BLYTHEWOOD – Current Town Councilman Sloan J. Griffin, III
and Planning Commission Chair Rich McKenrick handily won the two open seats on
Blythewood Town Council Tuesday night.
Passed over for an endorsement by the Blythewood Chamber of
Commerce and openly campaigned against on Facebook by former mayor Mike Ross,
Griffin, with 364 votes (42.72%), was the top vote-getter Tuesday night of the
three candidates. Rich McKenrick, who was the chamber’s pick, garnered 301
votes (35.33%).
Roxann Henagan, a political newcomer, received 141 votes
(16.55%).
Sitting Councilman Larry Griffin, whose name was on the
ballot even though he withdrew from the race shortly after filing for a third
term, received 36 votes 4.23%). There were 10 (1.17%) write-in votes.
Just 519 of the 3,267 eligible electors voted Tuesday, for
an almost 15 percent turnout. Griffin swept three of the town’s four precincts
– Blythewood 1, 2 and 3. McKenrick took the only two votes that were cast in
the Ridgeway 14 precinct.
The chamber board of directors voted to endorse only one of
three candidates for the two open seats on council prior to the candidate forum
and without interviewing the candidates. Ross, who is chairman of the
Blythewood chamber, went after Griffin on Facebook the day before the election,
urging town residents to think twice before voting for Sloan Griffin III.
In its endorsement of McKenrick, the chamber board of
directors noted that McKenrick has “repeatedly demonstrated his support of our
local Chamber of Commerce.” The chamber depends on the town council to fund
many of their public events.
“I just want to thank
all the voters who came out today, who believed in me, who trusted and voted
for me,” Griffin said. “Now, I’m looking forward to serving the citizens of
Blythewood for four more years,” he said following the win.
Griffin recently worked with Blythewood’s State House
Representative Kambrell Garvin to bring $250,000 of the House’s earmarked money
to Blythewood to be used to upgrade park infrastructure and security in Doko
Meadows. He said he’s looking to continue to improve and maintain the park.
“It’ a wonderful asset for the town and for our families,
and I want to be sure we continue to upgrade and maintain it.
“And we seriously want to work toward better traffic control
in the town. That’s a priority on my list,” Griffin said.
McKenrick, who organized a recent survey of 29016 residents
and chairs the town’s planning commission, says he wants to continue moving
Blythewood in the right direction. That direction, he says, has to do with
paying attention to the comprehensive plan that is currently being written for
the town.
“I also think this council needs to rise above petty
differences and concentrate on what’s best for everyone. It’s time to listen to
new ideas and maybe change the way things have always been done,” McKenrick
said. “I would particularly like to see the town get itself out of this mess of
lawsuits and move on to a better place. That’s important.”
The election was held at Blythewood Recreation Park on Boney Road.
Winners Sloan Griffin and Rich McKenrick congratulate each other. | Barbara Ball
WINNSBORO – A woman who was found dead in the woods off Bull Run Road in White Oak by Fairfield County Sheriff’s deputies may have been the victim of a homicide.
The Charlotte Mecklenberg Police Department notified the
Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department on Thursday, Oct. 14, that a 30-year-old
female named Laporscha Chantal Baldwin was reported missing by her mother on
Oct. 10, and that they had information that Baldwin might have been murdered.
The incident report stated that a witness had reported that
a man named Charles William Combs, 35, was a suspect in the case and had been
in the Bull Run Road area between 3 and 5 a.m. on Oct. 11, possibly attempting
to dispose of the body, according to the report.
At about 5:45 p.m. that day, the Fairfield County Sheriff’s
deputies located the body of a deceased female in a wooded area off Bull Run
Road which was closed due to a bridge being out.
The Charlotte Mecklenberg Police Department identified the
body as that of the victim in their case.
There is no information about how the woman died or a motive
in her death.
The incident is being investigated by SLED and the
Mecklenberg Police Department.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
Standing in for Kelly Powell’s parents, Bill and Jennifer Trapp present the Eagle Scout badge to Powell. | Contributed
BLYTHEWOOD – It is not often you hear about a wrong being righted after 27 years.
But on Friday, Sept. 17, that’s exactly what happened. Kelly
Powell was awarded his Eagle Scout badge that was denied to him in 1994.
The story begins sometime in 1988 when Powell was a young
Boy Scout working hard to earn his merit badges in the Ridgeway/Blythewood
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Ward Troop. Along the way, according to Travis Peake, a
former Scout Master, Powell not only worked to earn his own badges, but went
out of his way to help younger Scouts earn theirs.
“Kelly was one of those boys who was always the example of
how to do things right,” Peake said. “He always made sure the younger scouts
were having a good time on their first camp-out away from home or while they
were learning a new skill. He always
attended and helped with all the camp-outs, summer camps, service projects,
regular scout meetings and merit badge classes,” Peake said.
Nearing the end of his Scouting career Powell launched his
Eagle Scout project.
With the assistance of his leaders, the project – a blood drive
– was planned and presented to the local Scout Committee for approval. The committee approved the blood drive, and
Powell carried it out on July 2, 1994.
The blood drive was a big success, and Red Cross commended
Powell for his organization, hard work and dedication to the project. The next step was to present the completed
project, including paperwork, to the Eagle Scout review board.
Powell was accompanied to the review board meeting by Scout
Committee member William (Bill) C. Ferguson, LTC, US Army, Retired, of
Blythewood.
“When Kelly explained his project to the board, he
thoughtfully kept mentioning what his family did to help him. When asked why
his family did so much he had trouble explaining himself,” Ferguson said,
interceding.
“Because it was the July 4 holiday, many Scouts were out of
town, so Kelly had to rely on his family a great deal.”
At the end of the presentation, astonishingly, one board
member said he felt the project was “not good enough” even though it had been
approved by the Scout Committee.
The Eagle Scout rank was denied Kelly Powell. He was
devastated.
The decision was appealed.
While a different set of board members are supposed to hear
appeals, there was only one member on Powell’s appeal board – the same man who
had deemed the project unworthy at the initial review. He denied the appeal.
While this violated the Boy Scouts of America appeal
procedures, there was not enough time before Powell’s 18th birthday to complete
another project. And, until this day,
there is no record of the appeal hearing recorded on the local or national
level.
Powell, disappointed, accepted his fate and continued to
help other Scouts earn their Eagle awards.
In 1997, Powell moved with his family to Idaho, but kept in
touch with his Blythewood and Ridgeway Scout and church acquaintances.
Carl Reynolds, who was the Bishop for the local ward of the
Church, which sponsored Powell’s troop from 1986 to 1994, noticed a poignant
post on Powell’s Facebook page: “Of all
the things I ever wanted in my life was to be an Eagle Scout.“
“This ate at me,” Reynolds re called, “for several years.”
In 2011, Reynolds set out to right the wrong Powell
suffered. He was joined in this quest by Powell’s fellow Scouts and local Scout
and church leaders. Over the years, they
never forgot the injustice that had been visited upon one of their own
“I know in my heart that Kelly Powell deserves to be an
Eagle Scout. He always went beyond what
was required of him in all things, not just in Scouting,” said Jeffery Branham
who had been a Scout along with Powell.
“To right the wrong, we had to find all the records. There
were no national records of scout badges prior to 1994, so we had to trace all
Kelly’s badges through a notebook Aubrey Trapp had kept of his own badges.
Trapp and Powell had gotten all the same badges at the same time,” Reynolds
said.
“After years of calling and e-mailing Scout officials across
the country, finally it was determined that proper procedure had not been
followed in denying the project initially and in the appeal,” he said.
On Dec. 17, 2018 five people convened for a board of review
for Powell. Within 15 minutes, the board
voted to award Powell his Eagle Scout badge.
“We were making plans to get Kelly back to Blythewood for
the presentation when COVID hit,” Reynolds said. “We wanted to award it to him
here where he earned it.”
Finally, last week, Powell arrived in town and was awarded
his Eagle Scout badge before many of his former Scout friends and church
members.
“I want to say thank you to my parents, fellow scouts and my
sister Emily,” Powell said to those in attendance “I am in shock and awe of
this award. Spending time with the Scouts whether it was camping or going to
the mall is something I will always cherish,” he said.
BLYTHEWOOD – During a special called meeting last week,
council voted 4 – 1 to approve an emergency mask ordinance that is, according
to Town Administrator Carroll Williamson, largely like the one recently passed
by Richland County and similar to the one the Town enacted last year.
Councilman Eddie Baughman voted against the ordinance.
One difference in this ordinance and the county’s is that
the Blythewood ordinance does not apply to schools, Williamson said.
The ordinance requires masks to be worn in all commercial
establishments for the next 60 days.
Councilman Brock asked how the ordinance will apply to the
Oktoberfest.
“There would be no exception for the event,” Williamson
said.
As for enforcement of the ordinance at Oktoberfest,
Williamson said, “We will make sure they do everything they can to comply with
the ordnance.”
He said, however, that there are no enforcement plans
specifically.
“It does say every effort will be made for voluntary
compliance,” Williamson said.
Brock suggested an amendment that would alleviate the
businesses from having to fund special protections by providing the town’s
businesses with all necessary hand sanitizer, masks and face coverings as
reasonably requested.
Councilman Larry Griffin asked, “Are we doing this just to
do it? Or are we going to enforce it?”
Council did not address fines which are listed in the ordinance as $25 for noncompliance. Business owners/managers of restaurants, retail stores, salons, grocery stores, and pharmacies in the Town must require their employees to wear a face covering and can be fined up to $100 if their employees do not comply with the ordinance.
General Mask Mandate
1. All persons entering a commercial establishment in the Town must wear a face covering, which covers the mouth and nose, while inside the establishment. A face covering must also be worn in situations where distances between people change frequently such as a busy sidewalk, waiting area, or popular outdoor area where it is impractical or impossible to maintain six feet of distance at all times. This paragraph does not apply to religious establishments or schools. However, the use of face coverings is recommended during religious and school activities as well.
2. All restaurants, retail stores, salons, grocery stores, and pharmacies in the Town must require their employees to wear a face covering, which covers the mouth and nose, at all times while having face to face interaction with the public.
3. Any person who is unable to safely wear a face covering due to age, an underlying health condition, or is unable to remove the face covering without the assistance of others is exempt from this Ordinance.
4. Face coverings are not required in the following circumstances:
In personal vehicles;
When a person is alone in enclosed spaces; during outdoor physical activity, provided the active person maintains a minimum of six (6) feet from other people at all times;
When a person is alone or only with other household members;
While drinking, eating or smoking;
When wearing a face covering causes or aggravates a health condition.
When wearing a face covering would prevent the receipt of personal services.
When a person is 10 years of age or younger.
5. A person who fails to comply with Paragraph 1 of this
Ordinance shall be guilty of a civil infraction, punishable by a fine of not
more than $25.00. A person who fails to comply with Paragraph 2 of this
Ordinance shall be guilty of a civil infraction, punishable by a fine of not
more than $100.00.
6. Each day of a continuing violation of this Ordinance shall be considered a separate and distinct offense. In addition to the fines established by this paragraph, repeated violations of this Ordinance by a person who owns, manages, operates or otherwise controls a business subject to this Ordinance may, subject to all procedural protections set forth in the Town Code, result in the suspension or revocation of any occupancy permit or business license issued to a business where the repeated violations occurred. Repeated violations of this Ordinance are additionally hereby declared to be a public nuisance, which may be abated by the Town by restraining order, preliminary and permanent injunction, or other means provided for by the laws of this State. The foregoing notwithstanding, every effort shall be made to bring the business into voluntary compliance with the terms of this Ordinance prior to the issuance of any citation. For the purposes of Paragraph 2 of this Ordinance, “person” shall be defined as any individual associated with the business who has the control or authority and ability to enforce the social distancing requirements of the Ordinance within the business, such as an owner, manager or supervisor. “Person” may also include an employee or other designee that is present at the business but does not have the title of manager, supervisor, etc., but has the authority and ability to ensure that the requirements of this Ordinance are met while the business is open to the public.
BLYTHEWOOD – Town Attorney Shannon Burnett has resigned her position with the town, according to emails exchanged between Councilman Donald Brock and Town Administrator Carroll Williamson on Tuesday, almost a week after sources say Burnett’s resignation letter was received by Williamson.
Burnett
When Williamson was asked for a copy of Burnett’s resignation letter, Mayor Bryan Franklin considered the request as “harassment and intimidation” of Williamson and sent an angry email to Brock (see below) expressing his dismay, asking Brock to resign his council seat.
Rumors had been circulating since Thursday, Sept. 16, that
Burnett had submitted her resignation Wednesday afternoon, Sept 15. The Voice
was unable to independently verify that timeline.
On Tuesday, Sept. 21, Brock sent an email to Williamson
asking if Burnett had, indeed, resigned and, if she had, why had the council
not been notified.
Williamson responded that Burnett had sent her resignation
to both him and Mayor Bryan Franklin, but offered no other information about
the resignation except that he assumed Burnett had notified council.
“I emailed Mr. Williamson again, asking him to forward Ms.
Burnett’s letter to the full council. So far I have not received the letter or
any further correspondence from Mr. Williamson on the subject,” Brock said.
Two other council members told The Voice that they also had
not been notified by anyone at town hall about Burnett’s resignation the
previous week.
By law, council is responsible for hiring and firing both
the town administrator and the municipal attorney. The Town Administrator is
responsible for hiring and firing all other town employees.
On Tuesday, The Voice sent the following email to
Williamson: “I was informed last week
that Shannon Burnett has submitted her resignation. I just now learned that you
have confirmed that. Could you send me a copy of her resignation letter?”
Late Tuesday evening, Franklin sent a fiery email to Brock,
admonishing both him and The Voice for “harassing and intimidating” Williamson
over the issue.
The above email was the only email The Voice sent to
Williamson concerning Burnett’s letter.
Once Burnett’s letter was received by town hall, it became
public information. The complete thread
of emails exchanged between Brock, Williamson and Franklin on Tuesday is
printed in the column at below. Brock shared the thread with both The Voice and
The Country Chronicle.
Burnett and Williamson have each been employed by the Town
less than a year. Burnett was hired in October, 2020, and Williamson was hired
in January, 2021.
Since the first of 2021, the Town has been beset by council drama and was sued in June by MPA Strategies marketing firm after Franklin failed to timely turn over responsive documents to an FOIA request submitted by MPA Strategies’ attorney Joseph Dickey, Jr., on April 15, 2021.
Mayor Franklin Takes Off the Gloves
The following is an email exchange in which Councilman Brock asked for a copy of Town Attorney Shannon Burnett’s resignation letter to be shared with council members six days after it was submitted to Franklin and the town administrator.
From: Donald Brock
To: Carroll Williamson
Mr. Williamson,
It’s been brought to
my attention that Ms. Burnett submitted her letter of resignation last
Thursday.
First question: is this accurate?
If so, why has Council not been informed of this upcoming
personnel change?
Councilman Brock
—– —– —– —– —–
From: Carroll Williamson
To: Donald Brock
Councilman Brock,
Yes, Ms. Burnett submitted her resignation letter to the
Mayor and me. Since she was hired by
Town Council, I assumed she was notifying all of you as well. I apologize for the miscommunication.
Later this morning, I am speaking with the MASC attorney Eric
Shytle to get his feedback on advertising and hiring her replacement. I’ll keep you all updated as the process
proceeds.
Carroll
—– —– —– —– —–
From: Donald Brock
To: Carroll Williamson
Thank you for confirming.
Ms. Burnett may have reach out to others but not me, which is why I
inquired.
Also, thank you for being proactive in the upcoming search
for our next town attorney. I will look
forward to updates at our next meeting on the 27th.
Furthermore, I will be emailing you a list of items that I
feel need addressing on the 27th.
Thanks
dB
—– —– —– —– —–
From: Carroll Williamson
To: Donald Brock
Councilman Brock,
The most effective
way to get items on the agenda is to send them to the Mayor first since he sets
the agenda. Then he will notify me. Otherwise, it just adds another step in the
process.
Thank you.
Carroll
—– —– —– —– —–
From: Donald Brock
To: Carroll Williamson
That’s fine. I will be more than happy to copy the Mayor and
all other members of Council.
Finally, since you stated that the Town Attorney works for
the Council, will you please send her letter of resignation to the full
Council? I believe it’s in everyone’s
best interest that we all see it.
Councilman Brock
—– —– —– —– —–
From: Bryan Franklin
To: Donald Brock
Councilman Brock,
Please allow our
Town Administrator the opportunity to run the town. You and Barbara Ball need
to stop intimidating and bullying him. Ever since you have been elected, you
have become quite the distraction. In fact, my recent research has indicated
your actions have cost the town of Blythewood around $40,000.00 in frivolous
and unnecessary legal fees due to your unscrupulous activities and dishonest
actions (I hope will soon be proven in court). I anticipate this amount may
rise to $100,000 or more. I hope you will be held personally accountable for
any misdeeds at the next election, regardless of who your political strategist
is. The public deserves to know – I really hope you haven’t deleted any
emails…the town’s day in court is coming.
As for Ms. Burnett:
Did you reach out to her? You certainly didn’t attempt to contact me. She
delivered her letter so that the Town Administrator and I (as the Mayor) could
begin discussing a good transition to
best keep the Town covered – doing our job. Your job is to interview and
vote for her potential replacement. Did you and your apparent media
strategist/partner Barbara Ball even think that Ms. Burnett may want to
publicly present her resignation? If you had bothered to pick up the phone and
call her, you would have learned she wanted to address the Council first.
Barbara Ball is also asking for Shannon’s letter – I wonder how she heard about
it? Shame on you both for trying to spin this, apparently promoting your own
agendas. This conduct would normally be shocking, but given what you are both
seemingly trying to do, I guess it’s really not…it’s actually becoming
expected and routine…and sad.
Before you cost our
Town more money with your alliances that damage Blythewood, promote yourself
and your corrupt media accomplices, and fantasize about remaining a
representative of the people, please have enough honor to do the right thing
and resign. You no longer enjoy my trust and confidence to serve as a council
member because of what I perceive to be devious (and hopefully soon to be
disclosed) plots. Bottom line, stop attacking the Town’s employees as they work
to protect this Town.
COLUMBIA – A Blythewood parent will not be charged in the
death of 20-month old twin boys who died after being left in a hot car for more
than nine hours, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said during a press
conference Tuesday morning.
“It didn’t happen on purpose,” Lott said. “He (the father)
didn’t mean to do it. God, he didn’t mean to do it. He’s got to live with this
for the rest of his life.”
Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford disclosed on Sept.
2, that the identical twins brothers, Brayden and Brycen McDaniel, had likely
died of hyperthermia. That was confirmed in the Tuesday press conference.
Lott said an investigation into the deaths determined it was
an accident.
“We did an intensive investigation,” he said. “No questions
left unanswered.”
Lott said the father went to the Sunshine House Early
Learning Academy about 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 1, to pick up the twins who were
enrolled in the day care, and was told the twins were not there.
“He (the father) went to look for them. He went back to the
car and that’s when he found them,” Lott said. “He did some things to try to
save them, but it was too late.”
Deputies and EMS were called and paramedics pronounced the
twins dead at the scene.
According to Rutherford, the twins died of a type of
hyperthermia.
“A body temperature of 104 or 105 can cause febrile seizures
and death, so with the heat index in that care at 120, as we believe, so it
didn’t take long.
Rutherford asked the community to pray for the twins’ family.
Brayden Sha’Ron Ashford McDaniel
Brycen George Ashford McDaniel
BLYTHEWOOD – Prince Brycen George Ashford McDaniel and
Prince Brayden Sha’Ron Ashford McDaniel were beacons of light that came in to
this world on December 23, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. Their parents, Elmore and LaTrice, couldn’t
have ask for anything more beautiful and precious than those angelic little
“Sweet Peas.” Their earthly presence brought blissful delight to everyone who
came in contact with their happy little spirits. They departed this life
peacefully together on September 1, 2021.
Brycen and Brayden enjoyed learning with their teachers and
playing with their friends at the Sunshine House.
They were fun-loving little boys, with smiles that could
light up an entire room. They enjoyed laughing, giving wet kisses, singing,
listening to their Daddy and PaPa play jazzy tunes on the saxophone and dancing
to music from Earth, Wind and Fire and Frankie Beverly and Maze. Yes, they were
wise way beyond their years.
They were preceded in death by: their grandparents, Sharon
Miller Jamison, Sallie K. McDaniel and Elmore Ashford.
Brycen and Brayden leaves to mourn their passing: loving
parents, Elmore Ashford McDaniel and LaTrice Jamison McDaniel of Blythewood ,
SC; sisters, Alayisha McDaniel, Morgan McDaniel and Maddison McDaniel of
Blythewood, SC; brother, Blake Elmore Ashford McDaniel of Blythewood;
grandfather, George Jamison of Summerville, SC; special grandparents, Barbara
and (PaPa) John Wright of Orangeburg, SC; aunts; Joann Johnson, Sandra Jean
McDaniel, Jerometha McDaniel, Mary Vivian McDaniel, Trician Davis and
Christie(Earl) Hudgins, all of Columbia;
uncles, Christopher G. (LaTowya) Jamison of Summerville, SC, Frankie J. McDaniel, and Lawrence Ashford of
Columbia; God sister, Shadai K. English of Blythewood, SC; and a host of loving
relatives and dear friends who will always cherish their beautiful memories.
