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LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. (WIS) - There are several municipal elections across the Midlands. Voters will cast their ballot on Nov. 4, but early voting began on Oct. 20. Several of those races are in Lexington County, and WIS is taking a look at most candidates vying for a seat. CHAPIN TOWN COUNCIL ELECTION: In the town of Chapin, there are four candidates running for two council seats, with one incumbent running for re-election. Gregg White is wrapping up his second term as council member and is currently serving as mayor pro-tem after the passing of the town’s Mayor, Al Koon, just days before early voting. Each of the four candidates spoke on the importance of finding a way to help ease traffic and congestion to help support growth in their small town. The three other candidates are running for office for the first time: Ainslee Bost, Warren Burritt Jr. and Jerry Taylor. Ainslee Bost Bost is a mom of two, born in the town of Chapin, who expressed interest in combating traffic within the town. While she said growth was inevitable, she expressed concern over the town’s infrastructure, water, sewer and schools. She told WIS she hopes to preserve the look and feel of Chapin, ensuring it still has its small-town character. Bost said she wants to bring fresh ideas and improve transparency, proposing a town hall meeting for residents and local businesses to voice their opinions on happenings across the town. “Chapin has exploded over the last several years, and it’s a concern not just because of traffic but because of infrastructure, sewer, schools, especially”, said Bost. Jerry Taylor Taylor moved to Chapin in 2002 and is running his campaign on transparency and communication. He told WIS he wants to utilize online sources and social media to help keep residents informed on projects and events across the town. Taylor expressed interest in limiting outside chatter-- effectively communicating plans and finances with residents to keep truthful information at the forefront. “There needs to be more in-your-face communication because people don’t like to read, they don’t like to dig, it needs to be there. That with everything going around Chapin, the projects where it’s at, things like that,” said Taylor. Warren Burritt Jr. Burritt Jr. has lived in the Town of Chapin for over 25 years. He feels the small-town atmosphere has changed, and development continues to increase. He fears infrastructure isn’t going to keep up with the rate of growth. While admitting he isn’t anti-development, he emphasized the importance of slowing down and getting input from residents about how the town should grow. He believes the lines of communication could be improved between council members and residents, and should he be elected feels his constituents should know where the town stands financially. “It’s just the traffic; it’s just from I-26 to my house, it takes me 20 minutes every day, and it’s just not what I envision for Chapin. I am not anti-development I just want to slow things down, assess the situation and slow things down,” said Burritt Jr. Gregg White White has plans to focus on access roads, proper growth and fostering small business development should he be re-elected. He wants to utilize a non-profit organization to help restore historic homes and properties within the town and add additional green spaces and sidewalks. White told WIS he wants to work closely with SCDOT, local and state partners to provide needed road improvements and bypasses in the area. “I would be looking at consolidating the efforts to make sure we have access roads and one of the biggest things is to continue fostering small business development so that we have small businesses within the town that can keep the small-town nature so that they can grow and be local businesses that can help the constituents and grow our economy locally”, said White. In addition to the council race, two people are running for Mayor after the death of Al Koon: Ron Colley and Bill Mitchell. iRMO TOWN COUNCIL ELECTION: In the town of Irmo, there are six candidates vying for two seats. Both Gabriel Penfield and Barb Waldman are running for re-election. All candidates acknowledged growth within the town and surrounding area, expressing interest in finding measures to help facilitate that growth in a way that does not disrupt its infrastructure and roads. Benjamin Battiste Battiste is a veteran who served in the United States Army for over 20 years. He stressed the importance of expanding the towns’ finances and community access with things like sidewalks and green spaces. Battiste would like to implement steps that let the town grow, but in a way that’s organized and allows residents to have a say. Should he be elected, he plans on targeting additional sidewalks throughout the town first. “One thing I would like to implement is while I really appreciate what Irmo has been trying to do for green spaces in the town, I would like to keep an eye on the accessibility of these green spaces and looking at more sidewalks for the town,” said Battiste. Adam Raynor Raynor plans to build a proactive plan that can help address the needs of the town, but is asking residents’ opinions to help craft that plan. He also served for over 20 years in the military and told WIS he wants to be the neighbor that residents trust and come to voice their concerns. Raynor said growth is unavoidable, and he plans to take both reactive and proactive steps to address it to help the town’s roads and utilities. Raynor believes there is a breakdown in trust and communication with the current council and wants to change that. “I have to go back to the communication thing to make sure the residents are involved. I feel like the residents were there in the past, but their voices weren’t heard. I would like to bring them back to the table and listen to their concerns,” said Raynor. Barb Waldman Waldman, an incumbent, raised the importance of communication and continued use of the town’s mixed-use development agreement. She believes the town works well together as it stands, but that additional personnel are needed to keep the town running. Waldman said transparency is important to her and is working with others to develop a quarterly newsletter to keep residents informed. She said the council is looking at ordinances regularly to help improve safety in Irmo. “One of the things I would like to see the town enhance is some of our offerings in the park as well as opportunities to help our residents,” said Waldman. George Frazier Frazier expressed interest in working with local law enforcement to create a safe space for families and improve communication. Frazier is a disabled veteran who served as the chairman of events committee in Irmo in the past. To Frazier, being a representative of the town of Irmo is important; he said he wants to hear the residents and use their voices to help craft decisions. “I think that we actually lack that in the town of Irmo, getting the citizens’ input on day-to-day life and events that happen in the town of Irmo,” said Frazier. Brandon Mundy Mundy plans to strengthen infrastructure, traffic flow and public utilities to support expanding neighborhoods and suggests a citizen advisory board to give residents continued say in town decisions. Mundy said he wants to prioritize the enhancement of public safety, communication between residents and council and investment in parks, small businesses and community programs. Gabriel Penfield, also an incumbent, chose not to do an interview. LEXINGTON TOWN COUNCIL ELECTION: There are three seats open on Lexington Town Council, with five candidates running. Each candidate expressed interest in addressing traffic and infrastructure throughout the town of Irmo. The incumbents, Ron Williams, Gavin James Smith and Todd Carnes emphasized the success that the town’s current council has had in planning major road improvement projects and density. Doug Leonard Leonard, a political newcomer, expressed the need for maintenance and preparation for continued growth. He also said he wishes to provide residents with an inside look at the town’s finances. Should he be elected, he would like to implement a web page or landing page on the town’s website that clearly outlines the town’s financials, including monthly expenses, saying that residents should be able to learn what they want in three minutes or less. Leonard told WIS he has four children and several grandchildren, and has lived in the town for decades. He said he wants to earn the trust of fellow residents and be a good steward of taxpayer money. “When it comes to traffic, we have to make up for lost time when it comes to traffic and capacity, so in order to do that, we need to prioritize maintenance and taking care of differed maintenance. That is the truth,” said Leonard. Greg Brewer Brewer has also lived in the town for decades and is running for public office for the first time. He said the town of Lexington should run like a business and that “growth needs to pay for growth.” Brewer raised concerns about council term lengths, saying new minds and fresh perspectives can make a difference when deciding what’s best for the town. He says the town needs operational transparency so that every project is known to the residents. “We need to have maximum transparency, not just financially but operationally. The public should see all the projects in real time, there should be a scorecard,” said Brewer. Todd Carnes Carnes is not new to the town council and is running for re-election. He has lived in the Lexington community for over 20 years and has a background in infrastructure. Carnes highlighted several projects that are in the pipeline, including over $40 million that’s budgeted for road projects, and plans to update the water treatment plan to ensure residents continue to have access to clean water. He said credibility means everything to him and that having experience isn’t a downfall but an advantage. “My focus will be 100% on transportation and water and sewer infrastructure. Our current council and myself do have some appetite to pull a park out of the ground on the east side of town,” said Carnes. Ron Williams Williams has already served two terms with the town of Lexington and is seeking re-election. Williams said there is a $40 million project that is in the works for Corley Mill Road and hopes to see that project go through. He also said he’s focused on improvements to the town’s water treatment plant as well as necessary sewer upgrades that could be forthcoming. Should he be re-elected, Williams said he will continue to serve the people of Lexington with no hidden agenda, just a desire to serve the community. “I have had two terms, and every time I have served, it’s just that I want to serve, I don’t have a hidden agenda, I don’t have any hidden items, I don’t work for anyone that could benefit from me being on council,” said Williams. Gavin James Smith Smith is the last of the three incumbents and said the number one concern he is hearing from citizens is a reduction in density. He wants the current ordinance allowing for four homes per acre to be taken a step further. “I think we should require a 10,890 square foot lot size that would make it a true quarter-acre lot size, that only four homes can be truly built per acre, rather than some of the fuzzy math that is done when neighborhoods are being built.” Smith said traffic is another thing he is hearing residents voice frustration about, and is committed to working with local and state partners to help address the issue. He said he plans to continue being transparent about how he votes for certain decisions and why, saying it’s important that citizens know council seats are meant for members of the community who choose to serve and listen to the needs and desires of their town. Smith is focused on getting young individuals involved in local government to learn and wants to stay and grow in the town. He said there is not a single handicap parking spot in downtown Main Street. He said he’s committed to ensuring there is both additional and accessible parking for all throughout the town. For a complete guide to voting in the Midlands, click here. Feel more informed, prepared, and connected with WIS. For more free content like this, subscribe to our email newsletter, and download our apps. Have feedback that can help us improve? Click here.
