Splash Omnimedia was on scene in Winnsboro last week filming inside some of the town’s stores, interviewing customers and merchants. Town Council hired the marking firm to promote the merchants and the downtown area. | Barbara Ball
WINNSBORO – With the intent of showing off its downtown merchants, the Winnsboro Town Council recently hired a marketing firm to produce a video to promote the various shops and restaurants on the town’s website, Town Clerk Lorraine Abel said in an interview with The Voice.
Splash Omnimedia, a Lexington marketing firm, spent several days last week in the downtown area getting to know the merchants and their customers and what they love about the town.
Abel, who organized the event, said she was extremely happy with how it all went, including a buffet luncheon the town government provided for the marketing crew during the filming on Thursday.
In Oldies and Goodies, a vintage/consignment shop on South Congress Street, the film crew interviewed Wilson Chevrolet sales manager Lon Jackson who was browsing the store with his wife, Disa, and their two children Zoe and Lane.
Moving up the street, the crew stopped in at The Donut Guy and spent some time in Petal Pushers Uptown flower and gift shop visiting with shop owner Christine Richardson and her daughter Paisley. They then proceeded to the Cornwallis House of Tea, Sunshine & Serenity, Song Bird Manor bed and breakfast, the Railroad Museum and the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce.
The three-minute video, some of which was filmed with a drone, will also feature some of Winnsboro’s parks and historic homes.
Abel said the Town Council spent about $3,800 for the video which will appear on the website in late November or early December.
WINNSBORO: The Voice received clarification this morning that two people, not three as previously reported, were shot in last night’s shooting in the Drawdy Park area behind the Fairfield County Administration Building in Winnsboro.
One victim was shot in the leg and another was possibly grazed by a bullet.
A third victim, who was injured from an alleged beating, was taken to Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia.
The Voice will continue to update as more information becomes available.
Updated 10/25/18 12:59 p.m.
WINNSBORO – Three people were shot in the area of Drawdy Park behind the Fairfield County Administration Building about 7 p.m. Wednesday evening, according to county officials. All three were taken to Fairfield Memorial Hospital where officials say one victim is in critical condition and was transferred to Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia. A second victim was shot in the leg and another was grazed by a bullet.
Officials report there were possibly multiple shooters and that the shots were fired following a fight that broke out among a large number of teens gathered in the park.
No one is in custody at this time.
The investigation is being conducted by the Winnsboro Department of Public Safety and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
The Voice will update as more information becomes available.
RIDGEWAY – It appeared last week that the almost 20-year-old Ridgeway institution – Pig on the Ridge – was about to breathe its last. The festival survived an up or down vote by the hair of its chinny-chin-chin when the POR steering committee voted 3 – 1 on Oct. 11, for the 2018 Pig on the Ridge to go on. Donald Prioleau voted against.
In early October, Prioleau announced to the other three committee members – Tom Connor, Rufus Jones and Henry Dixon – that the 75-or-so longtime community volunteer servers, who worked under his supervision during the festival, had told him they were going to sit out the 2018 Pig on the Ridge because they were upset at the town government over the defunding of the town’s police department. That defunding resulted in the elimination of Police Chief Christopher Culp’s job. Ridgway’s policing was subsequently turned over to the Fairfield County Sheriff’s department. Prioleau said the volunteers were also disgruntled over how they perceived Prioleau, the town councilman with oversight of the police department, had been treated by council.
“They’re not talking Pig on the Ridge. They’re talking Town, starting with Pig on the Ridge. And there’s other things they’re going to bring,” Prioleau warned.
Prioleau said the standoff included not only the volunteer servers provided by the town’s churches for the festival, but other vital personnel as well – the car cruise organizer, the man who assisted in meat delivery, the soft drink organizer, the railroad employee who handled the traditional train stop during the festival, the singing groups who entertained and others. The most crucial blow, however, was that the event’s most popular performer, the dj – Prioleau, himself – would not participate.
After Prioleau’s announcement, one committee member said he didn’t see how the event could go on without those volunteers.
“But to not have it this year would be the end of Pig on the Ridge,” he said.
A meeting was called on Oct. 11, for the committee to vote whether the festival would go. After calling that meeting to order, Chairman Connor had his say right off.
“I favor continuing,” Connor said. “Here’s why. As the originator and a founding member of this committee, I’ve seen the many positive impacts over the last 19 years because of the Pig on the Ridge festival – things such as enhanced community relations, donations to help with community needs, etc.,” he said.
Every year, the committee reached out to 21 churches who provide the 75 volunteers. Each church received $300 to purchase Christmas gifts for children who might not otherwise receive gifts.
“We are now faced with deciding the festival’s fate,” Connor continued, “because some key volunteers will not be available as in past years. It appears their decisions are to express their reaction to Town Council’s defunding of the Town Police Department,” he said.
“Pig on the Ridge, as a body, had no role and no voice in Council’s decision,” he added. “I’m sure the kids who have had a better Christmas in prior years because of Pig on the Ridge had no voice in this, and Pig on the Ridge does not wish such a voice,” Connor said.
“Is Pig on the Ridge guilty of something by affiliation [with town government]? And must it, therefore, suffer consequences for that affiliation?” he asked.
Connor clarified after the meeting that the town government handles all Pig on the Ridge funds and keeps those financial records but does not interfere with the event’s management.
Connor explained in the Oct. 11 meeting that many Pig on the Ridge providers have already ordered their supplies, more than 60 certified barbecue judges have been recruited and that significant sums of money have been spent.
“To discontinue at this late date throws them under the bus,” Connor said.
Connor reviewed the committee’s original goals: to conduct a family friendly event and to generate funds to donate back to the community. He said the event is designed to enhance a diverse community.
According to Connor, the festival has been the largest barbecue event in the state almost every year since 1999. He said the South Carolina BBQ Association recognizes Pig on the Ridge as a premier cook-off in the state.
“I hope whatever divides this community at this point can be mutually addressed and resolved by good-minded and community-focused citizens,” Connor concluded.
Connor then turned to Prioleau.
“Don?” Conner said.
Among his grievances over the defunding of the police department, Prioleau said he had been asked, at one point, by the mayor to resign from his oversight over the department.
“I declined,” Prioleau said, adding, also, that when he was asked [after Culp left] by the mayor to remove items from the police station for inventory, the lock had been changed.
“I have been blessed to grow up in a town where we – Rufus, his mother and father, Dan Ruff and his mother and father and people like the Thomases and others – got along like sisters and brothers. I don’t know where it’s going, but you got citizens in this town highly upset. They are telling me to resign. But I’m not,” Prioleau said.
“I love this little town, but I cannot participate in Pig on the Ridge. I have to listen to the people,” he continued, his comments turning poignant. “But I won’t do anything to try to stop it.”
“We have to go on,” Dixon said. “Pig on the Ridge has to continue. I hate this happened. I love Don. We grew up playing ball and everything else together. I understand where you’re coming from in some respects,” Dixon said to Prioleau. “I’ve beat myself up since last week over this thing. I haven’t slept six hours any night this week. I sleep two to three hours and wake up and watch TV because I can’t get it off my mind. I just think we’ve got to go on. Maybe by doing it we can heal some.”
“I can’t get in my mind how they would target something that is only loosely affiliated with something they have ill will toward,” Connor said. “There are good things about Pig on the Ridge that would be jeopardized.”
“I think we’ve said all we can say,” Jones said.
With that, the committee voted. Moments later they began in earnest re-working plans for next month’s Pig on the Ridge. At first, Prioleau was subdued but was soon in the thick of it, pointing out such things as who needs to be called for this and that, explaining the intricacies of having the train stop during the festivities and how to set up barricades.
“You’ve got to be careful about how the arrows are turned (on the barricades),” he cautioned.
The planning went on for another half hour with the focus on finding volunteers to fill the new vacancies. Town Councilman Dan Martin who was in the audience volunteered for some of the jobs.
By the time the meeting was adjourned, the committee members were making inside jokes and laughing with abandon, probably much like when three of them were kids playing ball together.
The 19th annual Pig on the Ridge Festival will happen Friday and Saturday, Nov. 2 – 3. Watch for details in The Voice next week.
Anyone wishing to volunteer for the 2018 Pig on the Ridge, please email artie@toddysmith.com
WINNSBORO – Another Fairfield County animal cruelty case has concluded with no jail sentence imposed.
Sisk
Winnsboro resident Randal Sisk is no longer facing an ill treatment of animals felony charge that was filed in July. The case was dismissed during a preliminary hearing in magistrate’s court and was never sent to Circuit Court. Online court records list the case’s disposition as Nolle Prosequi, which means prosecutors are no longer pursuing the case.
The case’s dismissal comes in the wake of an investigation by The Voice, which found that virtually none of the 15 animal cruelty cases prosecuted since 2015 ended in jail time for offenders.
The Sisk charge represents the 16th case.
Sixth Circuit Solicitor Randy Newman Jr. did not return phone calls.
William Frick, a public defender who represented Sisk, declined to comment about specifics.
“They had no evidence that he committed a crime. A judge agreed and the case was dismissed,” Frick said Tuesday.
The dogs were placed into the care of the Fairfield County animal shelter while the case was pending.
One of the dogs, a tan male, suffered from chronic severe dermatitis and needed immediate medical treatment, including flea and tick treatment, antibiotics and antifungal treatments, according to a veterinary report.
The black male dog has since died. A necropsy report obtained by The Voice states the dog that died suffered from severe dirofilariasis, commonly known as canine heartworms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC.
There is no record that either dog had been under a veterinarian’s care for their conditions when they were taken in by animal control.
The necropsy report on the black male dog states there were “large numbers of nematodes within the heart, the pulmonary artery and its branches.”
Follow up findings discovered a number of lesions in the dog’s tissue.
One was identified as polioencephalomalacia, which the report identified as a necrosis condition that’s rare in dogs. Multiple veterinary websites state it is more common in goats and sheep.
Polioencephalomalacia has been associated with “lead poisoning, cyanide poisoning, thiamine deficiency, cardiac arrest, hypoglycemia and cranial trauma,” the necropsy report states.
The condition has also been associated with canine distemper virus, according to a 1979 Auburn University School of Veterinary Medicine study.
The other dog was returned to Sisk, said Bob Innes, Fairfield County shelter director.
“He’s already picked up his animal,” Innes said Monday. “He picked it up the same day [as the dismissal of charges].”
The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department charged Sisk after a Winnsboro Department of Public Safety employee stated that he found two dogs in a back yard, chained to a tree and tangled in the chain so that one of the dogs could not reach shade.
An incident report also stated that the dogs did not have food, water or shelter.
One dog was clipped to a cable on an overhead run. A black male mixed breed dog without a collar was secured by a chain tied around its neck, according to the report.
The July case was the fifth time investigators responded to an animal complaint involving Sisk since 2009, according to police records obtained by The Voice.
Sisk shot a neighbor’s pit bull with a .22 caliber weapon, according to the 2009 report. He told deputies the dog was charging at him, the report said. The neighbor said Sisk’s dogs trespassed into his yard, and also that Sisk had, in the past, threatened to shoot the neighbor’s dog.
The responding deputy said in the report that the pit bull appeared friendly and “showed no aggression whatsoever.”
Three times – in 2011, 2012 and 2015 – officers were called to the 200 block of Hillcrest Drive after receiving complaints of a dog or dogs running at large. The reports stated the animals belonged to Sisk.
In 2011, Sisk was cited for allowing dogs to run at large after it was reported trespassing on a neighbor’s yard, the report said.
The 2012 incident involved one of the suspect’s dogs barking and jumping on a neighbor’s door, causing the screen frame to bend, according to the report.
Sisk, the report said, retrieved the dog and took the screen to get repaired. Deputies issued him a warning.
In May 2015, deputies responded to Hillcrest Drive after two dogs attack one of Sisk’s dogs while it was tethered in Sisk’s front yard, another report said.
The report said his dog had a puncture wound near its ear and also several scratches.
Blythewood – While in-school suspensions are generally trending downward in Richland 2, the opposite is true of out-of-school suspensions and expulsions, including at Blythewood area schools.
Both Blythewood area high schools and all three middle schools reported increases, as did one elementary school, according to online state report cards published by the S.C. Department of Education.
That’s consistent with data recently presented to the Richland 2 Board of Education. On Sept. 25, district staff said in-school suspensions (ISS) have been plummeting, but out-of-school suspensions (OSS) and expulsions are trending upward.
“Each year, we are well under 1 percent of students that actually get expelled,” said Cleveland Smith, the district’s chief administrative officer. “Even though last year’s numbers were up, which were 0.37 percent, its still less than 1 percent.”
Smith noted that increasing enrollment year to year has helped offset percentage increases in suspensions and expulsions.
“99.63 percent of our students never got to that point,” he said. “In any year, 99 percent of students are not at that level of expulsion.”
There are some key differences in how the state and district data were measured, however.
State report cards only report OSS and expulsion data “for violent and/or criminal offenses,” according to the Department of Education website.
District data presented on Sept. 25 included all suspensions and expulsions, regardless of the reason. The district’s data also included ISS figures, which are not listed on the state report cards.
In the report, delivered during the Sept. 25 board meeting, district staff said out-of-school suspensions rose from 2,380 in 2016 to 2,462 last year. Expulsions increased from 52 to 102, district data shows.
In-school suspensions dropped from 1,850 to 1,617. They had been as high as 2,382, the data shows.
School district data, though, is likely higher. In tabulating suspension and expulsion data, the district counted by the student. If one student was suspended multiple times, the district counted it as only one suspension, Smith said.
Dr. Monica Elkins-Johnson, the board’s vice-chair, questioned the methodology.
“You indicated that the students, if they served in in-school suspension six or seven times, they’re only counted once,” Elkins-Johnson said. “Walk me thru that. I’m trying to figure out how we’re having an accurate account if they’re only on the chart once. Is this an accurate reflection?”
Smith said the district used “unduplicated” data in compiling suspension and expulsion figures. He pledged to provide a more detailed report showing the total number of actual suspensions and expulsions at a later date.
According to state data, Blythewood High School out-of-school suspensions and expulsions involving violent and/or criminal offenses rose from 2.2 to 2.5 percent in the past two school years.
The 2017 report card lists Blythewood High’s student population at 2,001 students, resulting in about 50 suspensions and expulsions. That’s about one suspension or expulsion every 3.6 days in a 180-day school year.
Westwood High School reported an even higher percentage of suspensions and expulsions, rising from 2.2 to 4.1 percent.
The 4.1 percent figure translates to at least 55 suspensions and expulsions, or about one suspension or expulsion every 3.3 days, according to the data.
Muller Road Middle (0.8 percent), Blythewood Middle (1.7 percent) and Kelly Mill Middle (1.2 percent) saw increases as well, data shows.
Lake Carolina Elementary suspensions and expulsions rose slightly, from 1 to 1.2 percent. The rate dropped from 0.6 to zero percent at Round Top Elementary.
Bethel-Hanberry and Langford elementary schools didn’t report any suspensions or expulsions in 2016 or 2017, state data shows.
COLUMBIA – Teresa Yarborough-Walker, age 50, of Blythewood, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for Theft of Government Funds. She was also ordered to pay over $416,000 in restitution. Judge Mary Geiger Lewis presided.
Walker
Walker pled guilty in April to stealing approximately $416,257 in federal funds, United States Attorney Beth Drake stated. Evidence presented at the April hearing established that Walker was the human resources supervisor for Genesis Health Care, Inc. Genesis is a non-profit health care center that offers medical services to poor, rural communities. Genesis was funded by the Health Resources Service Administration, an agency within the US Department of Health and Human Services. Many Genesis patients are on Medicare and Medicaid.
Walker embezzled from Genesis by creating fictitious employees and paying them a salary. She then diverted those salaries to herself. She modified the payroll software to prevent reports from going to management that would have revealed the scheme.
The theft is a violation of Title 18, United States Code 641. Walker faced a maximum penalty of imprisonment for ten years with a potential fine up to $250,000.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service and the City of Columbia Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Winston David Holliday, Jr., of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.
WINNSBORO – The Winnsboro Department of Public Safety is seeking information on the identity of a man suspected of an armed robbery of First Citizens Bank in Winnsboro on Oct. 12.
A black male wearing a Batman hat and a Bob Marley t-shirt handed a bank teller a note demanding money shortly before 6 p.m., according to an incident report.
The report stated that the teller said she had observed the suspect standing outside the bank for a while, talking on a cell phone.
Witnesses who were in the bank during the robbery reported that the suspect left the bank on foot and turned to the right. A video on the outside of the bank shows the suspect walking through the drive-thru area outside the bank.
Anyone with information on the identity of this suspect is being asked to contact Lieutenant Mike Carrell at (803) 635-4511.
Members of Winnsboro’s Cultus Club gather around the table at Fairfield County Museum waiting for Winnsboro native Nelle Smith to autograph her newly released book, Paradise: Memories of Hilton Head in the Early Days. From left, Margaret DuBard of Blythewood, Museum Director Pelham Lyles, Trev Sherrod and club president Mary Lynne Zeno.
WINNSBORO – Nelle and John Gettys Smith and their children Gettys, Spenser, and Ora, moved to Hilton Head Island in 1963 to take over the work of Charles Frazier who was developing the Sea Pines community.
These many years later, Nelle, 86, and now a widow, and her daughter Ora have collected their memories of life on the island into a book titled Paradise: Memories of Hilton Head in the Early Days. And since it was published by the Chapel Hill Press last March, the book has been selling briskly as the two women promote it across the low country and the state.
Their tour most recently brought the pair to Winnsboro where Nelle grew up. She spoke about her book to a gathering at Christ Central on Sunday, then signed autographs at a reception at the Fairfield County Museum.
“What was Hilton Head like in the early days?” Nelle writes in her book, “It was a quiet, simpler time with mostly dirt roads, surrounded by incredible natural beauty.
“Being a part of the growing Island was a chance of a lifetime…witnessing the first Heritage Golf Tournament…feeling the joy as people began to discover this oceanfront treasure nestled in the tall pines. Our family was there to help plant the seeds that have grown Hilton Head into the beloved destination it is today.”
Friends and members of the Cultus Club munch on appetizers and fruit punch at book signing. From left: Barbara Martin, Sarah McMaster, Michelle Taylor, organizer Phyllis Gutierrz (chairwoman of the Fairfield Arts Council) and Janet Brakefield. | Photos: Barbara ball
Growing up on Bratton Street in Winnsboro, the daughter of the beloved town physician, Dr. Charles Spencer McCants and Isabelle Gooding McCants, Nelle left home in the early 1950’s to attend two years at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, VA., before returning home to finish her schooling at The University of South Carolina.
“At that time,” Smith said, “people, at least in Winnsboro, thought Carolina was so wild that the girls should go to another school first so we would not be so wild right away.”
In the book, Nelle recounts how she met her husband-to-be, from York County, on a blind date. After they were married, they moved their young family to Hilton Head where they immersed themselves into the Island community. Besides his work with Sea Pines, John Smith was one of the founders of the Heritage Golf Tournament. Nelle spent her years on the Island managing Nell’s Harbor Shop and working on community projects.
Today Nelle Smith lives in Beaufort with Ora and is basking in the limelight of her new book which, she proudly announced, has almost sold out the first printing. The paperback sells for $19.95.
WINNSBORO – Winding down to Nov. 6, six Fairfield County candidates aren’t worried about the outcome of their races. Norma Branham (County Treasurer), Judge Pam Renwick (County Probate), Peggy Hensley (County Auditor), Henry Miller (School Board Dist. 3), Carl E. Jackson, Jr. (School Board Dist. 5) and Eric F. Cathcart (Soil & Water Conservation Dist. Commission) are running unopposed.
But 15 other candidates are in the hunt, and their campaign signs are popping up in yards and along roadways.
Here are the seats that are up for grabs.
COUNTY COUNCIL
District 1
Dan Ruff
Incumbent Dan Ruff, 61, is running for his second term representing District 1.
I came in to office in 2014 with the stated goal of helping to bring honesty, openness and accountability to the county government.
I think this council has done that and more. We transitioned the county’s struggling health care system to a state of the art emergency room facility that will open the end of this year while maintaining the county’s rehab service; completed critical water and sewer infrastructure for economic development and job creation and created a joint water authority between the county and the Town of Winnsboro.
Representing Ridgeway, I have worked to help council accomplish the following:
Constructed and opened a new Ridgeway Fire Station
Partnered with Ridgeway Town Council to obtain state grant money to improve the sidewalks
Provide road and site work for Ridgeway’s new water tank project
Saved Town of Ridgeway money by providing site work and equipment for installation of new town park playground equipment
Renovated a building in Ridgeway for a temporary library as a permanent library is being planned for the town
Approved a new recreation center for Ridgeway that will be constructed in 2019
Good things are coming to Fairfield County. One of our greatest accomplishments was to put in place a county administrator, Jason Taylor, who has the vision, I believe, to bring the county to its full potential.
Mr. Taylor has focused on reorganizing a number of the county’s departments to make them more efficient and provide better services to our citizens. We are focusing heavily on jobs and economic development.
We have improved the working relationship between the county and the towns, and we are reaching out to assist our towns with grants and projects that will benefit us all.
I am a lifelong resident of Ridgeway and have served 40 years as a deacon and Sunday school teacher at Aimwell Presbyterian Church. I have served on the Ridgeway Town Council, the economic development board and other town and county committees. I have served as a volunteer firefighter and have always stood ready to serve and support Ridgeway in any way that I can.
I am married to Brenda, and I have a son, Daniel. I own and operate the Ruff & Company.
Moses Bell
Moses Bell, 64, is challenging Councilman Dan Ruff for the District 1 seat.
I have lived in District 1 of Fairfield County all my life. I am married to Ruby Bracey Bell of Camden SC for over 43 years. I am active in the community, chairman of the Deacon’s Ministry at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Ridgeway, adult Sunday school teacher, volunteer firefighter and over 30 years of management experience that includes certification as a Six Sigma Black and Lean Manufacturing Project Leader.
I have served on many Fairfield County Boards and Commissions to include chairman of the Fairfield County Rural Fire Board, the Planning & Zoning Commission, the Strategic Planning Commission for the County and many advisory positions. I served as chairman of the Sheriff Success Academy under Sheriff Herman Young who worked with under privileged youth and volunteered at Manning Correctional Institution teaching religious manhood classes and expectations.
I want to seek opportunities for our citizens, who deserve a better Fairfield. If elected, my focus will be on the following: Infrastructure improvements of water, sewage and high-speed internet; Industry recruitment…jobs; resources and facilities for senior and youth recreation; resources for paid firefighters and incentives that enable growth of volunteerism; Improve efficiency of county government resources; fully transparent county government and I will work with the communities to seek input into building a better Fairfield County. I also hope to work with others to bring to Fairfield County free technical education as in 34 other counties/school districts in SC.
Mikel Trapp, Sr.
District 3
IncumbentMikel Trapp, Sr.is seeking a full term after winning his current seat two years ago when the District 3 Councilman Colonel Walter Stewart resigned for health reasons. Trapp also served two terms prior to being defeated by Stewart in 2014. Trapp did not submit information about his candidacy.
Peggy Swearingen,64, is challenging Councilman Mikel Trapp for the District 3 seat for the second time in two years.
Peggy Swearingen
I am running for this seat because I feel that Fairfield County needs someone from District 3 who will speak up and help the other district representatives on our current council in the progress they have made to reign in some of this excessive spending that my opponent helped incur under the previous administration. He voted for and supported the previous county council’s $24 million bond (that we are paying $43 million for). Because of that bond, our county is now so in debt that we can no longer borrow money. Six of our seven current council members (Bertha Goins, Dan Ruff, Jimmy Ray Douglas, Neil Robinson, Douglas Pauley and Billy Smith) are a team whose votes and support have made drastic changes, giving our taxpayers hope that they will be able to survive and thrive. But my opponent for the District 3 seat, voted for that bond.
We need a full team on council who will continue to work for fiscal responsibility and attract jobs for our citizens. We need better fire protection, better police protection and better EMS coverage for our residents.
Douglas Pauley
District 5
IncumbentDouglas Pauleyis seeking re-election after being elected to a partial term when Councilman Marion Robinson resigned due to health reasons. Councilman Pauley did not did not submit information about his candidacy.
Matthew Seiblesis a newcomer to the political arena.
I have two main concerns that influenced me to run for council – jobs and recreation. I am concerned about why, when we bring in jobs, we can’t keep them. I also think it would benefit the county to have a recreation complex for tournaments and regional and district games. I played ball here in this county when I was young and on up till adulthood. My kids played ball here and now my grandkids are playing ball here. I’ve coached football, baseball and basketball. Sports are good for kids and I think the County would benefit from having a really nice sports complex.
Matthew Seibles
I have served on the county’s recreation board, and I am a member and head Deacon at Faith Christian Church. I was employed by the school district for 30 years.
District 7
With Council Chairman Billy Smith stepping down from the District 7 seat on Dec. 31 as he prepares to move to Baton Rouge, LA, three candidates are hoping to take his place.
Lisa Brandenburg
Lisa Brandenburg, 55, ran unsuccessfully last winter for a seat on the Fairfield County School Board. She has now set her sights on County Council.
After much prayerful consideration and reflection, I have announced my candidacy for Fairfield County Council, District 7. I am a native resident of Fairfield County and have dedicated the past 30+ years to serving this community. I am a graduate of Winnsboro High School and Winthrop College, where I earned both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education and administration/supervision. I am married to David Brandenburg, Sr. We have two grown children, David and Dori, who each have shown their own dedication to making our county a better place.
For the past five years I have been an active participant at County Council meetings and also attended all Strategic Planning Sessions. I understand the unique needs and challenges facing Fairfield County. I am dedicated to supporting economic development, protecting the environment, producing fair and focused plans, protecting tax dollars and strengthening Fairfield County rather than further dividing it.
Jana Childers
Jana Childers,48, is a first time candidate for public office.
I don’t have a college degree or any background in politics. I am a concerned mom with a passion to make this county a better place for all our citizens.
I am a Navy Veteran and have lived in Winnsboro for over 20 years. I am married to Chris Childers, mom of 6, stepmom to 1, and Memaw to 4. I work in the S.C. Highway Patrol state headquarters and am a member of the First Baptist Church in Winnsboro.
I look forward to meeting the residents in District 7 and I vow to work diligently to make Fairfield County a place we are proud to call home.
Clarence Gilbert
Clarence Gilbert, 58, a lifelong resident of Fairfield County, says he has never run for political office, but has always been active in the community.
I have served on several boards including the Behavioral Health Substance Abuse Board. I am a former corporate regional sales director, serve as a Deacon at St. Mark Baptist Church in Simpson where I also serve as chairman of the stewardship ministry and I am a founding father of the Brotherhood Ministry. I also sing in the Brotherhood Choir.
It’s time for the citizens of this county to put aside our differences and come together to find ways to make our county better for everyone. I don’t have all the answers, but those who know me know that I am honest, will speak up for the betterment of this county and will use a common-sense approach to getting things done. I will not make promises I can’t keep and I will not jump on board because everyone else is going along with it. I will get the facts and make sound decisions. I am particularly concerned about economic development for this county, jobs, recreation, improvements in the county’s water and sewer infrastructure and beneficial relationships between our towns and our county government.
I have owned my own landscaping and lawn service for 18 years. I am married to Deloris and we have two adult sons and four grandchildren.
WINNSBORO – It wasn’t quite as dramatic as the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, but there still was plenty of suspense at Monday night’s Fairfield County Council meeting.
Council members gave final reading to an ordinance authorizing the county to move forward with an $11.5 million plan to build a new government center at the site of the former Mt. Zion Institute.
Though the announced vote was 5-2, Councilman Cornelius Robinson said after the meeting that he abstained (an abstention is recorded as a yes vote according to the Council’s bylaws).
“I believe in this project but I couldn’t convince many of my constituents that it was good thing for the county. Rather than vote no I abstained,” Robinson said.
Council members Douglas Pauley and Mikel Trapp voted against the ordinance.
Trapp didn’t comment on the Mt. Zion project from the dais.
Pauley, one of two holdouts during first and second reading, said he previously abstained so he could gather more information. He expressed concerns about cost.
“Fairfield County is in possession of 80 or more county maintained buildings,” he said. “Adding one more to it would definitely add more cost to the county.”
Councilman Dan Ruff, the other council member who previously abstained, said he remained undecided as recently as Monday morning.
Ruff said he had concerns about traffic and a monument on the property, but ultimately voted yes, saying he didn’t see a better plan to remediate the woes with the County’s current government building. He also thinks it’ll be an economic boost to Winnsboro.
“This has been a very, very tough decision for me,” Ruff said. “This morning I was still very uncertain, back and forth. This to me isn’t ideal, but I haven’t seen a better solution”
The proposal calls for repurposing the Mt. Zion campus into a new government complex. More than half of the funding would come from state and federal tax credits associated with the property.
Once complete, the new complex would be more than double the size of the existing admin building, encompassing nearly 45,000 square feet.
No plans have been announced for what would become of the existing county building.
Ten people signed up to speak specifically about Mt. Zion during public input time Monday night, with a majority of those speaking supportively and urging the council to vote yes.
Claudia Cathcart, the first person to speak, noted that Fairfield County has been struggling to keep jobs.
Council members supporting the repurposing of Mt. Zion have said plans for the new government complex could help increase foot traffic in downtown Winnsboro, and help offset losses after the recent closure of Walmart, as well as the failed nuclear project at V.C. Summer.
Element recently announced it would cut more than 100 jobs, citing Trump administration tariffs, before reconsidering, adding further uncertainty in Fairfield County.
“We’ve had some bad luck in the county,” Cathcart said. “Now is the chance to overcome some bad thoughts. Please vote yes for this project.”
Also supporting the Mt. Zion proposal was Joan Cumbee.
“This is the least expensive and most energy efficient option,” Cumbee said. “It is the only option that will not require a tax increase to do needed repair work.
“The claim that all neighbors are opposed is not true,” she added. “I live in the neighborhood and nobody asked my opinion.”
Winnsboro resident Susan Taylor touted economic benefits the project would bring.
“This is a plan that our county can afford,” Taylor said. “It’s the only plan that our county can afford. I believe that the refurbishment of these buildings would bring property values up.”
Not all supported the plan, however.
Dr. Marie Rosborough, a frequent critic of the Mt. Zion plan, once again voiced her opposition.
“Your budget has increased $13 million over the past three years,” Rosborough said. “That concerns me. Exactly how did you come up with these figures? So many people support your effort if you don’t live next door.”
In the end, however, council members approved third reading following a discussion in executive session.
Right before the vote, Council Chairman Billy Smith, who has pushed in favor of the project since its first proposal, took note of the considerable dialogue the Mt. Zion plan has received.
“That’s the most involvement I’ve seen us have on any issue,” he said, adding, “I hope the involvement continues.” Reached after the meeting for comment on the proposal’s advancement, Smith said, “I’m glad council had the vision to take advantage of such a rare opportunity as this. I think it gives us a shot at revitalizing Winnsboro and making the first step of turning things around. There’s risk in everything that ends up good and I acknowledge that, but if this is successful, in two years, we’ll look back and know we made the right decision. Then in 10 years, we’ll be known across the state for it as a model for others to follow.”
WINNSBORO – The Winnsboro Department of Public Safety is seeking information on the identity of a man suspected of an armed robbery of First Citizens Bank in Winnsboro on Oct. 12.
