Ramblin’ Road band members, from left, Ethan McChesney, Evan Purday, Andrew Moak, and Jonathan Douglas, will take the stage following the July 3 Fireworks in Doko Park.
BLYTHEWOOD – When four guys from Blythewood, Ridgeway and Winnsboro signed up separately over the last five years for music lessons at Freeway Music, little did they expect to eventually become a locally popular southern rock band.
But, sure enough, that’s what happened.
Performing under the name Ramblin’ Road, the four will play their biggest gig yet at the July 3 Blythewood Fireworks bash in the Palmetto Citizens Credit Union Amphitheater in Doko Park. While they aren’t the headliner or even the opener, they have a place on the stage as the ‘after-fireworks’ performance – and they’re getting paid.
When the fireworks end at about 10 p.m., Ramblin’ Road will take the stage. If the crowd sticks around for the after-show, it’s likely the group could be performing in front of 4,000 to 5,000 people.
“Things are moving much faster than we ever imagined,” Jonathan Douglas, one of the group’s guitarist/singers, said.
The band first consisted of Douglas and Ethan McChesney, a bass guitarist from Blythewood.
“Then a little while later, Evan Purday, a drummer from Ridgeway, joined us. About a year and a half ago, Andrew Moak of Blythewood, also a guitarist and vocalist, became our fourth member,” Douglas said.
The group’s music is a mix of southern rock and country.
“Not a lot of people our age play stuff that was good way back and continues to be good,” Douglas said. “We play everything from Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash to Charley Daniels and Lynyrd Skynard.”
While everyone in the group is in or just out of high school – Moak is 16, Douglas is 17, McChesney is 18 and Purday is 20 – Douglas said they all have a background in music.
“I mean, all of us at some time picked up a guitar,” he added. The group is an unabashed advertisement for Freeway Music, and Douglas is quick to give the music company credit for Ramblin’ Road’s burgeoning success.
“A lot of kids go to Freeway to learn music,” Douglas said. “We went there to get better. After we started performing as a group, we still depended on the studio for a place to practice and for equipment for performances, but we now practice at each other’s homes and we have enough equipment that we can pretty much roll out an entire show with our own stuff.”
Douglas said the group performs about twice a month, and he and Moak handle the bookings.
“We have a pretty good following of people who enjoy what we play. We love to perform. We play till they make us stop,” Douglas said with a grin.
Douglas said the group hopes to make a career out of their music.
“If it happens, it happens,” he said. “If not, we’ll be fine.”
For now, Douglas said the band is enjoying what they do and are looking forward to performing in the town’s amphitheater.
“We hope everyone will stay and hear our music,” Douglas said.
The park opens at 4 p.m., Wednesday, July 3, with Eboni Ramm performing from 5 – 5:45 p.m., A. J. Sanders from 6 – 6:30, Blues Deluxe from 6:45 – 7:30 p.m., DB Bryant from 8 – 9:30 p.m. (fireworks from 9:30 – 10 p.m.) and Ramblin’ Road from 10 – 11 p.m.
More than 20 food vendors will be on site. Bring the kids, lawn chairs, a blanket and enjoy.
RICHLAND COUNTY – A Blythewood resident has been identified as one of two people killed in a crash on I-20 Saturday night, and a Kingstree man was arrested on Sunday and charged with two counts of felony DUI and denied bond.
Andrew Tad Reeser, 45, died when he was struck by a vehicle while he and another man were changing a tire in the emergency lane of I-20 eastbound at approximately 9:20 p.m., according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Brian Kinney Walker, 49, was also struck by the vehicle and was transported by Richland County EMS to Prisma Health Richland Memorial Hospital where he died at 10:41 p.m.
An autopsy indicated that the cause of death for both men was due to multiple blunt force Injuries to the body, according to Richland County Coroner Gary Watts. The incident occurred near mile marker 84, near Spears Creek Church Road.
A van and a Jeep were parked in the emergency lane as Reeser and Walker were changing a tire on the van, the report states. A third vehicle, driven by Cornelius Joseph Floyd, according officials, hit the back of the Jeep pushing it into the van which hit the two individuals, officials said.
Floyd, 28, was taken to a hospital to receive treatment and was arrested on Sunday.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office and the SC Highway Patrol are investigating the incident.
Blythewood man killed in crash
Published on: June 16, 2019
RICHLAND COUNTY – A Blythewood resident has been identified as one of two people killed in a crash on I-20 Saturday night.
Andrew Tad Reeser, 45, died when he was struck by a vehicle as he and another man were changing a tire in the emergency lane of I-20 eastbound at approximately 9:20 p.m.
Brian Kinney Walker, 49, was also struck by the vehicle and was transported by Richland County EMS to Prisma Health Richland Memorial Hospital where he died at 10:41 p.m.
An autopsy indicated that the cause of death for both men was due to multiple blunt force Injuries to the body, according to Richland County Coroner Gary Watts. The incident occurred near mile marker 84, near Spears Creek Church Road.
A van and a Jeep were parked in the emergency lane as two people were changing a tire on the van, the report states. A third vehicle hit the back of the Jeep pushing it into the van, which hit the two individuals, officials said.
The driver of the third vehicle was taken to a hospital to receive treatment. The driver’s condition is unknown at this time.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office and the SC Highway Patrol are investigating the incident.
BLYTHEWOOD – At least one suspect has been arrested in the aftermath of a string of thefts from mostly unlocked cars and the theft of two vehicles from a gated community in Blythewood last week.
Elijah Ameria Worthy, 18, was arrested on Friday, June 7, on charges of possession of a stolen vehicle, larceny/breaking into a motor vehicle and two counts of financial transaction card theft that occurred in Cobblestone Park.
On Thursday, June 6, Richland County Deputies responded to multiple reports of vehicle tampering and two vehicle thefts in the neighborhood.
The suspect or suspects entered nine vehicles, which were left unlocked, and stole various property including handbags, wallets, electronics and tools, according to the incident report. Additionally, two vehicles which had spare keys inside were stolen. Both of those vehicles were later recovered in the 100 block of Mary Lawhorn Road.
Worthy was arrested the next day at his home on Marietta Street in Columbia where deputies found him in the driver’s seat of a vehicle that was reported stolen.
Worthy was in possession of two credit cards which had previously been stolen from two different vehicles in the Cobblestone and Lake Carolina communities, according to the incident report. He was linked to a vehicle break-in in the Blythewood area after a latent print was lifted from the vehicle and was confirmed through the RCSD’s Latent Print section as being Worthy’s.
It was reported that two of the thefts were from vehicles at Blythewood Mayor J. Michael Ross’s home. Another resident, Ed Parler, the town’s Director of Economic Development, said that while his vehicles were spared, his neighbor’s Cadillac Escalade was stolen as well as another one down the street.
“After the shock of it, I think it was a wake-up call for us to be more cautious,” Parler said.
Worthy is being held in the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Columbia.
Planning Commissioners recommend allowing sandwich board signs in town.
BLYTHEWOOD – The prohibition of sandwich board signs in the town has long been the bane of many shop owners in Blythewood. Those days may be over if a recommendation made to Town Council last week by the Planning Commission comes to fruition.
At the June 3 Planning Commission meeting, Town Administrator Brian Cook proposed an amendment to the current sign ordinance for options that would allow all the town’s businesses to advertise with sandwich boards so long as the signs meet certain size requirements and are set up and taken down at specified times.
The signs can be any A-frame sign consisting of two boards hinged at the top hanging back to back.
Sandwich board sign regulations were added under a section for exempt signs. One sandwich board sign can be permitted to an onsite commercial owner/operator only during the hours when the establishment is open. The sign can be no larger than three feet tall and two feet wide, with a maximum of two sign faces.
Town’s PC recommends prohibiting feather flags.
Cook said the town can remove any sign that causes interference with vehicular or pedestrian traffic, or in the event of any emergency situation, or that interferes with any work that is to be performed on the public sidewalk and/or right-of-way by or on behalf of the town.
In all instances, the amendment specifies that the sign shall be placed on the business’ lot, at least five feet outside of right of way, shall be constructed of a material and weight to ensure general stability and shall not block visibility.
While sandwich signs are currently prohibited, many businesses such as Bloomin’ Bean Coffee Bar and others have set them out for the last few years with little interference from Town Hall.
That’s not to say that a business can stake out other types of signs in front of the business.
Cook clarified that feather flags, which have been popping up around town the last couple of years, are prohibited under the amendment.
Other prohibited signs, according to the proposed ordinance, include “any sign (other than a government sign), banner, feather flag, festoon, or display placed on any curb, sidewalk (except where otherwise permitted in this subchapter), post, pole, hydrant, bridge, tree or other surface located on, over or across any public street or right-of-way, or any banner, placed on stakes on a property, unless a permitted temporary or grand opening banner, otherwise permitted.
The proposed sign amendment was approved unanimously and will now move to Town Council for the first of two votes on June. 24 at The Manor.
WINNSBORO – In what was described in a sheriff’s report as a riot at Cambio Academy in Greenbrier last week, seven teenage girls were arrested.
After receiving a call from the Academy shortly before 6:30 a.m., Sunday morning, that 20 teenage girls were assaulting a staff member, Fairfield County Sheriff’s deputies, assisted by the S.C. Highway Patrol, arrived at the facility to find about 15 girls in the side yard of the facility surrounding the victim who was standing in front of one of the assailants, according to sheriff’s deputies.
As the officers tried to clear the area and escort the girls back inside the building, the incident report states that the teenagers continued to fight and yell. After several attempts to return the group to their rooms, officers reported that two of the girls pushed past the officers and were detained.
EMS transported two of the offenders to Providence Emergency Room in Winnsboro and then to FCDC. Five other offenders were arrested and transported to DJJ in Columbia.
There was no information about the condition of the victim.
All seven girls were charged with disorderly conduct.
Cambio Academy is a residential treatment center on Greenbrier-Mossy Dale Road for troubled teens ages 13 – 18.
WINNSBORO – It took multiple attempts for some recently appointed Fairfield and Chester county magistrate appointees to pass two basic skills exams required by state law, and one appointee couldn’t pass the tests at all.
Katina Capers-Washington and Vanessa Hollins, both appointed to magistrate posts on May 21, passed on the first attempt, an agency spokeswoman said.
Two other Fairfield magistrates, Jannita Gaston and Danielle Miller, also appointed on May 21, have taken the two exams on multiple dates, according to S.C. Court Administration.
At least one of the Fairfield appointees still has not passed the exams, a source with knowledge of the exams said.
Two Chester County magistrates also took the exams multiple times. The other two passed on the first try.
State law requires magistrate candidates to pass the Wonderlich Personnel Test and the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal II before they can be appointed.
The exams are designed to test rudimentary skills, Bob McCurdy, assistant director of Court Administration, said in a 2018 memo.
“Successful examinees will need at least a sixth grade reading level, knowledge of basic mathematics, how to tell time, days of the week and months of the year, and a basic knowledge of U.S. monetary units and the U.S. Customary System of weights and measures,” the memo said.
A Court Administration representative wouldn’t disclose how the candidates scored, nor would she verify if any candidate failed to pass.
“This information is confidential,” agency spokeswoman Ginny Jones said. “If you would like to request it, you will need to file a motion with the Supreme Court.”
Jay Bender, an attorney with the S.C. Press Association, of which The Voice is a member, said it’s critical for the public to know whether or not magistrate candidates have passed the required exams.
“It’s a serious problem if we put people on who are not qualified,” Bender said.
Testy Situations
The testing revelations raise new questions about whether all the Fairfield and Chester candidates are truly qualified to serve. They also cast doubt on whether the nomination process was as transparent as previously advertised and whether it complied with state law.
According to S.C. statute 22-2-5, magistrate candidates must pass the two exams prior to being appointed.
“A senatorial delegation must use the results of these eligibility examinations to assist in its selection of nominees,” the statute reads. “No person is eligible to be appointed as a magistrate unless he receives a passing score on the eligibility examination.”
Sen. Mike Fanning, D-Great Falls, announced the appointment of the four Fairfield candidates via Facebook on May 21.
“Earlier today, these outstanding four individuals were officially appointed and will begin their 4-year service on Wednesday, May 22, 2019,” Fanning posted.
However, as of May 22, none of the four nominees had even taken the required exams, let alone passed them.
Capers-Washington was first to be tested. She passed on her first try on May 23. Hollins came next, also passing the test on the first try on May 28.
Miller didn’t take the tests until May 30. She took the exams again on June 7.
Gaston wasn’t tested until June 4, and took the exams again on June 10.
Other Requirements
In addition to passing the exams, candidates for appointment must also hold a bachelor’s degree. If magistrates aren’t lawyers, they must observe 10 magistrate court trials before they are allowed to hear cases.
More magistrate troubles
To help appoint magistrates, Fanning created screening committees in Fairfield and Chester counties, tasking them with conducting interviews and making nominations for magistrate appointees.
Three Chester County representatives – Dwayne Robinson (a Chester County deputy sheriff), Calvin Gore (also a Chester County Sheriff’s employee and former magistrate), and Angel Underwood (current Chester County chief magistrate and wife of former Chester County Sheriff Alex Underwood) – comprised the list of the selection committee for Fairfield magistrate applicants according to documents provided by Fanning’s office in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from The Voice.
Two names, however, were missing from that list – Alex Underwood and Fanning, himself. At least one magistrate candidate said the selection committee that interviewed her included Alex underwood and Fanning along with Angel Underwood and Gore.
Alex Underwood, 55, is one of three Chester County law enforcement officials indicted in an unlawful arrest and excessive use of force case filed on May 7.
Charges were filed after the FBI raided the Chester County Sheriff’s Office in late April.
It was not immediately clear why Alex Underwood’s and Fanning’s names were not included in documents that Fanning’s office provided to The Voice.
Attempts to reach Fanning by phone were unsuccessful. An email seeking comment was not immediately returned.
On April 28, in a Facebook post appearing after the raid but before the indictments, Fanning, who lives in Great Falls and represents all of Fairfield and Chester counties, urged people not to rush to judgment.
Fanning also threw his support behind Underwood.
“Our Chester County Sheriff has gone above and beyond what is required of him as a law enforcement professional,” the post states.
“Let us not allow this to lead us to forget his many accomplishments, achievements, and his genuine love and decades of service to Chester County,” Fanning continued. “This is the time to stand behind the man who would lay down his life for us all.”
If convicted on all counts, Underwood faces more than 50 years in prison. Underwood has pleaded not guilty, according to court records.
Underwood in the room
Weeks before his arrest, Underwood participated in at least some magistrate interviews, according to Mattie Stewart Smith, one of several candidates the screening committee interviewed.
Mattie Smith
Speaking with The Voice on Monday, Smith went into greater detail about Alex Underwood’s involvement, including the kinds of questions she says he asked.
Smith said one of Underwood’s questions centered on her availability to sign warrants, regardless of the time.
“He was explaining that law enforcement individuals have to come and get warrants signed,” she said. “He said ‘would you be willing to have them come to your house to get them signed?’”
“I said, ‘yes, I don’t have a problem with that,’” Smith recalled. “He said, ‘oh that’s good because it is a problem sometimes.’”
Smith also recalls Underwood asking her if she had any issues working a four-day workweek. She said she didn’t.
“I did not have a problem with that. I explained to them that basically I was retired, that my time is my time,” Smith said.
Smith said she’s certain Underwood was present for the interviews, despite a recent media report that cited an anonymous source disputing Smith’s account.
She said he remained for the entire interview, which was conducted in executive session. Smith remembers Underwood stating he helped provide security a few years ago during her 30th wedding anniversary vows renewal.
“He said ‘Your food was good and the ceremony was really nice,’” Smith said.
Smith added that this was her second attempt seeking a Fairfield magistrate post, and that it’s unlikely she’ll try again, noting the process has become too political.
“Looking back, it soured me to the whole process. I’ve worked for government for 36 years and I’ve always done my job, I’ve never played politics,” she said. “I just feel that there are a lot agendas here that I’m not aware of. I’m not interested in anything here because I don’t like the maneuvering.”
Record of legal challenges
Although Alex Underwood was indicted after magistrate interviews occurred, the pending case is the latest in a long line of legal challenges the sheriff’s department has faced under Underwood’s leadership, according to judicial records.
Since 2014, Underwood has been listed as a defendant or codefendant in eight federal lawsuits. Additional lawsuits have been filed and adjudicated in state court, according to court records.
Some cases were filed by private citizens, which like the pending criminal case against Underwood, allege unnecessary use of force or failure to follow protocol.
COLUMBIA – Delays being experienced on Killian Road in the area of I-77 will last approximately six weeks according to SCDOT officials. SCDOT began a construction project to repair the bridge over I-77 on Monday evening.
The project will be done in two phases, each lasting about three weeks, according to an announcement by SCDOT. The right lane of westbound Killian Road will be closed first, starting at Killian Crossing and ending beyond the overpass of I-77. Upon completion of the right lane of the bridge, traffic will be shifted onto the new lane and the left lane will then be closed to traffic to continue the final stage of the bridge deck repairs.
The entire project is estimated to take approximately 6 weeks, barring delays due to weather or other circumstances. Work will be done around the clock to lessen the impact to motorists as much as possible, officials said.
SCDOT warned that traffic in the area is very busy and could cause significant traffic and delays. Officials encouraged motorists to avoid the area by taking alternate routes if possible during construction.
Officials say crews will work around the clock. SCDOT crews ask that motorists please drive with caution in the construction area.
The project is part of SCDOT’s 10-year plan to improve what it calls structurally deficient bridges throughout South Carolina.
All on-ramps and off-ramps to I-77 at this interchange will remain open during construction.
WINNSBORO – It took a little longer than expected, but Fairfield County managed to pass its 2019-2020 operating budget Monday night.
Separately, council members also approved a series of new taxes and fees largely aimed at boosting tourism related revenue.
The council voted 5-0 to approve final reading of the $45.2 million budget. Council members Douglas Pauley and Mikel Trapp were absent.
Pauley and Trapp voted against final reading at the May 28 meeting, but for vastly different reasons. The May 28 vote failed 3-3.
Pauley thought overall spending skyrocketed to unacceptable levels while Trapp wanted more spending, specifically $100,000 for mini-parks in his district.
Councilman Moses Bell, who previously sought $900,000 in additional spending for a recreation center in his district, also voted against the budget on May 28.
Bell changed his vote Monday night so Fairfield County could move forward with an operating budget.
“I felt that the recreation center in Ridgeway should’ve been part of the budget process. I felt very strongly about that,” Bell said. “But again, we need to pass this budget. We really do for the betterment of this county.
“But as I said earlier, I am very disappointed that we couldn’t move forward with the recreation center,” Bell continued.
Monday night’s budget vote was set up by a motion to reconsider the council’s 3-3 vote on May 28, allowing the council to avoid restarting the budget voting process from scratch, said county attorney Tommy Morgan.
“A motion to reconsider is an opportunity for the body, such as county council, to bring back an item for reconsideration no later than the very next meeting,” Morgan said. “What happens is the prevailing party, the party that voted against the budget, is the person that could move to reconsider.”
Later in the meeting, Council Chairman Neil Robinson said the budget represents a start in helping Fairfield County address infrastructure needs, some of which he said are 15-20 years behind.
“We are on a good track. Sometimes we argue and fuss, but we get things done,” Robinson said. “No, it’s not what we wanted, but it [the budget] is OK with me. Things are going to happen.”
In related fiscal matters, the council approved final reading on ordinances to establish a 3 percent tourism development fee and 2 percent hospitality tax.
The council had previously considered the measures in March, but backed off after several residents voiced concerns about the tax, how it would be implemented and whether it would drive away tourism instead of enhancing it.
Council members revisited the new fees after soliciting feedback from county residents.
“We did take a lot of comments from the public and these changes are in response to comments from the public,” County Administrator Jason Taylor said.
Most of those changes involved spelling out exactly how the taxes and fees would be collected and spent.
The tourism development fee would be collected on the “rental of hotels, motels, and other lodging establishments” in the county. Money can be spent on tourism-related buildings (such as civic centers, coliseums and aquariums); tourism-related cultural, recreational, or historic facilities; beach access, renourishment, or other tourism-related lands and water access; highways, roads, streets, and bridges providing access to tourist destinations; advertisements and promotions related to tourism development, or water and sewer infrastructure to serve tourism related demand.
The hospitality tax would be collected on prepared meals and beverages, and could be spent on various tourism-related capital projects, according to council documents.
Morgan, the county attorney, said an exception would exist for the Town of Ridgeway, which has its own tourism and hospitality taxes. Those taxes would be divided evenly between the town and county.
Rezoning Request Now Heads for Richland County Council
COLUMBIA – In horseracing terms, it’s pretty close to a hat trick.
More than 50 residents of Crickentree and other Columbia area golf course communities pulled off a third upset in their quest to stop the rezoning of a former golf course property that borders their neighborhood from Traditional Recreational Open Space (TROS) to a residential zoning classification
This time the win came at Monday afternoon’s Richland County Planning Commission where the panel voted against recommending Low Density Residential (RS-LD) zoning to council with a vote of 5-2.
In April, the Commission voted against rezoning the property to Medium Density Residential (RS-MD) by a vote of 7-1. The third victory, of sorts, occurred last month when the applicant, E-Capital, withdrew its rezoning request for Richland County Council’s consideration just minutes before the matter was to be discussed and voted on.
The county planning staff recommended approval before it went before the Planning Commission on Monday.
Robert Fuller, a Columbia attorney representing E-Capital, reasoned that the RS-LD zoning, allowing 3.63 homes to the acre, is the same as the Crickentree property zoning.
County zoning administrator Geo Price pointed out, however, that Crickentree lots are actually larger with 1.04 homes to the acre.
Resident Russ St. Marie said chapter 26 of the county’s zoning ordinance directs that TROS zoned properties and their current uses are to be preserved and protected.
“TROS zoning is just another zoning designation,” Commissioner David Tuttle, one of two commissioners voting for the rezoning, said. “It’s just another zoning classification.
“In this zoning, lots would be restricted to no less than 1,200 square feet,” Fuller told the panel. “We would restrict the number of homes to 207 with a 150-foot buffer between the golf course property and the Crickentree neighborhood. This is the only way the owner can make anything of it.”
The issue will go before County Council on Tuesday, June 25, for first reading and a public hearing. This is the only meeting that residents will be allowed to speak to the issue.
WINNSBORO – Fairfield County Board of Trustees voted to approve its nearly $46.3 million budget Tuesday night, but it was a discussion over comparatively less money that ignited the fireworks.
At one point, one board member hollered at another amid questions over her own travel expenses, eventually prompting the board chairman to angrily slam his gavel several times to restore order.
It all started when board member Paula Hartman started quizzing district Superintendent Dr. J.R. Green about travel expenses and policies, both by students and the board.
Specifically, Hartmann asked about the district’s Griffin Bow Tie Club’s recent trip to Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Bow Tie Club “is a comprehensive group mentoring program for middle and high school male students,” according to the school district’s website.
“When they go on trips, don’t we still have to approve it if they go out of state?” Hartman asked. “Didn’t the Bow Tie Club go to Churchill Downs? When was that approved?”
Green said the Bow Tie Club’s budget falls under the superintendent’s discretionary account, though he couldn’t say when the Churchill Downs trip was approved or how much the trip cost. Typically it’s approved at the beginning of the year, he said.
“I’d have to go back and check. It very well could’ve been an oversight,” Green said.
Green later defended the Churchill Downs trip, saying students benefited greatly from it.
“That was an absolutely wonderful experience for our young people,” he said. “This is an absolutely ideal way to use district resources, to expose our young people. They saw some things they otherwise would not have seen.”
Then Hartman asked whether approval has been given for the Fairfield District Honors Chorus’ upcoming trip to Italy. Green said it has been approved, and that about 20 students and five or six chaperones are going.
Hartman’s next question lit the fuse.
“What’s the board policy on board members going?” Hartman asked. “I understand that [board member] Sylvia Harrison is going, to support them.”
Board chairman William Frick quickly interjected.
Frick said Harrison is receiving $600 to cover her per diem expenses in Italy. He also defended Harrison’s travel habits while criticizing Hartman’s.
“What it’s paying for is the per diem amount, and I approved that,” Frick said. “Just ask me when you want to go to Myrtle Beach for a finance conference then, Ms. Hartman.”
“That was actually to learn something. It’s still something to learn about the budget,” Hartman replied.
Harrison angrily defended her travel spending, stating that she pays for her travel.
“I know you’re saying this so [The Voice] will write it in the paper. My trip to Italy is paid out of my pocket,” Harrison said. “When we went to Myrtle Beach, when all the board stayed in a regular hotel, did you tell [The Voice] you stayed in a hotel that cost $500 a night? Don’t worry about where I’m going because my trips are paid for out of my pocket.”
Harrison later apologized for the outburst before the meeting adjourned.
The Voice couldn’t immediately verify Harrison’s claim about Hartman spending $500 for a hotel room because school board agenda documents don’t itemize expenses.
Public records, however, show that Harrison’s travel expenses outpaced Hartman’s by $4,300 during the 2018 calendar year.
In 2018, Harrison took five trips totaling 23 days at a cost of $9,742.82. Board documents state she traveled to San Antonio, Texas; Washington, D.C.; Hilton Head, Charleston and Myrtle Beach for various conferences.
Hartman took four trips totaling 14 days at a cost of $5,442.38. She traveled to two conferences in Myrtle Beach and one each in Hilton Head and Charleston, records show.
Debate finally ended with several swings from Frick’s gavel. The board promptly voted to approve the budget 6-1, with Hartman opposing.
As to Hartman’s original question about travel policies, Green said the board has none.
“There is no board policy. So Ms. Harrison or any other chaperone would attend the trip. Ms. Harrison would be no different,” Green said.
The board, however, did enact a policy in 2013, according to a story in The Voice.
Former board chair Beth Reid announced the policy at a July 2013 meeting. At the time it was decided to place all board travel of $600 and above as an agenda item under the Chairman’s Report, where it is today.
Board members are required to report travel, though board approval is not needed for trips.
The policy was enacted “for knowledge of other Board members, so we know who’s going and who’s not, who’s going to be in attendance and who can report back to us after attending a conference,” Reid said at the time.
It was also enacted “so we know we’re not stepping all over each other,” Reid continued. “We don’t necessarily need for all Board members to be at all conferences.”
