It’s is all too easy to overlook the extraordinary power contained within its unassuming ballot boxes. Yet, here in these local elections, far from the glare of national media, lies the very essence of democracy—the daily choices that shape the world you and your neighbors call home. Voting is far more than a civic duty; it is the cornerstone upon which our community’s future is built, a tool to forge a better quality of life for yourself, your family, and the generations to come.

Public service, especially at the local level, used to be something people respected. It wasn’t glamorous, and it didn’t come with fame or fortune, but it did carry meaning. Being a mayor, council member, or county council representative meant you cared enough to show up, to attend the meetings no one else wanted to, to answer the calls no one else would take, and to make the tough decisions that everyone loves to second-guess.

South Carolina’s poorest families are bracing for a hunger crisis as the federal government shutdown drags into its fourth week, threatening to cut off November’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for more than a quarter-million households across the state.

Almost 11,000 households which make up 22,657 individuals are expected to feel the pinch in Anderson County.

That’s why I’ve made planning and growth management a priority. At the state level, I support S.C. House Bill 4050, which would give local governments the ability to use concurrency programs. This means new development would move forward when adequate infrastructure like roads, water, sewer, and schools is already in place or planned. It’s a common-sense way to ensure that growth doesn’t outpace the services communities depend on.

In 2024, more than 75 of South Carolina’s domestic violence homicides included children and other family members. The primary cause of death was due to a gunshot, with 85% of females dying by bullet. National statistics indicate females are FIVE TIMES more likely to die from a handgun if weapons are available to the abuser, and suspected strangulation homicides are often under identified or verified.

The protest was, first and foremost, a peaceful demonstration. It was an audience that deeply knew that the ‘would-be king’ would like nothing better than a pre-text to crack down violently on dissent to his and his administration’s gross injustices that are meted out daily, the gross incompetence of his lackeys and enablers, the unprecedented corruption and the erosion of our rights guaranteed under the constitution. Violence is not something to which, claims by the administration and members of Congress aside, this gathering of regular citizens would have engaged in in any event. When I attended the Women’s March in Washington, DC in January 2017 at the time of the inauguration of the first Trump administration, the same held true - it was peaceful. Police presence seemed light.

A “Yes” vote on November 4 is crucial to the county’s future, including economic development (companies consider road conditions when scouting locations) as well as the safety of our citizens.

A “No” vote will mean more crumbling roads, higher vehicle maintenance costs and decreased safety for all drivers in our county.

Piedmont crews are committed to keeping our neighborhoods safe by responding to emergency situations with speed and precision. Our customers expect safe and reliable natural gas service, and I take pride in ensuring community safety. The most rewarding aspect is bringing reassurance to others, even during challenges like a natural gas leak.

October is National Fire Prevention Month, and I encourage everyone to remember and react the next time you smell, see, or hear the signs of a natural gas leak. Just remember, “smell natural gas, get out fast!” 

Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act was passed in 2022.  While it offered rapid healthcare assistance to veterans affected by toxic agents, it excluded per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), one of the most dangerous and prevalent chemicals in the United States today.

Comprised of over 12,000 synthetic compounds, PFAS can cause reproductive irregularities, developmental delays in children, different types of cancer, and high cholesterol, to name a few. Their practical qualities — like resistance to heat, oil, and water — encouraged manufacturers and the U.S. Armed Forces to use them widely in aircraft, munitions, electronics, missile systems, protective clothing, and more. PFAS in aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) was one of its most dangerous applications. The standard fire suppressant employed by civilian and military firefighting teams throughout the country created large amounts of surface run-off that eventually contaminated groundwater supplies in military bases and surrounding communities. Making matters worse, PFAS remain in the environment for long periods and accumulate in the human body, earning them the name “forever chemicals.”\

In recent years, documentaries and memorials have helped break that silence, leading to a small stone marker for the fallen workers in Dogwood Park. The brutal events of 1934 remain a reminder that the rights and protections afforded to workers today were not given freely but were won through hardship, at a cost of blood and lives.

We’ve got plenty of crime problems right here at home, including the eighth-highest murder rate in the nation, when including Washington, D.C., at 11.3 homicides per 100,000 people in South Carolina. In overall violent crime, South Carolina ranked ninth in 2023.

This grant program takes the proven success of HEDG and expands it, offering towns and cities across South Carolina the tools they need to solve immediate challenges and pursue bold new visions. With $25,000 Problem Solver Grants for practical fixes and $100,000 Big Idea Grants for transformative projects, both requiring just a 5% local match, the IMPACT Fund is designed to meet communities where they are and help them take the next step forward.

Such agreements have little to do with the issue of funding Anderson County’s roads and bridges, and to suggest as much, is either uninformed or duplicitous.

As a crew member at Piedmont Natural Gas, I have responded to numerous emergency calls, many of which could have been prevented. The primary cause of these incidents is the failure to contact 811. Every year, Piedmont sees thousands of emergencies stemming from people striking natural gas pipelines during home improvement projects and commercial excavation work. Already in 2025, Piedmont has reported damage to underground natural gas lines more than 1,100 times. 

Roads and bridges should be a central part of the debate. Strong-willed leadership is needed in Columbia.

In the rush of news, we should all be concerned that this partial bridge collapse might be quickly forgotten.

Instead, it should become the poster child that spurs bridge and road improvement in South Carolina.

It’ll be up to South Carolinians to keep roads and bridges front and center on the state’s agenda.

According to a new report by our research partners at Environment America Research & Policy Center, 74% of South Carolina beaches tested last year had potentially unsafe bacteria levels on at least one day — including Folly Beach and beaches on Hilton Head Island, Sullivan’s Island, and Kiawah Island. Sections of Myrtle Beach exceeded a safety threshold for nasty bacteria multiple times.

The beach safety threshold used in the report is a level of fecal indicator bacteria associated with 32 illnesses per 1,000 swimmers, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Solar companies like Firefly—and others across the state—are ready to keep investing in South Carolina. We’re ready to hire more, build more, and power more communities across the state with more reliable, cleaner, and lower-cost energy. But we can’t do it without the long-term certainty that the IRA’s energy tax credits provide.

Our senators and all of Congress must work to protect and preserve these clean energy provisions. Our workers, our businesses, and our future depend on it.

One of the things that attracts many to small towns is that citizens answer the call to action when there is a challenge.

More than two dozen volunteers answered that call Saturday morning in the Town of Pelzer to help restore and expand beautification efforts following the destruction of vandals early in the week.

In 2024, over 2,600 megawatts of solar energy capacity came online in South Carolina, equating to enough power to supply 325,640 homes.

Over the next five years, South Carolina is projected to add over 2,500 megawatts of solar capacity.

But higher electric bills are not the only adverse consequences for repealing the credits.

If the “big, beautiful bill” eliminates all federal tax credits for renewable energy, South Carolina’s residents and small businesses will not only suffer from increased electricity bills but would lose 4,860 jobs and suffer a $620 million decrease in our state’s gross domestic product, according to the NERA study.