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Tag: town of ridgeway

  • RW vote may have violated FOIA

    RIDGEWAY – A recent vote authorizing Ridgeway Police Chief Christopher Culp to take school resource officer refresher courses may have violated state open meeting laws because the public never received notice of the impending vote, according to Freedom of Information Act experts.

    At its July 12 meeting, the Ridgeway Town Council voted 3-0 for Culp to receive SRO recertification training. Council members Rufus Jones and Angela Harrison were absent.

    Councilman Don Prioleau introduced the motion, which authorizes Culp to receive the training either through a police major at the Columbia Police Department or the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy.

    Ridgeway would incur no cost through Columbia police, Priolieau said.

    The council’s vote may not have been legal, though, because the agenda didn’t list any items concerning SRO training.

    Bill Rogers, Executive Director of the S.C. Press Association, called the vote “sneaky” because the SRO training issue was never publicized in advance.

    “It’s a sneaky move to slip something by without the public knowing about it,” Rogers said. “And the council might have voted differently if it was on the agenda and the two council members [who missed the meeting] were present.”

    In 2015, the state Supreme Court ruled that meeting agendas, once posted, cannot be amended without an additional 24-hour notice to the public.

    This provision can only be suspended in two circumstances, according to the S.C. Municipal Association:

    • A two-thirds vote of members present and voting
    • A finding that an emergency or exigent circumstance exists.

    “An exigent circumstances would be considered an urgent or time-sensitive issue,” the municipal association website states.

    Council members didn’t vote at all to amend the agenda and there was no indication from council that sending Culp to receive SRO training constituted an urgent or time sensitive issue.

    For information only?

    Prioleau made his motion during the “Police Report” portion of the meeting, typically reserved for information-only items about arrest statistics and day-to-day police activity.

    Mayor Heath Cookendorfer said Prioleau’s motion during the “Police Report” segment was unprecedented.

    “I don’t mind seconding the motion to send him [Culp] to SRO training, but we’ve never approved the Police Report before,” Cookendorfer said. “We’ve always used it as ‘for information.’”

    Prior to the motion, Cookendorfer also wouldn’t allow an NAACP representative to speak during the first public comments session, saying that period is reserved only for agenda (action) items.

    Remarks about non-agenda items, he said, are reserved for the second public comments section, which occurs toward the end of the meeting, which is when the NAACP representative spoke.

    Culp escaped an effort to fire him during the June council meeting.

    Instead, council members voted to work with Culp in addressing complaints against him.

    Among the complaints was an assertion that Culp, who is not certified to work as an SRO, spends a disproportionate time doubling as a de facto SRO at Geiger Elementary School at the expense of policing the town, according to public records.

    State law states that SRO’s “have a primary duty the responsibility to act as a law enforcement officer, advisor and teacher for that school district.”

    A common problem

    As recently as June 28, the S.C. Attorney General’s Office opined that the Town of Mount Pleasant likely violated FOIA over a recent vote that resembled how the Ridgeway vote was conducted.

    The Mount Pleasant council discussed a lawsuit settlement agreement in executive session. No votes were initially taken, prompting numerous residents in attendance to leave.

    Later, though, the council held another executive session to discuss items other than the litigation.

    After the closed door meeting, the Mount Pleasant council voted to approve the lawsuit settlement without the required two-thirds vote to amend the agenda. That action likely violated FOIA, the attorney general’s office said.

    “It does not appear that either a two-thirds vote to take up the settlement again at the end of the meeting was taken,” the opinion, written by Solicitor General Robert D. Cook, said.

    “Nor was there a determination by Council that this was an emergency situation or exigent circumstance, thereby allowing a bypass of the two-thirds requirement of [state law] for amendment of the agenda,” the opinion continues.

    Jay Bender, an attorney with the press association, noted that in Mount Pleasant’s case, several council members didn’t participate in the executive session, and earlier votes resulted in 4-4 or 4-3 margins.

    In Ridgeway, two council members missed the vote altogether. And neither council voted to amend the agenda before voting. “Given the division on [the Mount Pleasant council], it seems unlikely that a motion to amend the agenda a second time to bring the settlement agreement for a vote could have obtained the necessary two-thirds vote,” Bender wrote in a recent op-ed piece that appears on page 2 of The Voice (read here).

    “Those who believe in open government in South Carolina should say thanks to Mr. Cook for this thoughtful and well-reasoned opinion,” Bender said.

    Prioleau backs Culp

    At Thursday’s meeting in Ridgeway, Prioleau vigorously supported sending Culp to receive SRO training, and criticized some council members and media reports for publicizing community complaints aimed at the chief.

    Documents The Voice obtained through a public records request show that at least 15 formal complaints had been filed against Culp in the previous 12 months. Culp was hired in 2016.

    Prioleau stated as many or more emails complimentary of the chief were submitted to the town over a six-day period. He hand delivered those emails to The Voice’s office and called for their publication.

    “This young man has been working here right at two years. We’ve had nothing but good reports for him,” Prioleau said. “The 5 percent, the negative stuff, makes us all looks so bad.”

    The emails delivered to The Voice, state Culp exudes professionalism and sensitivity. Some were anonymous, though most were attributed to an author or authors.

    “I am writing to express my salutation, appreciation and gratitude to Chief Culp for his concerted effort and endeavors in maintaining the stability and order in the Town of Ridgeway, especially working in a risky environment because he doesn’t have an officer to back him up,” one writer stated.

    Another writer stated Culp came to her aid when her vehicle broke down.

    “I want to compliment Deputy Culp, who came to my assistance when my truck had stopped alongside Highway 34 a few miles past the town of Ridgeway,” the email said.

    Several emails criticized council members over how Culp has been treated. At least one letter suggested criticisms of the chief were racially motivated.

    Priolieau became defensive to questions about his SRO training request.

    Councilman Dan Martin noted the Fairfield County Board of Trustees recently approved funding for five SROs, including one at Geiger Elementary.

    “The funds are all there for the county to hire new five new SRO officers. I feel pretty sure that they’ll have those officers in place,” Martin said. “I have a hard time thinking that they’re not going to find them for all five schools.”

    Martin also asked how long Culp would be absent if he attended the training. Prioleau answered by saying one to two weeks, and that the sheriff’s office would patrol Ridgeway in the interim.

    “I can’t believe we’re going down this road, I’m getting really upset over this,” Prioleau said. “The man has had his training, all he needs is a refresher course.”

    However, Prioleau did not present any documentation that Culp had ever been certified as an SRO officer.

    Martin also asked for a more detailed breakdown of Culp’s day-to-day activities. He said the monthly police report in its current form is vague.

    “How much time is he assisting other entities … as opposed to what he’s doing here?” Martin asked. “I’m just asking a simple question. How much time on average do you think he spends a month assisting these other entities (such as the Department of Natural Resources)? We don’t know what he did or anything.”

    Prioleau said it’s common for police agencies to provide mutual assistance. He said the lack of specificity in the monthly report was to not bog the chief down with excessive paperwork.

  • Ridgeway Council proceeds with Cotton Yard purchase

    RIDGEWAY – Mayor Heath Cookendorfer called a special council meeting Monday evening to put the Cotton Yard purchase to bed – to either move forward to purchase it or to back out of the purchase.

    Cookendorfer said he wanted both residents and Council members to have the chance to speak their minds in public about the pending purchase from Norfolk Southern. Two members of the audience, Tina Johnson and Vicki Maass, spoke in favor of the purchase. Council members then had their turns.

    “The Cotton Yard is the center of our town and is an asset,” Councilman Dan Martin said. “Nobody likes the price, but my feeling is that if we pull out now, we’re going to lose $15,000 up front,” Martin said. “It would be good to have control of it. That’s my thinking.”

    “No doubt we need to buy it,” Councilman Rufus Jones agreed, but with a caveat. “I hate to be forced to buy it and that’s what we have to do because of the last administration. We used it for years for free, and they kept messing with the railroad till they got ticked off and I don’t think we have a choice but to buy it. The amount is ridiculous, but I don’t see where we have a choice,” Jones said.

    “I voted against it in the previous administration, and I vote against it now,” Councilman Don Prioleau said. “I felt $73,000 plus all the other fees was too much. As Councilman Jones said, we always used this property at no cost. I voted against it, and today I vote against it.”

    Councilwoman Angela Harrison passed on speaking, and Cookendorfer took his turn.

    “As part of the previous administration, I thought the first price was a fair, economical decision,” Cookendorfer said. “Then we got the second one and I was against that. But I’ve also been one to say I hate losing money. At this point, we’ve spent $15,000 on the earnest money, the survey, legal fees and phase one of the environmental study.  The Cotton Yard is a big part of our downtown, so I agree that we need to move forward with the purchase.”

    Jones said he would like to see the fire station and police station on the property renovated for use as spaces for merchants.

    “Maybe we could get a grant to help pay for it,” Jones said.

    “So am I to understand that there have been discussions about what to do with the buildings in the Cotton Yard that I’ve not been privy to?” Harrison asked.

    “I’ve mentioned in open session that I would like to see something go there as rental space,” Cookendorfer said. “I’ve been more than forthcoming that that is something I would like to see.”

    “In the past we did discuss buying the property under the buildings. Just a discussion. We talked about taking the space next to the (old) post office and making that into public restrooms…” Prioleau said before Harrison interrupted.

    “Well that’s not what’s up for discussion tonight and it wasn’t on the agenda for discussion…”

    “We’re just discussing buying the property and what we’ll do with it if we buy it…,” Prioleau said.

    After further discussion about boundaries of the Cotton Yard and the railroad’s 65-foot right of way,
    Cookendorfer closed in on the purchase.

    “It sounds like Council would like to move forward except for Councilman Prioleau,” Cookendorfer said. Council agreed that the mayor would contact the Town’s attorney for the contract and move forward with the closing on June 22.

    Following the meeting, Cookendorfer said he would like to see the former Just Around the Corner consignment shop (behind Olde Town Hall Restaurant) renovated for use as public restrooms.

    “I think that would be helpful to the merchants and a good use for the building,” Cookendorfer said. “It’s all about funding. That’s where we stand now.”

    The property inside the red line is the .65 acres the Ridgeway Town Council is purchasing from Norfolk Southern Railroad.

  • Ridgeway Council OKs sidewalk match; water tower bid

    RIDGEWAY – Two new town councilmen and a new mayor held their first council meeting last week, four days after being elected to office. The first order of business was to elect a new Mayor Pro Tem to replace Mayor Pro Tem Doug Porter who did not seek re-election for his council seat.

    Longtime Councilman Don Prioleau was nominated, and Mayor Heath Cookendorfer and the two new Councilmen, Rufus Jones and Dan Martin, voted 3-0 to approve Prioleau. Councilwoman Angela Harrison did not vote but looked down at her desk with no acknowledgement of the vote taking place.

    Water Tower Bids

    Council voted 5-0 to accept the lower of two bids submitted for construction of an elevated water tank near the Geiger Elementary School. That bid, for $549,153 was submitted by Phoenix Erectors and Fabricators, Inc. A second bid in the amount of $572,930 was submitted by Caldwell Tanks, Inc.

    Matching Sidewalk Grant

    Council also voted 5-0 to accept the Fairfield County Ordinance match requirement for a grant for $57,000 to help pay for an extensive sidewalk project in Ridgeway. The County grant requires a 20 percent match of $11,400 from the Town.

    The Town is seeking a total of $500,000 for the sidewalk project. Council plans to apply for a $400,000 grant from the South Carolina Department of Transportation’s (SCDOT) Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) which requires matching funds from Ridgeway in the amount of $100,000 or 20 percent of the project’s total cost ($500,000).

    To come up with that $100,000, the Town has applied for $43,000 from the Fairfield County Transportation Committee (CTC) and hopes to receive $45,600 ($57,000 less $11,400) from Fairfield County.

    “If we want to come up with that TAP grant of $400,000, then we will have to commit $11,400 out of Town funds [toward the $100,000 match],” Harrison said. “It could come out of our capital improvements or we could wait and put it in our budget for next year.”

    Harrison said the Town must get all the matching funds together – $43,000 from CTC, $45,600 from the County and $11,400 from Ridgeway – before Council can apply for the $400,000 TAP grant.

    Zoning Administrator Resigns

    In other business, Council accepted a letter, dated April 6, from Rick Johnson notifying Council that he was resigning his post as Zoning Administrator for Ridgeway, effective immediately.

    The next meeting will be held at the Century House, at 6:30 p.m. on May 10.

  • New Ridgeway Council tackles old issues

    Jones: ‘Release Bella.’
    Harrison: ‘I’m Done.’

    RIDGEWAY – About five minutes after the Ridgeway Town Council entered into executive session during their regular monthly meeting on April 12, Councilwoman Angela Harrison returned to the public meeting room, briskly gathered her purse and other belongings and announced, “I’m done!” She then walked out of the council chambers and slammed the town hall door loudly as she exited the building. Harrison did not return for the conclusion of the meeting. When asked about the incident, Harrison said, “I left for a very personal reason.”

    Council had announced it was entering into executive session to discuss, “a contractual matter regarding audit proposals” and a ”personnel matter,” which newly elected Councilman Rufus Jones said regarded the uncrating of the town clerk’s dog during office hours and the removal of security cameras in the town hall office.

    About 10 minutes after Harrison left the building, the other council members returned to the public meeting room and voted to return to public session.

    Jones made a motion to uncrate Bella, Town Clerk Vivian Case’s service dog, who had been ordered crated [while in Case’s Town Hall office] by the former administration.  Jones’ motion also called for the removal of a security camera that was set by the previous administration to focus on the town clerk’s desk.

    “I feel it’s a good thing to have the dog in there. She serves as a deterrent, and she’s not hurting anything being in there. Release Bella,” Jones said. “I also don’t think it’s necessary to have a camera directly over Vivian Case’s desk. I wouldn’t like every move I make to be watched. Vivian is a very trustworthy person. I think we should take that camera down and put it in another location in the Century House,” Jones said.

    Council voted 4-0 in favor of both of Jones’ motions. The audience erupted in applause.

    The Voice reported last year that Bella had been accompanying Case to work for four years when Herring’s administration tried unsuccessfully to evict the dog in January 2017. Herring claimed that she had received anonymous complaints about the dog and that the dog’s presence in Town Hall was not in compliance with the town’s dangerous breed ordinance.

    However, The Voice discovered, after submitting a Freedom of Information request for the town’s dangerous breed ordinance, that the ordinance was specific to the pit bull breed, and that Bella was not incompliant with the ordinance since she is a Rottweiler.

    Herring also sought to establish that Bella did not meet the requirements of a service dog.

    To that end, council and the mayor spent more than $8,000 with attorneys last year trying, unsuccessfully, to prove, among other things, that the dog was not a service dog and that Rottweilers are a vicious breed. Council and the attorney did eventually make the concession that Bella could be uncrated for short periods of time inside the office if she was on a leash.

  • Cookendorfer elected RW Mayor

    RIDGEWAY – In a deeply divided race for mayor and two council seats, three candidates who ran as a block won as a block, tipping the balance of power in the Ridgeway town government.

    Councilman Heath Cookendorfer, with 71 votes (54.20 percent), bested Councilwoman Angela Harrison, with 59 votes (45.04 percent) to capture the mayor’s seat.

    Newcomer Dan Martin, with 77 votes (30.43 percent), and former mayor and councilman Rufus Jones, with 66 votes (26.09 percent), won the two vacant council seats over Rick Johnson, 59 votes (23.32 percent), and Roger Herring, 51 votes (20.15 percent).

    There was one write-in vote for Rufus Jones for mayor. Of the town’s 229 registered voters, 131 (57.21 percent) turned out to cast their ballots.

    Among the issues at stake in the race were the future of the current four members of the Pig on the Ridge steering committee and Bella the dog whose tenure at Town Hall had been on the block for more than a year.

    “It feels good to be in a position to get Ridgeway back on track,” Cookendorfer told The Voice following the election. “I’m thankful for those who voted for me and for those who supported me. I want to thank my running mates, Dan Martin and Rufus Jones, and I’m proud of how they ran their campaigns. We’re going to work together and with the council. We need cohesiveness so we can move Ridgeway forward. Go Ridgeway!”

    Martin echoed Cookendorfer’s desire to bring the town together after a campaign that divided much of the town.

    “What Ridgeway needs most right now is unity between residents and council,” Martin said. “It was clearly a divided race, and we have some people who are hurting. This is Ridgeway, and I hope we can all come together now, heal and move forward. We will do our best, I promise, to help make that happen.”

    Rufus Jones, mayor from 2000-2004, made a political comeback that, he said, made him feel really fortunate.

    “Our goal, all three of us, is now to help our town come together,” Jones said. “I appreciate, more than you know, everyone who supported us and everyone who came out to vote. My goal is to do a good job for Ridgeway. And if I don’t, tell me.”

    Debby Stidham, Director of Voter Registration said the canvas and certification of the votes will take place at the voter registration office at 10 a.m. Friday.

  • Harrison has plans for Pig on the Ridge’s revenue

    RIDGEWAY– After Ridgeway Town Administrator David Hudspeth cashed in 10 Pig on the Ridge CDs in January, prior to their maturity, and deposited that cash into the Town’s General Fund, Town Councilwoman Angela Harrison made a motion at the Feb. 26 meeting that could eventually strip the Pig on the Ridge steering committee of its ability to determine to which charities the festival’s proceeds are given in the future.

    In addition, an item on the March 8 agenda would, if passed, establish financial procedures for the administration of the POR and other festivals.

    The motion came out of an agenda item Harrison asked to have placed on the docket: “Consideration of education grant opportunities for Ridgeway students in District No. 1, Ridgeway.”

    These grant opportunities could be funded, Harrison announced, with profits from Pig on the Ridge and other Ridgeway festivals.

    “Let’s have a charitable purpose of how we can use it [POR profits.] I’ve looked into what we can do…I’m looking at scholarships and ways to give back to our kids. I think it is really important that we use some of our festival revenues…and put it into an educational grant,” Harrison said.

    Before making her motion, “To meet with community and school leaders and partners to develop a budget for an education grant for the whole community,” Harrison unleashed 20 minutes of rapid-fire criticism of the popular barbecue festival that was created 19 years ago by four Ridgeway men: Town Councilman Don Prioleau, former Ridgeway Mayor Rufus Jones, Tom Connor and local Pit Master J. W. Joye. Some years before his death, Joye stepped down and was replaced by Henry Dixon. Prioleau, Jones, Connor and Dixon comprise the POR steering committee and oversee the planning, marketing and management of the festival, the largest barbecue festival in the state for 15 years.  The event is manned by a volunteer army comprised primarily of residents from the community.

    Talking rapidly as she handed out multiple rounds of documents to Council members in dramatic fashion, Harrison took the POR organizers to the woodshed before zeroing in on the agenda item that could eventually transfer control of the POR funds from the steering committee to the community/school committee overseeing education grant opportunities.

    Harrison first lambasted the POR for its out-of-date filing status with the Secretary of State’s office, saying that POR should be in a category for charitable organizations that take in more than $20,000 in sponsor and vendor fees, which the POR does. In that category, the POR would be required to list revenues, expenses and a statement of its charitable purpose with the Secretary of State, not just the Town government. Instead, the festival’s status remains as it was originally filed with the Secretary of State…as an ‘exempt’ charity that brings in less than $7,500 annually.

    “So, the information at the Secretary of State’s office is not correct and we need to have it fixed,” Harrison said.

    Harrison presented no proof, however, that the POR steering committee had made any missteps in reporting revenues and expenses to the Town’s auditor or to Town Hall, which, Prioleau said, has always handled the POR funds. Nor was any proof presented that the POR steering committee had mishandled any of the POR funds in any way.

    Following the Council meeting, Prioleau told The Voice that the failure to update the Secretary of State filing was an unintentional oversight. According to the Secretary of State’s office, that correction can be made by Town Hall in May when the filing is due to be renewed.

    “All this show tonight wasn’t necessary to get a new form filled out,” Prioleau said.

    Next, Harrison said she had “recently sat down and traced the expenditures and revenues from the POR festival and realized that it’s not really giving back to our community as much as it could.”

    She was critical that some of the profits from each POR festival were held in a CD for use as seed money for the next POR festival. Prioleau said the CDs were also used to make large purchases for the town that would exceed the profits from a single year, such as a town clock.

    When Prioleau tried to speak, explaining how ex-Ridgeway Mayor Gene Wilson had helped the POR get organized during its first year and how decisions were made early on to set aside seed money for each successive year’s POR festival, Harrison interrupted him.

    “I’m trying to give you the whole picture,” Prioleau explained to Harrison.

    “I know the whole picture,” Harrison shot back, with a laugh.

    “I listened to you, now…,” Prioleau said before he was again interrupted.

    “Ok, the whole picture,” Harrison said.

    “After the last POR festival, I passed out checks for $300 each to 21 or 22 churches and Geiger Elementary. We’ve donated a lot of money to the community over the years – over $10,000 to renovate the Century House, over $10,000 for a special piece of fire department equipment that we had to save a couple of years for, money to Hurricane victims and to flood victims through the Red Cross, and more,” Prioleau said. “The money in the CDs is just to be sure we have money for the next festival. Now, if you have questions,” Prioleau said, “you need to come to the table and sit down and see what we need to do, but if we’re going to have the festival year after year, either the Town will have to fund it or…”

    “The Town is funding it!” Harrison interrupted again.

    As Prioleau tried to talk, Harrison continued to talk over him.

    “The Town has been funding it,” Harrison said. “You can’t say the Town has not been funding it. It’s been funded by the Town!”

    Prioleau again asked Harrison to let him finish.

    “Pig on the Ridge has never been in the red, not even the first year…” Prioleau said before being interrupted again.

    “I’m not saying you were,” she said.

    “You’re saying the Town is funding Pig on the Ridge,” Cookendorfer interjected and was joined by Prioleau as they emphasized in unison, “but that’s money raised by Pig on the Ridge that the Town is paying out.”

    “I totally understand that,” Harrison said, before changing the subject and repeating, again, that the POR was not filed properly with the Secretary of State.

    “If you’re saying Pig on the Ridge money is not spent properly…,” Prioleau said.

    “You didn’t file it properly, Donald, is all I’m saying,” Harrison said, all the while filming Prioleau and Cookendorfer on Facebook Live with her phone throughout the meeting.

    Cookendorfer told Harrison that she was painting only half the picture.

    “Really?” Harrison asked with a smile and began talking over Cookendorfer again.

    “I am asking to be able to talk without being interrupted,” Cookendorfer said.

    “It’s all right here,” Harrison continued, ignoring Cookendorfer’s plea.

    “Can you stop interrupting?” Cookendorfer asked.

    Mayor Charlene Herring, who had been hesitant to gavel Harrison’s repeated interruptions, instructed Cookendorfer to go ahead and vote on the motion and ask his questions later.

    Cookendorfer insisted he should be allowed to ask questions about the paperwork Harrison handed out since she had not shared it prior to the meeting.

    Asked later by The Voice if she had spoken to Cookendorfer, Prioleau or the other members of the POR steering committee about the Secretary of State information prior to the meeting, Harrison said she had not.

    At Councilman Doug Porter’s suggestion, Herring allowed Cookendorfer to finish asking questions.

    Finally, Harrison segued into a several-minute soliloquy, elaborating on her stated motion and her plans for the education grant committee.

    The vote on the motion passed 3-2 with Herring, Harrison and Porter voting for and Prioleau and Cookendorfer voting against.

    Story updated 3/8/18 at 10:00 to correct Town Council’s meeting date, which is March 8. 

  • Six candidates file for RW election

    RIDGEWAY – With the filing deadline ending on Feb. 2, four candidates have declared for the two open seats on Ridgeway Town Council and two have declared to run for mayor.

    These candidates will be on the April 3 ballot: Council – Roger Herring, Rick Johnson, former mayor Rufus Jones and Dan Martin; Mayor – Councilman Heath Cookendorfer and Councilwoman Angela Harrison. Terms are ending for Cookendorfer and Doug Porter.

    Both the council seats and the mayor’s seat are for four year terms. The election is nonpartisan, and no party affiliation will be placed on the ballot.

    The election will be held on Tuesday, April 3, at the Ridgeway Fire Department, 170 S. Palmer Street. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. that day.

    Those desiring to vote in the upcoming election must be registered by March 5, 2018, at the Fairfield County Board of Voter Registration, 315 S. Congress Street in Winnsboro.

    For more information, call 803-337-2213.

  • Ridgeway Dollar General robbed again

    RIDGEWAY – In yet another daring robbery at gunpoint of the Dollar General store in Ridgeway, a gunman got away with $1,400 after threatening to shoot the store’s manager during an early morning heist on Sunday, Jan. 28.

    The store manager reported that as he was in the process of stacking items for display outside the store about 8 a.m. when a black male, about 40 years old and driving a gray Nissan Maxima, approached him from behind.

    The manager said the suspect was composed and brandished a silver/chrome semi-automatic hand gun as he demanded money from the store’s cash register.

    As the manager began to load money from the register and safe into a yellow Dollar General bag, the suspect demanded all the cash as well as the rolls of change. The manager said the suspect kept one hand on the gun and the other hand balled up, being careful not to touch anything.

    After the money was loaded into the bag and placed on the counter, the manager reported that the gunman ordered him into a back storage room. The incident report states that the gunman followed the victim into the storage room, told him to stay there and threatened, “Don’t make me shoot you.”

    Stating that he feared for his life, the manager said he waited a few minutes after the gunman left before exiting the storage room and calling law enforcement.

    While Fairfield County Sheriff’s deputies state that the store did not have exterior surveillance cameras, the entire robbery scene and the suspect were recorded on interior cameras. Deputies also reported that they hoped exterior cameras from the adjacent Nelson Funeral Home would offer a good angle of the suspect and the suspect’s vehicle.

    Deputies also visited the AM/PM Convenience store on Highway 34 E in Ridgeway to review surveillance camera footage in an attempt to identify the suspect’s vehicle as it drove along Highway 34 immediately prior to and following the nearby Dollar General robbery.

    The surveillance footage is reported to show the Nissan traveling east on Highway 34 E towards the Dollar General at 7:58 a.m. on Jan. 28. The same vehicle is then seen traveling west on Highway 34 E, headed towards the area of I-77 at 8:07 a.m. However, Sheriff’s deputies say they cannot be sure at this time whether the Nissan on the surveillance footage is the same as the suspect’s.

    The report stated the modus operandi of this incident closely resembles those of a recent string of armed robberies at Dollar Generals in Kershaw, Lancaster, York and Richland Counties.

    The robbery remains under investigation.

  • Ridgeway Councilman wants vote rescinded; Mayor’s economic interest questioned

    RIDGEWAY – After a controversial 3-1 vote by the Ridgeway Town Council on Dec. 14, 2017 to purchase the Cotton Yard from Norfolk-Southern Railroad for $73,000 plus an estimated $11,000 for associated costs, that vote is now under the microscope with the possibility of being rescinded.

    That possibility was raised at the Jan. 11 council meeting when Mayor Charlene Herring called for approval of the Dec. 14 meeting minutes. Councilman Heath Cookendorfer, citing a potential economic interest on the part of Herring when she voted for the Cotton Yard purchase, called for those minutes to be tabled and for the Dec. 14 Cotton Yard vote to be rescinded and re-discussed at the Feb. 8 meeting.  Herring’s vote was one of the majority three votes for the purchase.

    Cookendorfer, who voted against the purchase, said Herring’s home, The Ivy Veranda, which is directly across the street from the Cotton Yard, was registered as an event business with the S.C. Secretary of State in June, 2017. He made the argument that Herring’s event business depends on the Cotton Yard for parking, thus giving Herring an economic interest in the vote.

    As he began his presentation to Council last week, Cookendorfer said he had contacted [Steve] Hamm, an attorney with the South Carolina Ethics Commission, who, “confirmed that, based on the information I provided him, that the motion [to approve the Cotton Yard purchase] included a vote that violated S.C. law, Section 8-13-700 which talks about someone voting that has a potential economic interest. Section A & B talks about a…”

    Councilwoman Angela Harrison interrupted Cookendorfer, asking for a copy of the document.

    Cookendorfer said he would give her one.

    “Can I ask, what’s the conflict of interest?” Harrison asked, again interrupting.

    “I’m getting ready to…” Cookendorfer said before being interrupted by Harrison a third time.

    “Who has a conflict of interest?” Harrison demanded.

    “I’m sorry, we’re…”

    Harrison and Herring began talking over Cookendorfer.

    “I’m getting ready to tell you…” Cookendorfer continued before being interrupted again.

    “Well, we don’t need you to. I can read, so…” Harrison countered.

    “Anyone who has a business can park there,” Herring interrupted.

    “Right,” Cookendorf said. “If I can get through this, I’ll be more than happy to answer any questions.  Mr. Hamm asked me if the mayor had parking space for her business,” Cookendorfer said. “The answer was ‘No.’

    “Yes, I do,” Herring interrupted.

    “Do you have spaces for 40-50 cars?” Cookendorfer asked.

    “Probably not 40-50,” Herring said.

    Cookendorfer read from documents that he said were submitted to Hamm who, Cookendorfer noted, is a close friend of Herring’s. Herring acknowledged that he is.

    Those documents contained two pieces of information Cookendorfer said supported his claim that Herring had an economic interest in the Cotton Yard vote:

    1) an event advertisement from the Ivy Veranda Facebook page stating that, “Plenty of parking is available in the adjacent Cotton Yard,” and

    2) a copy of a statement that Herring submitted to Council on Dec. 8, 2016, recusing herself from voting on an ordinance to rent portable restrooms for the Cotton Yard for a special town event, in which she cited her economic interest.

    That recusal stated, in part, “I, Charlene Herring, Mayor of Ridgeway, recuse myself from voting because of conflict of interest. My husband and I are members of the Merchants Association.”

    Cookendorfer said the Dec. 8, 2016 recusal set a precedent for Herring to recuse herself on the Dec. 14, 2017 Cotton Yard vote.

    A brochure advertising The Ivy Veranda states that it is the “ideal place to host your intimate Southern style wedding reception.”

    “He [Hamm] asked, ‘By purchasing that land, will it be used for her business and other businesses?‘  I said, ‘Yes.’”

    “He then asked if anyone parks [in the Cotton Yard] currently. I said, ‘Yes,’” Cookendorf said.

    “If Ridgeway ever decides to discontinue its [Cotton Yard] leasing agreement, then that could potentially affect parking spaces available for your business,” Cookendorfer said to Herring. “So, because it could affect parking for your business, it could affect your business,” Cokendorfer said. “This means there’s an economic interest.”

    Cookendorfer said Hamm referred to S.C. Statute, Sec. 8-13-700 which states:

    (A)         No public official…may knowingly use his official office…to obtain an economic interest for himself, a family member, an individual with whom he is associated or a business with which he is associated.

    (B)          No public official…may make, participate in making or in any way attempt to use his office…to influence a governmental decision in which he…is associated, or a business with which he is associated has an economic interest.

    The statute continues with step–by-step details of how a public official with an economic interest should recuse him/herself.

    “Again, this is something that he [Hamm] concluded from the same information I’m handing you. He [Hamm] recommends that we rescind the vote and bring it back up for discussion. You’re welcome to talk to him,” Cookendorf said. “We can ask Mr. Hamm for a written recommendation. In the meantime, we can talk about this in open session.”

    “We’re not going to have this discussion, ok?” Harrison snapped. “The discussion will be, let’s call our attorney. We have legal advice for a reason, so let’s just take it from here.  We don’t need to rescind the motion,” Harrison repeated.

    “We don’t need that parking,” Herring interrupted, “and I can take that out [of the advertising].”

    “So you’re going to leave the motion and contact our attorney?” Cookendorf asked.

    “Yes,” Harrison snapped again. “They’ll understand it.”

    While Harrison, Herring and Porter fought on against tabling the Dec. 14 meeting minutes, in the end, Councilman Donald Prioleau made a motion to table them until the Feb. 8 meeting, and Council voted 5-0 to do so.

    Harrison added, however, that she wanted to correct a line in the Dec. 14, 2017 minutes from, “Councilman Prioleau left for an emergency…” to “Councilman Prioleau ‘said’ (Harrison’s emphasis) he left for an emergency.”

    Following the meeting, The Voice asked Herring if she had already signed the Cotton Yard contract, as authorized by Council on Dec. 14.

    “Some of us have,” Herring answered after thinking about it for a few seconds.

    However, contacted by email and phone, the other four council members, Harrison, Cookendorfer, Prioleau and Doug Porter told The Voice that none of them had signed the contract. That only the mayor was authorized to sign it.

    The Voice emailed Herring last week, asking if she planned to contact the Ethics Commission about whether her business constituted an economic interest in the Cotton Yard vote or to only contact the Town government’s attorney for advice about the issue. At press time, Herring had not answered the email.

  • RW Council to amend budget by 30.46%; Prioleau Criticizes Cotton Yard Purchase

    RIDGEWAY – Town Council will will hold a public hearing and take a final vote Thursday night to amend the budget for the 2017-2018 fiscal year by 30.46 percent.

    The Town’s current revenue will be amended from $744,200 to $970,900. However, the difference of $226,700 is not newly generated revenue, administrative consultant David Hudspeth told The Voice on Tuesday.

    “This money is currently in the Town’s bank account, but not allocated in the budget,” Hudspeth said. The transfer was necessary, he said, to put it into the Town’s budget so it could be used.

    Much of this additional revenue comes from the Town’s savings account. At the Dec. 14 meeting, Hudspeth recommended cashing in the Town’s CD’s and moving the proceeds into the general fund.

    While Ridgeway Town Council voted 3-1 last month to purchase the Cotton Yard for $73,000 +, Councilman Donald Prioleau told The Voice afterward that, had he been present for the vote, he would have joined Councilman Heath Cookendorfer in voting against the purchase.

    Prioleau said because of a prior commitment he had to leave the meeting before the executive session and had not thought the issue would come up for a vote that night since it was only on the agenda for executive session.

    “I don’t think we need to be spending that kind of money right now,” Prioleau said. “And when we spend that kind of money, we need to give the public better notice. I understand that there has since been talk that the Pig on the Ridge steering committee is all for this and is considering throwing a lot of money into it, but that’s not exactly correct,” Prioleau said. “We said we would be interested in helping out on a depot-style building with an outdoor platform and maybe room inside for community gatherings, but the library thing came up much later. The only sketch I’ve seen of a library is not a depot-style building. And I am not interested in that,” Prioleau said.

    “I also want to weigh in on the library location,” Prioleau added. “I’m all for a new library but as much as we need merchant space downtown and as congested as Palmer Street already is, we need to think about moving the library next to the park and ball field. A lot of children use the library and that would be a better location, near the park and it would not take up merchant shopping and parking space.”

    Another member of the POR steering committee, Tom Connor, agreed that the park would probably be a better location for the library.

    “I think the steering committee is most interested in a depot style building and also we would like to see a nice clock built in the downtown, in the Cotton Yard area,” Connor said.

    The next Town Council meeting is set for Thursday, Jan. 11.