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  • Town Council allocates $17,360K for concert series

    BLYTHEWOOD – In addition to $15,000 that Blythewood Town Council appropriated earlier this year to Bravo Blythewood for a spring concert series, it voted unanimously last week to approve an additional $2,360 from Hospitality Taxes (H-Tax).

    Four concerts will be held April 27, May 3, May 10 and May 17, 2019 at the Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union Amphitheater in Doko Meadows Park at a cost of $46,000.

    Mayor J. Michael Ross said Bravo Blythewood will raise the remaining $28,640.

    Revenue Sources

    A budget sheet for the event presented to council by Martha Jones, president of Bravo Blythewood, listed those additional revenue sources as: sponsorships, $11,000; food vendors, $1,500; beer/wine sales, $14,560 and non-alcoholic beer sales, $1,634.

    “You have made a real commitment in what you’re saying you’re going to spend, and how you’re going to raise it and how you’re going to get sponsorships,” Ross said, addressing Jones. “In looking through this, it looks really good, and I can’t wait for it,” Ross stated.

    Expenses

    The group will spend $9,000 on an event project manager, $9,500 on the headline band, $4,290 on beer and wine, $3,000 for the amphitheater, $1,200 to ‘volunteers,’ and Bravo Blythewood will keep $4,000.

    Nineteen hundred and twenty dollars will go to Sheriff’s patrol, $1,700 will go to family entertainment and $1,200 to Freeway Music opening band.

    Newspaper advertising will include $1,800 to The Country Chronicle, $400 to The Voice, $1,101.60 to Northeast News and $1,250 going to social media and web advertising, $500 for signs, $35 for posters and another $5,000 + for décor, rentals, graphics and other items.

    Camp Discovery

    Council also approved a one-time donation of $750 to Camp Discovery.

    The donation came at the request of council member Malcolm Gordge, who sits on the camp’s board. Last month, Gordge invited the leaders of Camp Discovery to give a presentation to the council in consideration of the camp’s ongoing efforts and their funding needs in order to continue their operations.

    The camp relies on donations from the public and various foundations to keep its gates open, which Gordge called “challenging” at times. Before the official decision, Gordge had asked the council if a donation in the range of $500 to $1,000 would be possible.

    Ross recommended the donation be made out of the town’s promotions fund.

  • Fairfield County Man arrested on child pornography charges

    Luffman

    WINNSBORO –  A Winnsboro man has been charged with 10 counts connected to the sexual exploitation of a minor.

    John Thamer Luffman, 31, was arrested on Dec. 19. He is accused of distributing and possessing files of child pornography and charged with four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, second degree (§16-15-405), a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment on each count; and six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, third degree (§16-15-410), a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment on each count.

    Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Attorney General’s Office made the arrest. Investigators with the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office and United States Secret Service, both also members of the state’s ICAC Task Force, and the Winnsboro Police Department assisted with the arrest.

    The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office.

    Attorney General Wilson stressed all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.

  • Providence Health-Fairfield ER opens

    After a grand opening for the community (above) on Dec. 13, the new Providence Health-Fairfield Emergency Room on Tuesday.

    WINNSBORO – As the baton passed from Fairfield Memorial Hospital (FMH) to Providence Health-Fairfield Emergency Room on Tuesday, citizens in Fairfield County were not without health care service for a minute. As FMH officially closed its doors forever, the county’s new ER opened its doors the same day to a new world of state-of-the-art emergency health care for Fairfield County.

    The opening of Providence Health’s emergency room comes after almost three years of planning and cooperation between the FMH board and administration, Fairfield County administrative staff and Providence Health and legislative intervention from the county’s former State Sen. Creighton Coleman and former State Rep. MaryGail Douglas.

    And there could be more good news to come as the FMH board continues to market (through ROI Commercial out of Columbia) the available 25-bed hospital building for another health care entity.

    The new ER facility, located across from Bi-Lo, near the intersection of US 321 and Highway 34, includes 12,000-square-feet for emergency services, featuring six exam rooms (including four treatment rooms and two for future expansion), two trauma rooms, an onsite laboratory, imaging services such as computerized tomography (CT) scan, ultrasound and x-ray.

    An additional 6,000 square feet of space is available for future expansion of services as needs in the community are identified.

    If the new facility to provide continuity of health care in the Fairfield community was a long time coming, some close to the project say it is a modern miracle that it came at all as hundreds of other rural hospitals have closed in recent years, three of those in South Carolina. But for the infusion of millions of dollars from the county in recent years, Fairfield Memorial might have shuttered much earlier.

    Funded by $12M from LifePoint Health for construction of the new facility and $10M ($1M a year for the next 10 years) from Fairfield County, the free standing Providence Health ER was also made possible in part by nearly $4M in transformational funding from South Carolina’s Hospital Transformation Program which supports rural access to healthcare resources.

    Those transformational dollars, appropriated by the legislature, are earmarked to go to large hospitals like Providence to encourage them to partner with rural hospitals that are in danger of closing. Because talks between the hospital and Providence were still in the early stages as the deadline for application for the funds loomed, it was through the significant efforts of Coleman and Douglas that the house and senate extended the application deadline for the Providence project.

    “This Emergency Room is a shining example of what can occur when multiple organizations work together to do what’s right for the community,” Providence-Northeast Hospital CEO Lindy White said in a statement on Tuesday. “The new facility will serve the county’s patients during their times of greatest need and, at the same time, keep them close to home.

    “It is a blessing and an honor,” White said, “to serve such a welcoming part of the country.”

  • Blythewood man killed on I-26

    LEXINGTON – A Blythewood man died in a motor vehicle crash on I-26 Eastbound near exit 104 on Wednesday about 9:45 p.m., Dec. 12.

    Thaire Mkijana, 20, was traveling in the center lane when his vehicle became disabled and was struck from behind by another vehicle, according the Lexington County Cororner’s office. Mkijana was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

    The driver of the other vehicle was transported to an area hospital with reportedly minor injuries.

    The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating.

  • R2 Schools locked down as precaution

    BLYTHEWOOD – An incident that involved shots fired impacted several Richland Two schools in Blythewood on Monday after deputies began looking for a suspect in the Highlands neighborhood in Northeast Columbia. The shooting incident, which happened in the 4800 block of Hardscrabble Road, caused increased patrols in the area around Hardscrabble and prompted the Richland County Sheriff’s Department to place a limited lockdown on several Richland Two schools Monday afternoon.

    Due to the possibility that the suspect was within the community, the following schools were placed on a short delay for bus riders and walkers only: Bridge Creek Elementary, Rice Creek Elementary, Lake Carolina Elementary Upper and Lower, Center for Inquiry, Center for Achievement, Kelly Mill Middle, Blythewood Middle, Summit Parkway Middle and Ridge View High.

    Car riders were released on schedule.

    In an email on Monday afternoon, Sgt. Amanda Jordon with the Richland County Sheriff’s Public Information Office, stated that at about 2:30 p.m., deputies determined that the public was no longer in danger and the buses were released.

    Westwood Threat

    Across town, a threat that was allegedly made towards students and faculty members at Westwood High School last week has been deemed “not credible” by Richland County authorities.

    According to Deputy Alexis Aarons with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department public information office, a child with intellectual disabilities overheard a conversation and misunderstood what was being said in regards to a post on social media last week.

    “There was no intent to do harm in the post. No charges will be filed in this case,” Aarons stated.

    On Friday morning, Dec 14, at approximately 10 a.m., school officials notified parents that a morning assembly planned at the school was being cancelled after they were alerted that a threatening message was being sent through Snapchat.

    According to officials, the message said that a boy with a gun had threatened to cause harm during the assembly.

    By Friday afternoon, officials informed parents that the threat was already not appearing to be credible and that the faculty was continuing the day as normal on campus.

    Principal Cheryl Guy released a message to parents Friday afternoon saying that there had been no credible threats made against any student or the school, and that officials had acted swiftly when receiving the initial complaint.

    “I am thankful that we have students who immediately reported it to staff, and our School Resource Officer and our administrators were able to quickly investigate,” she stated in the notice.

    “A threat of any nature is not a joke to us,” she added in another notice.

    The assembly was rescheduled for Monday morning, and was held without incident.

    Barbara Ball contributed to this article.

  • Richland 2 board members fail Ethics 101

    BLYTHEWOOD – Most sitting members of the Richland 2 Board of Education have major gaps in their state-mandated ethics filings, a review of public records shows.

    Three board members failed to file Statements of Economic Interest forms for at least one calendar year.

    Two of those three board members also haven’t filed quarterly campaign disclosure forms since 2016.

    And virtually everyone currently on the board has either been late or missed at least one quarterly report, according to the S.C. Ethics Commission online database.

    Craig Plank, who did not win election to the board last month, filed his SEI form on time every year. He also filed an initial report, one quarterly report and a final report, documents show.

    The Richland 2 school board plays a direct role in developing the district’s annual budget, which for the 2017-2018 fiscal year totaled $273.9 million, according to the school district website.

    The board also recently voted to place a referendum question on the November ballot that asked taxpayers for permission to borrow an additional $476 million to pay for school facility projects.

    Voters approved the referendum, resulting in a property tax increase for homes and businesses in Richland 2.

    Because Richland 2 board members are entrusted with spending millions of dollars in taxpayer money, greater scrutiny of their ethics filings is appropriate, said Jay Bender, a media law attorney representing the S.C. Press Association.

    “You have all these people who take office who pay no attention what the requirements are, and that’s unfortunate,” Bender said.

    Forgotten forms

    As of Tuesday, Richland 2 board member James Shadd III still had not filed Statements of Economic Interest forms for 2017 or 2018. SEI forms disclose an elected official’s income and potential conflicts of interest.

    Shadd III, who ran a separate campaign for solicitor, hasn’t filed quarterly campaign disclosure statements since Oct. 31, 2016. State law requires quarterly reports to be filed in January, April, July and October.

    “All candidates with contributions on hand must file a quarterly report covering from the last report through the end of the calendar quarter,” the Ethics Commission web site states. “The quarterly report is required of all candidates once they have begun to file, whether there has been any financial activity or not.”

    Shadd III couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday.

    Board chairwoman Amelia McKie (2015-2018) and newly elected board member Teresa Holmes (2018) also missed filing SEI forms.

    The forms weren’t filed with the Ethics Commission until Dec. 4, nearly a month after the general election. They were due March 30.

    Both McKie and Holmes filed their SEI forms after The Voice informed them that they hadn’t been filed.

    McKie said she had filed her forms “months ago.” The Voice has been unable to reach Holmes for comment.

    Richland 2 board member Cheryl Caution-Parker, who was more than a month late in filing all of her 2018 quarterly campaign disclosure reports, said she saved her work when filing online, but forgot to click ‘File.’

    As with McKie and Holmes, Caution-Parker filed shortly after being contacted by The Voice.

    “It just didn’t cross my mind to double check because I thought everything was fine when I sent it,” Caution-Parker said.

    “A lot of times when you’re smack in the middle of the campaign and things are coming at you from so many different directions, it’s very hard to keep up with everything,” she continued.

    Walker said filing dates published on the Ethics Commission website are considered the official filing dates. She said that “it’s the duty of every candidate” to file the forms correctly.

    Two other Richland 2 board members have late or missing ethics forms, according to the agency’s online database:

    James Manning – Campaign Disclosure Initial Report not filed. Initial reports must be filed within 10 days of spending or receiving the first $500 of campaign funds. Manning reported receiving a $1,000 contribution from Brownstone Construction Group, LLC on Aug. 21, 2018.

    Monica Elkins – Quarterly campaign disclosure reports not filed since April 10, 2017.

    Board member Lindsay Agostini’s last Campaign Disclosure report on file was a final report dated March 24, 2017.

    Final reports are filed only after a candidate’s campaign account is closed. To qualify, a candidate must have a zero balance and no outstanding campaign debts, according to the Ethics Commission website.

    “Once a final report is filed, a candidate may not accept or spend any funds for the campaign,” the website states.

    Agostini’s final report listed a zero balance on her form. She would have to file a new initial report once she spends or receives at least $500 in new donations, according to the commission.

    Her last SEI report was properly filed March 29, 2018.

    More trouble for McKie

    Walker, the ethics commission spokeswoman, said she “can neither confirm or deny” whether any new complaints have been filed against Richland 2 board members.

    Complaints only become public when the commission determines that probable cause exists.

    So far, McKie is the only sitting board member who’s been fined for prior ethics violations, according to ethics commission records.

    In July 2018, the commission fined McKie $41,000 as part of an eight-count complaint for failing to disclose campaign contributions.

    The agency’s online database states McKie hasn’t filed any campaign disclosure reports since February 2015.

    McKie has until Dec. 30 to pay the first $20,000 and if she doesn’t, the fine increases to $51,750, public records show. She hadn’t paid any of the money as of Tuesday, Walker said.

    In addition to ethics fines, McKie recently faced legal troubles in Richland County civil court.

    McKie is listed as a co-defendant in a foreclosure lawsuit that was filed in June 2017.

    According to the suit, McKie’s homeowner’s association placed a lien on property located on Hunters Pond Road after $1,800 in assessments went unpaid. The HOA later foreclosed on McKie’s home.

    “The Defendant(s) has failed to make consistent payments of the assessments and interest, although demand for payment has been made,” the suit states.

    The suit also sought legal fees and expenses, bringing the total bill as of August 2018 to about $6,050, court filings state.

    On Oct. 2, a judge signed off on the foreclosure and request for sale at public auction.

    The case, however, was disposed Nov. 29 after court documents were filed stating that sufficient funds had been paid to satisfy the judgment.

    How did this happen?

    As ethics reporting deadlines have eluded Richland 2 board members, tracing how the tardy filings went unchecked remains equally unclear.

    Section 8-13-1110 of state law says no public official “may take the oath of office or enter upon his official responsibilities” unless a Statement of Economic Interest form is filed.

    According to that definition, it would mean that McKie has illegally served on the school board since 2015, the first year she failed to file an SEI form. The oath of office statute likely doesn’t impact Holmes since she only filed a month late.

    Chris Whitmire, spokesman for the State Election Commission, said the agency is only responsible for ensuring that candidates file statements of candidacy.

    Whitmire said the agency would only remove from the ballot any candidate who fails to file that form. He noted campaign disclosures and SEI forms fall under the Ethics Commission’s purview.

    “I would think compliance would be a question for that body,” Whitmire said.

    Walker, the ethics commission spokeswoman, said only the election commission has the power to remove a candidate from the ballot.

    Instead, the ethics commission only fines candidates, and only for violations of campaign finance and ethics laws, Walker said.

    “We don’t file an injunction or anything,” she said.

    Fines wouldn’t kick in until after candidates are notified by mail and a formal complaint is filed.

    Complaints aren’t made public until the commission determines “probable cause” exists that a violation occurred, Walker said.

    Failing to file SEI forms previously carried dire consequences for more than 200 candidates in one recent election.

    In 2012, the S.C. Supreme Court ruled anyone failing to file SEIs when officially filing for public office must be removed from the ballot.

    “We fully appreciate the consequences of our decision, as lives have been disrupted and political aspirations put on hold,” the ruling stated.

    “However, the conduct of the political parties in their failure to follow the clear and unmistakable directives of the General Assembly has brought us to this point. Sidestepping the issue now would only delay the inevitable.”

    In 2013, the General Assembly passed a new ethics law which placed the election commission in charge of candidacy filings and the ethics commission in charge of campaign finance and ethics-related reporting.

    The issue of public officials being sworn in after failing to file economic interest forms has yet to be tested in court.

    In August 2017, the S.C. Attorney General’s Office issued an opinion relating to economic interest forms.

    The opinion, though, only affirms that candidates must file an SEI form after either filing a statement of candidacy or if the candidate has an open campaign account. It doesn’t address what happens if a candidate fails to file an SEI, and is subsequently sworn in.

    An attorney general spokesperson couldn’t be reached for comment.

  • China-based mattress manufacturer coming to former Mack Truck plant

    WINNSBORO – China-based Healthcare Co., Ltd., announced Monday that it plans to establish new operation, Healthcare US Co., Ltd., in Fairfield County. The company’s $45 million investment is projected to create 250 new jobs in the county.

    Healthcare US Co., Ltd. is expected to launch its new, 650,000-square-foot, Fairfield County facility in the first quarter of 2019. Located at 1 Guardian Way in Winnsboro, where Mack Truck was previously housed, the operation will specialize in the production of memory-foam mattresses for a variety of customers. Hiring is also slated to begin early next year, and interested applicants should contact healthcare.us@hkfoam.com for more information.

    At Monday night’s council meeting, council members gave second reading to an ordinance authorizing the execution of a fee in lieu of taxes and incentive agreement with the company. Third and final reading will likely occur in January, 2019.

    Besides mattresses, Healthcare Co. Ltd. also produces pillows and sofas and is the largest memory foam manufacturer in China. It has doubled its production capacity every year since it was established in 2003.

    Company global export volumes exceeded $250 million in 2015, the company’s website reported.

    “Fairfield County is beyond excited and thankful that Healthcare USA Co., Ltd. has chosen to locate its first U.S. factory in Winnsboro,” said Fairfield County Council Chairman Billy Smith. “The representatives of this company with whom we’ve worked throughout this process have been a pleasure to do business with, and we look forward to their future operation and success within the county. We welcome them with open and supporting arms and are hopeful that others will see this and know that Fairfield County is open for business and focused on the kind of growth that will be beneficial both for our citizens and the businesses that choose to locate and invest with us.”

    Smith said one feature of Fairfield County that appealed to Healthcare Co. Ltd. is its proximity to I-77, and that it is strategically located between Columbia and Charlotte.

    Smith also said the region has a skilled workforce, a trait he attributed to the state’s technical college system.

    “It’s a big plus, a big positive for Fairfield County,” Smith said. “It’s one of the globally leading manufacturers in China, and they are expanding. We look forward to welcoming them here.”

    “We’re happy to be establishing this new facility in Fairfield County, and we are very appreciative of the ongoing support from both the local and state governments,” Healthcare Co., Ltd. President James Ni said. “This is a milestone for our company, and we are excited to support the community we will soon be calling home.”

    Founded in Jiangsu, China in 2003, Healthcare Co., Ltd. is the first publicly-traded, memory-foam mattress manufacturer in China. Becoming a global industry leader, the company has established overseas production operations in both Serbia and Spain, with approximately 3,600 workers globally.

    The S.C. Coordinating Council for Economic Development has awarded a $300,000 Rural Infrastructure Fund grant to Fairfield County to assist with the costs of building renovations.

    “South Carolina’s ongoing economic success can be attributed, in part, to our manufacturing prowess and ability to recruit foreign direct investment,” Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt said. “This $45 million investment in Fairfield County only reinforces that notion. We look forward to this new partnership.”

    FIVE FAST FACTS

    Healthcare US Co., Ltd. is launching new Fairfield County operations.

    $45 million investment to create 250 new jobs.

    Healthcare US Co., Ltd. is a China-based manufacturer of memory-foam mattresses for a variety of customers.

    Located at 1 Guardian Way in Winnsboro, the company is expected to launch its new, 650,000-square-foot facility in the first quarter of 2019.

    Hiring is expected to begin simultaneously, and interested applicants should contact healthcare.us@hkfoam.com for more information.

  • Neighbors nab thief in their own front yard

    BLYTHEWOOD – In the Plantation Parkway neighborhood of Blythewood, neighbors worked together earlier this month to catch a 17-year-old who was charged with burglary.

    Around 9:30 p.m. Sunday night, Dec. 2, a Plantation Parkway resident went outside to turn off his Christmas lights when he noticed a man walking down the sidewalk in the neighborhood wearing black clothing and a black backpack.

    The resident later told Sheriff’s deputies that he was suspicious of the man and decided to take a second look outside.

    It was then that the resident noticed the male in black clothing pulling on car door handles.

    It was reported that the resident confronted the suspect who then ran off. The resident drove through the neighborhood in an effort to find the suspect, according to the report. As the resident drove around the neighborhood, he came upon neighbors who were discussing an incident in which a woman’s wallet had just been stolen out of her car while she was visiting a home on the street.

    While those neighbors were calling law enforcement, they reportedly saw the man in black clothing walking around the corner but no longer wearing the backpack. The man went into a home that turned out to be his parents’ home on the same street as the burglaries.

    With the help of the neighbors, deputies arrested Parker Grant ,17, and charged him with Larceny/Breaking Into a Motor Vehicle. Grant was released on an $800 Personal Recognizance bond and could face up to five years in prison or a $1,000 fine if convicted.

    Representatives from the sheriff’s department, who have recently been conducting neighborhood meetings to encourage residents to take precautions against car break-ins, applauded residents in the neighborhood for looking out for each other.

    The Sheriff’s department has recently advised residents in Blythewood neighborhoods to lock their vehicle doors, hide belongings from view and invest in security or alarm systems.

  • Richland 2 chair owes $41,000 in ethics fines

    BLYTHEWOOD – Amelia McKie, chair of the Richland 2 Board of Education, owes at least $41,000 in fines to the S.C. Ethics Commission, according to agency documents obtained by The Voice.

    McKie

    McKie has until Dec. 31 to pay the first $20,000. The remaining $21,000 is due June 30, 2019, documents state.

    The fines are spelled out in an order the ethics commission issued July 3.
    According to an eight-count complaint the commission filed, McKie failed to file quarterly campaign disclosure reports on seven occasions in 2015 and 2016 for the 2014 election.

    The eighth count says McKie failed to disclose expenditures on a campaign report, documents show.

    As of Thursday, the forms still had not been filed. The most recent quarterly report appearing on the ethics commission’s online database is dated Jan. 10, 2015.

    Campaign disclosure reports for the 2018 election also don’t appear on the ethics commission’s website.

    If the fines aren’t paid, McKie faces a judgment of $51,750, the order states.

    Attempts to reach McKie by phone and email were unsuccessful.

    More ethics forms remain unfiled

    McKie’s $41,000 fine is in addition to any additional fines or penalties she may face for failing to file Statements of Economic Interest forms with the ethics commission.

    On Dec. 4, McKie filed her 2018 economic interest forms, hours after The Voice telephoned her about the forms not being filed, according to the ethics commission website and an agency spokeswoman.

    The forms were due March 30, according to state law.

    In a telephone interview Tuesday, McKie told The Voice that she had filed her 2018 form “weeks ago.”

    “I’ll try to find out where the disconnect was,” McKie said. “There here shouldn’t have been a problem. Certainly I want to get to the bottom of whatever the disconnect is.”

    The ethics commission stood by its assertion that the form was filed Friday, Dec. 4, not weeks ago.

    “The statements were filed on the date and time shown on the website,” the agency said via email. “I am aware of no glitch in the application that would cause a document to become ‘lost’ in the system.”

    In addition to 2018, McKie also didn’t file economic interest forms for 2015-2017 until Dec. 4, 2018.

    McKie filed her 2014 form on Aug. 15, 2014, the ethics commission online database shows.

    The ethics commission spokesperson declined to comment about the potential for additional fines relating to McKie’s economic interest forms, but reiterated that the online database is correct.

    “Everything on the website is accurate but may not contain the latest information,” the spokesperson said.
    According to state law, a $100 civil penalty is levied to candidates failing to file on time following a five-day grace period. Penalties increase to $10 per calendar day starting 10 days after the commission provides notice by certified or registered mail.

    Daily fines increase to $100 for every day the form isn’t filed, with total fines capping at $5,000. Criminal penalties kick in if forms still aren’t filed.

    The ethics commission website also lists McKie on the agency’s debtor’s list, a list consisting of public officials with unpaid fines and civil penalties.

    As of Dec. 6, the list said McKie owes $233.30 stemming from an unspecified 2016 debt. It’s unclear whether or not that debt is associated with the $41,000 judgment.

    The ethics commission said it couldn’t respond to The Voice’s inquiries about McKie’s inclusion on the debtor’s list.

    Why McKie owes $41,000

    McKie’s $41,000 fine includes a “reduced late-filing penalty” of $24,245, a $16,000 civil penalty and a $575 administrative fee, documents show.

    According to the order, McKie’s failed to file campaign disclosure reports after January 2015. The ethics commission fined McKie $600 for late filings of her 2015 and 2016 quarterly contribution reports.

    Daily fines began accruing in August 2016. A complaint was then filed after the ethics commission said it received no response from McKie.

    The filing further states that an agency investigator telephoned McKie on Sept. 29, 2016, instructing her to file the required paperwork.

    “From October 27, 2016, and January 10, 2017, Commission investigators made multiple attempts to bring Respondent into compliance with no success,” the order states.

    Investigators visited McKie’s home on Jan. 10, 2017, “to advise Respondent of the accruing penalties and the need to file the requisite reports,” the order continues.

    McKie made an appointment with the agency the following day, but failed to file the reports, according to the order.

    At that point, the ethics commission subpoenaed McKie’s campaign bank records. The last check written from that account was dated April 3, 2016.

    “Respondent’s campaign bank account records revealed no other activity with the exception of bank fees in the amount of $10.00 per month until the bank account was force-closed on January 30, 2017,” ethics documents state.

    The commission issued a Notice of Hearing to McKie in May 2018. The hearing took place June 21, but McKie didn’t appear, agency records state.

  • Council says goodbye to Smith

    WINNSBORO – Billy Smith is going out like Ted Williams.

    Since his election four years ago, the departing Fairfield County Council chairman has set a new standard for Fairfield County government from bringing parliamentary procedures to meetings to getting things done. Smith, his council and administration have challenged a major utility over a failed nuclear plant, successfully fought for the repurposing of the crumbling Mt. Zion Institute for administrative offices, helped broker major economic deals, including one this week that promises to create 250 jobs, brought state of the art emergency health care to the county brought civility and efficiency to county council meetings – no mean feat.

    Councilwoman Bertha Goins thanks Council Chairman Billy Smith for his service. | Michael Smith

    Not bad for a 28-year-old.

    Elected at age 24, Smith is moving to Louisiana where his wife has accepted a position with LSU. Smith announced in June that he wasn’t seeking re-election. He officially steps down Dec. 31.

    “Being on council has been a very challenging and humbling experience,” he said. “But most of all it’s been self-rewarding, both internally and externally. It’s given me experiences that I never thought that I would have had.

    “I hope in the next few years I’ll be able to see the progress that’s been built on the foundation the county laid, and see the positive benefits from that,” Smith continued.

    Council members honored Smith at Monday night’s council meeting, his last as chairman.

    They presented him with an award honoring his service and held a reception following the meeting. Councilman Dan Ruff, who is also stepping off council, was honored as well.

    Bertha Goins, vice-chairman of the council, said Smith was, “an excellent team leader” who led by example.

    “You’re a tough, young man and you need to stay that way,” Goins said. “You’ve had concern and compassion for the team and for the public as well. May God bless you and continually open doors for you.”

    Ten people signed up to speak during the first public input session, and two more in the second session. Several took time to thank Smith for his service.

    One woman, who fought tears from the podium, said Smith has developed into “such a fine young man,” saying he always kept residents in mind.

    Fairfield County resident Kathy Faulk, a spokeswoman with the Hoof & Paw Benevolent Society, has worked closely with Smith over the past several months on a new animal control ordinance, which passed third reading Monday night.

    “Thank you to Mr. Smith for your service and your hard work. You will be missed, and we wish you well in this next phase of your life,” she said.

    Representing District 7, Smith was elected to County Council in 2014. He was elected chairman two years later, making him one of the youngest – if not the youngest – council chairs in the state.

    But don’t mistake his youth for inexperience.

    Smith possesses a deep understanding of the issues, allowing him to confront difficult political topics, from the failed V.C. Summer nuclear plant to the school district’s proposed Teacher Village.

    Smith scored several political victories over the past several months.

    He successfully lobbied to repurpose the Mt. Zion building into a new county administration building.

    Under his leadership, the county is on the verge of finalizing a major economic development deal with Healthcare US Co. Lt., which has announced plans this week to expand operations into the old Mack Truck building, creating 250 jobs and investing $45 million.

    Smith’s preparedness allowed him to run fluid, efficient meetings, in which he breezes through agenda items like an auctioneer. He said his style helped bring consistency and order to meetings in which complex topics are often up for debate.

    “When you make up rules as you go along, you unfortunately apply those rules differently as well,” Smith said. “I wanted to get away from that. I wanted to get everyone on the same page and have them understand what the rules are. The goal of a meeting is to conduct the business of the county.”

    As for the future, Smith doesn’t know if he’ll seek public office again after making the move to Louisiana, though he didn’t rule anything out.

    “I saw an opportunity to help the place (Winnsboro) I call home, then help it improve, and I took that opportunity,” Smith said.