required by the
council’s bylaws.
The lion’s share of Gilbert’s appointments, 14 out of 15
available seats, went to only four of the seven council members – Gilbert,
Douglas Pauley, Carl Bell and Oren Gadson. The 15th seat, which is on the
Presentation Committee, is not appointed, but rotates among all council
members, depending on the district a presentation concerns.
Gilbert appointed himself to three of the five committees
and as chair of two of them.
Gilbert did not appoint council members Dan Ruff, Peggy
Swearingen or Don Goldbach to any of the standing committees. The three will
only be eligible to serve on a session of the Presentation Committee if a
citizen or organization from their district requests to make a presentation to
council.
Excluding certain council members from council’s standing
committees comes at a time when both Bell and Gilbert have repeatedly made
public calls for unity, cooperation, and collaboration among council members.
Shortly before the list of appointees was distributed after
the Feb. 10 council meeting, Bell stated during county council time: “We have
to work with each other. It’s important we stay in tune with each other. We
have to support one another in responding to the needs of our individual
districts. It is the reason we were
elected.”
However, for over a week, Bell has failed to speak out
against Gilbert’s arbitrary exclusion of certain council representatives from
being appointed to any of the standing committees.
In answer to an email The Voice sent to Ruff, Swearingen and
Goldbach on Monday, Feb. 17, asking why they were not appointed to any of the
committees, Goldbach said he had specifically asked to be put on at least one
committee and was hoping to be appointed to several, but was skipped over for
all of them. He said there was no response to his request to be on a committee,
and that he had not been contacted concerning the appointments before he was
handed the list of appointments last week.
Swearingen responded that she, too, had expected to be
appointed to one or more committees and was not contacted by Gilbert prior to
his release of the list of appointments.
“It surprised me that I wasn’t listed on any of the
committees, not even the ones I was already on.” Swearingen said. “I can’t
recall a time when every council member was not appointed to at least one
standing committee.”
Ruff had served as chair of the Public Services and Development committee until Gilbert appointed Pauley as chair of that committee last week, leaving Ruff out. Ruff has not yet responded to The Voice’s email asking whether he declined to continue serving or was passed over by Gilbert for re-appointment.
According to the council’s bylaws, “The chair of county
council shall appoint the members and the chairs of the following standing committees:
Administration and Finance Committee; Public Affairs and Policy Committee;
Public Services and Development Committee; and the Economic Development
Committee.” The Presentation Committee
is not mentioned in the bylaws.
“Once appointed for the year, no member of a committee may be removed by the chair of council without the approval of council,” the bylaws state.
Gilbert has not yet responded to an email sent from The Voice on Tuesday asking why Ruff, Swearingen, and Goldbach did not receive appointments to any of the standing committees.
Gilbert’s 2025-26 Standing Committee Picks
Administration & Finance
Clarence Gilbert – Chairman
Doug Pauley
Carl Bell
Economic Development
Doug Pauley – Chairman
Clarence Gilbert
Oren Gadson
Public Services & Development
Doug Pauley – Chairman
Oren Gadson
Carl Bell
Public Affairs & Policy
Carl Bell – Chairman
Doug Pauley
Oren Gadson
Presentation Committee
Clarence Gilbert – Chairman
Carl Bell
Rep. of District from which the request originates
BLYTHEWOOD – Friday, Feb 21 has been set for Judge Daniel
Coble to hear a motion for an injunction filed by the Town of Blythewood
against Blythewood Mayor Sloan Griffin.
In a Motion for Injunction filed Feb. 11 with the Richland
County Court of Common Pleas, four Blythewood Town Council members asked the
Court to move for a temporary and permanent injunction against Griffin.
The four council members who filed the lawsuit, Mayor Pro
Tem Donald Brock, Councilman Rich McKenrick and Councilwomen Andrea Fripp and
Erica Page, as well as Griffin, have been notified to be present at 9:30 a.m.
in the Court of Common Pleas in the Richland County Courthouse.
In particular, the motion states, the plaintiffs seek a
ruling of the court compelling the defendant, Griffin, to maintain the status
quo and not hire additional employees whose positions have not been funded or
authorized by the town council.
The Town [the four council members] are being represented by
Attorney James Edward Bradley, with the Moore, Bradley, Myers law firm in West
Columbia.
Griffin has told The Voice that he has not retained legal
representation and doesn’t plan to.
In a letter to Judge Daniel Coble, Bradley stated that the
dispute regards the municipal authority of the mayor in ultra vires acts – acts
that require legal authority but are done without it. Bradley seeks a
declaration of the powers of the mayor and the council in regard to the mayor’s
attempt to hire employees whose positions have not been funded by town council.
In December, 2024, Griffin announced that he had hired two
employees for whom he had created two positions – a deputy administrator and a
social media specialist – without discussing either position or either hire
with any members of council. Neither position had been funded by council.
After it was made public by The Voice that the newly hired
deputy administrator is under criminal investigation by the South Carolina Law
Enforcement Division, Griffin announced that the new hire decided not to pursue
the job.
Council removed funding in the budget for all unfilled
positions, stipulating that funding for new positions would have to be approved
by council. Griffin requested a S.C.
Attorney General’s opinion concerning the mayor’s authority to hire employees
without council’s consent. The AG responded that while the mayor in a
mayor/council form of government has the authority to hire employees without
permission from council, section 5-9-40 of state law places the responsibility
of adopting a municipal budget with the council, and that the mayor is
prohibited from expending funds not appropriated by council.
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.
Blythewood Post Office’s blue drop boxes have mail theft notices for postal customers.
BLYTHEWOOD – At least three individuals have reported to the Blythewood post office that checks they dropped in the two outside blue postal collection boxes last week for mailing had mysteriously fallen into the wrong hands – hands that had subsequently tried to cash them.
Blythewood resident Kim Graber told The Voice that she
dropped mail, including a check and a Valentine’s Day card with cash, in one of
the two blue drop boxes outside the Blythewood post office around 6 p.m.,
Tuesday, Feb. 11. The next day, around 1
p.m., she received a call from a Wells Fargo bank in Charlotte stating that
someone had brought the check in to the bank and tried to cash it.
“The person on the phone said the check had been washed and
the amount had been changed from $100 to $5,600,” Graber said. “Fortunately,
the bank refused to cash it.”
Employees at the post office told The Voice that in addition
to Graber, two other individuals reported similar experiences with mail they
had dropped into the outside drop boxes.
“I was notified by Blythewood Post Master Cedric Jackson
about the incidents and sent him a notice to be posted on the boxes as we
investigate what happened,” said Postal Inspector Mike Rogers.
The notice stated that mail was stolen from one or both of
the blue collection boxes between Tuesday, Feb. 11, at approximately 4:30 p.m.,
and Wednesday, Feb. 12, at approximately 4:30 p.m., which is the time the
collection box is emptied each weekday.
“In cases like this, there are usually no leads until
someone whose check is stolen realizes that their check didn’t reach its
destination or they check their bank account, or a bank contacts them, then
they notify the post office and the postmaster notifies me,” Rogers said. “We
don’t know about these crimes unless someone calls us.”
Rogers also suggested that victims of mail theft should file
incident reports with the Sheriff’s department.
“Investigating these cases, the only thing I can hang my hat
on is evidence, witnesses and confessions,” Rogers said. “We have at least
three victims confirmed that their mail was stolen. The link is that they all
dropped it in the blue collection boxes at the post office.”
The notice on the blue collection boxes cautions postal
customers who placed checks in the boxes between 4:30 p.m., Feb. 11 and 4:30
p.m., Feb. 12, to check with their financial institutions to determine whether
there has been any fraudulent activity on their accounts. The notice also
encouraged individuals whose mail is stolen to file an incident report with the
local law enforcement as soon as possible.
A secure 24-hour postal drop is also located on the wall
inside the post office lobby.
“Please let law enforcement know that the US Postal
Inspection Service is aware of the incident and have them reference the USPIS
case number (#3848889-MT),” the notice states.
The United States Postal Inspection Service phone number is
(877) 876-2455.
Jimmy Ray Douglas presents prize money to Debbie Winner. | Barbara Ball
BLYTHEWOOD – This year’s winner of The Voice’s Bracket Challenge is a triple winner – her name is Debbie Winner, she won $200 by picking the most winners in the Challenge, and her favorite football team, Ohio State, won the college football championship.
A native of Ohio, Winner said she and her husband, Herb,
moved to Ridgeway 19 years ago.
“I support the Buckeyes as well as the Cleveland Browns,”
Winner said. “So, I was thrilled that Ohio State won and that I won $200 as well.”
When Winner came to pick up her winnings, she wore her
favorite Ohio State shirt and posed with Jimmy Ray Douglas, who sponsored this
year’s competition. Douglas is the only two-time winner of the newspaper’s
contest.
Besides following the Buckeyes, Winner also plays pickleball
in her spare time and participates in a women’s group at Transfiguration
Catholic church on Wilson Blvd.
Winner was one of only three participants to place Ohio
State in the National Championship game – and the only one to correctly predict
their win.
No one picked Ohio State to face Notre Dame in the National
Championship game, and Notre Dame was chosen by only two contest participants
to win the title.
Georgia and Oregon were the most popular selections – each
chosen to win 24 times. Clemson received
three picks.
Map of the proposed Scout Motors Drive Exit 26 exchange in Blythewood.
BLYTHEWOOD – On Monday, Feb. 3, at 3 p.m., the South Carolina Department of Transportation and Scout Motors representatives along with local and state officials, held a groundbreaking ceremony Monday for the new Scout Motors Drive Interchange in Blythewood. The new interchange will be Exit 26 and will be located between Exit 24 (Highway 21) and Exit 27 (Blythewood Road).
The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT)
proposes to construct a new Interchange on I-77 to serve the future Scout
Motors Manufacturing facility and to provide access for future economic
development in Blythewood, according to Secretary of the S.C. Department of
Transportation Justin Powell, a featured speaker at the groundbreaking on
Monday.
The purpose of the interchange is to serve the future Scout
Motors Manufacturing facility and provide access for future economic
development in Blythewood, Powell said.
The project includes
a connector road from the proposed Exit 26 to US 21. Portions of US 21 are
proposed to be realigned to create a grade separated crossing for a new Norfolk
Southern Railroad spur line that will serve the Scout facility.
A new railroad bridge over I-77 is proposed to provide rail access to the west side of I-77. In addition, widening of northbound I-77 from south of the proposed interchange to Blythewood Road as well as improvements along Community Road are planned. In addition to the SCDOT transportation improvements, Richland County has planned improvements along Community Road and Blythewood Road.
The SCDOT and Scout Motors representatives, along with local and state officials, held a groundbreaking ceremony on Feb. 3, at 3 p.m., for the new Scout Motors Drive Interchange in Blythewood. | Photos: Contributed
Gov. McMaster and Scout CEO Scott Keogh
County Councilman Derrek Pugh
Mayor Griffin, Richland Co.Council Chair Jesica MaKey, Commission Chair Pamela Christopher, Gov. Henry McMaster, Transportation Secretary Justin Powell, Scout Motors CEO Scott KeoghRep. Kambrell Garvin, Senator Tameika Isaac Devine, Rep. Annie McDaniel, Reps Hamilton Grant and Jermaine Johnson
MITFORD – Fairfield County Coroner Chris Hill is releasing
the name of an individual involved in a motor vehicle collision on Sunday Feb.
2, 2025.
According to Coroner Hill, Deymius Mack, age 17, of Great
Falls, was traveling north on US Hwy 21 in the Mitford area when the vehicle he
was operating left the roadway, hit numerous trees and traveled down an
embankment. Mr. Mack, who was restrained, succumbed to his injuries on the
scene of the accident.
An autopsy has been scheduled to determine the cause of
death. Fairfield County Coroner’s Office and South Carolina Highway Patrol
continue to investigate.
BLYTHEWOOD – Zachary Johnson, who was sued by a Richland Two
administrator in 2021, has issued an open apology to that administrator and to
the Richland Two community. A lawsuit was filed against Johnson after he
accused the administrator of inappropriately touching his young daughter, who
was a student at the school at the time. Johnson sent the apology to The Voice,
asking that it be published.
Public Statement of Apology
Dear members of the Richland Two School Board and Richland Two community: My name is Zachary Johnson.
In November 2021, I stood before you with my family and made hasty, disturbing allegations against a Richland Two administrator. I accused an assistant principal at an elementary school in Blythewood of inappropriately touching my then-six-year-old daughter. Subsequent thorough, unbiased investigations by both Richland Two and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department proved these allegations to be false.
Today, I stand before you to issue a long overdue apology to that wrongly accused administrator on behalf of myself and on behalf of my family. The allegations I made against her were categorically false. As a father desperate to protect my young child, I rushed to judgment based on a fantastical story spun by my daughter, which she told just prior to having to serve her first detention at school. I did not act rationally or reasonably when I stood before this room without allowing the investigations to run their course. I gave news interviews and encouraged others to spread my daughter’s untrue story on social media without considering the impact my words would have on the administrator if proven false, as they were.
To the wrongly accused administrator, I am deeply sorry for the false allegations that I never should have made public. I am sorry for the hate and threats you received as a result of my actions. I am sorry for the damage I have done to your career. And I am sorry for the pain and suffering you and your family have endured these last few years.
This particular administrator has served students and their families in public education for more than two decades. Her extensive, proven career record is evidence that she is and always has been a dedicated and highly decorated educator committed to the students she serves. Therefore, my wife and I would like to conclude by extending our gratitude to the administrator for her devoted and continued service to the children enrolled in Richland School District Two and beyond.
Matt Benton and his wife Stephanie back stage on the Wheel of Fortune set. | Contributed
BLYTHEWOOD – Matt Benton says he’s always dreamed of being a contestant on a TV game show – preferably The Price is Right or Wheel of Fortune. That dream came true recently when he was selected to be a contestant on Wheel of Fortune.
“I feel so incredibly fortunate to have been a contestant on The Wheel of Fortune,” Benton, 40, told The Voice last week. “They say that over a million people per year apply, and only 600 make it on. It was a once in a lifetime experience! The taping itself was a blur in every way,” he said. I personally can’t wait to watch it because it’s honestly difficult to remember what all happened. The experience was a combination of excitement, nervousness, and joy,” he recalled.
Benton said he and his wife Stephanie not only enjoyed the
fun of the game show which was taped Nov. 21, but that they enjoyed their time
in Los Angeles as well.
Wheel of Fortune contestant Matt Benton holds one of his LEGO creations.
The Bentons and their three kids, ages 15, 11, and 9, have
lived in Blythewood since 2017.
“I’m originally from a small town in central Illinois,” he
said. “I joined the Navy when I was 22 and served six years active duty as a
Nuclear Reactor Operator stationed aboard the USS Nimitz.”
After the Navy, Benton said he went back to school to
complete his degree and spent the next ten years in non-profit leadership until
making the jump to a career in real estate in late 2023.
“Aside from my work as a realtor, I also coached varsity boys’
golf at Westwood High School for the past two seasons,” he said. But since his
son plays golf for Blythewood High School this year, Benton no longer coaches
at Westwood.
“I didn’t want to coach against him,” he said.
In addition to playing golf and following game shows, Benton
says he’s also an avid LEGO collector.
“I’m still a big kid at heart,” he joked.
Benton quipped that he’s known in some circles as ‘The LEGO
realtor.’
While he’s tight-lipped about how he did on the show, he
says he’s anxious to see it when it airs next week. He said he and his wife are
having friends over for a watch party.
“It’ll be fun,” he said. “Maybe there’ll be another story
after my episode airs,” he said with a laugh.
To watch Benton’s episode on Wheel of Fortune, tune in
Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. on the ABC channel 25 (WOLO-TV).
