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LITTLE MOUNTAIN, S.C. (WIS) - Two open council seats are on the ballot in the small Newberry County town of Little Mountain, but no one has filed to run for either position. Election officials say this is an unusual, but not unheard-of, situation in rural South Carolina. The vote will proceed as planned, and the winners may be determined by write-in votes. Little Mountain is a quiet spot in Newberry County with fewer than 400 residents and only a caution light. “We have a village atmosphere, and we’re trying very hard to keep that,” Little Mountain mayor Jana Jayroe, who has served for more than a decade, said. “Family units, churches, medical clinics, the antique mall, mom and pop businesses, all here within walking distance within our town limits. You can walk to school, you can walk to the dentist, you can walk to church.” There could be two empty seats at council meetings next year as the town prepares for an election with no candidates. “I was completely unaware that we didn’t have anybody,” Jessica Derrick, who lives in Little Mountain, said. “My understanding is we were voting to just keep those in or any new ones in as opposed to there’s nobody on the ballot.” Jayroe, who is running for re-election unopposed, said she has spoken to the outgoing council members and a few others about possibly running. The current office holders have elected not to serve again, she said. At this point, Little Mountain will have to wait to see what write-ins bring. If none of the top vote-getters wish to serve, the town has options. “Then it goes back to the town council and the mayor for them to decide if they want to do a special election and maybe try to conjure up some interest in the seats,” Sheli Madre, Newberry County elections director, said. According to the South Carolina Election Commission, municipal code sets the standards in these situations, and there is not much authority that the state wields. Some locals are surprised by the situation. “We need those people to kind of step up to keep our small town a small town,” Derrick said. “I’m sure somebody will step up,” Bruce Bookman, longtime Little Mountain resident, said. “It always has. It’s been like that before, and somebody will step up.” If there are two vacant council seats for some time, the mayor said there will not be many substantial changes to governing among herself and the remaining two council members. “Neither one of them and myself can never miss a meeting, but we will have a quorum that way and be able to carry on with our business,” Jayroe said. Community members offered mixed reactions to the election twist. Some suggested general apathy toward government could be contributing, or the fear that elected office could be too time-consuming or too grueling. Madre said a similar situation is playing out in the town of Silverstreet, where two council seats remain open after last year’s election. Early voting in Newberry County has already begun at 1872 Wilson Road in Newberry. 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.
