Supporting Our Leaders When It Matters Most

S.C. Rep. Blake Sanders, Dist. 9

Over the past several hours, days and months, we’ve watched a troubling trend unfold across our local governments in South Carolina. From town halls to county courthouses, good people, those dedicated public servants who love their communities, are stepping down, walking away, or choosing not to run again. It’s a warning sign we should all take seriously.

Just today, Mayor Jim Riddle resigned from West Pelzer, a place I was proud to serve for nearly a decade. Not long before, Mayor Chris Burton in Honea Path made the same difficult decision. In nearby Pelzer, Mayor Will Ragland announced he would not seek reelection. These are not isolated events. They are symptoms of a deeper problem and one that perhaps says more about us as a society than about them as individuals. 

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.

Unfortunately, today we’ve entered an era where misinformation spreads faster than truth and where criticism often replaces conversation. Social media, small-town gossip, and politically motivated attacks have made it easier than ever to tear down the very people trying to hold our communities together.

I’ve seen it firsthand. It takes a toll on you and your family, and your business, both mentally and physically. You start out wanting to make your community better, and suddenly you’re defending yourself against rumors. When that happens to one mayor or one council member, it’s unfortunate. When it happens across the board, it becomes a crisis of civic leadership.

Look around at towns like Ninety-Six or Calhoun Falls, which have faced public scrutiny over allegations of corruption or mismanagement. These issues deserve transparency and accountability first and foremost, but they also deserve perspective. The fact that some towns struggle with perception doesn’t mean every small-town leader is crooked or self-serving. It certainly doesn’t mean that the person you sit beside in church on Sunday, the one who volunteers, serves on a committee, and takes home less than minimum wage for countless hours of work, is part of some grand scheme of wrongdoing.

We need to remember that most local leaders are our neighbors. They coach Little League. They help at the fire department. They serve in their churches. They run small businesses that employ local people. They do all of this while trying to make decisions that move their communities forward. And yet, instead of encouragement, they often receive accusations, personal attacks, and a level of cynicism that discourages anyone new from stepping up.

The result is predictable: fewer candidates, more resignations, and growing apathy. The people who would make the best leaders, the steady, level-headed, community-minded ones, look at what happens to others and decide it’s not worth it. And who can blame them? 

But this is where we, as citizens, have a choice. We can keep feeding the negativity, or we can choose to lift up those who are willing to serve. We can stop assuming the worst about people we know personally. We can show up to council meetings to listen and learn while also giving constructive criticism where it’s needed. 

As someone who’s been on both sides of the table, I can tell you the job isn’t easy. Every decision you make affects people you care about. Every dollar you spend comes from someone’s hard-earned taxes. Every meeting is a balance between what’s popular and what’s right, and those two aren’t always the same solution.

The truth is, good government depends on civility, trust, and respect for those doing the work. If we lose that, we lose the very fabric of what makes our small towns special.

West Pelzer, Honea Path, Pelzer, Ninety-Six, Calhoun Falls are more to me than dots on a map. They are living, breathing communities with proud histories and hopeful futures. But they can only thrive if we support the people willing to lead them, whether we personally like those elected leaders or not.

So, before you assume the worst, remember this: the good people serving in local government are often the same ones sitting beside you in the pew, cheering for your kids, or helping a neighbor in need. They deserve more grace, more understanding, and more support than they’re getting right now.

Because if we drive away all the good people willing to serve, we’ll have no one left to blame but ourselves.

Blake Sanders represents District 9 in the South Carolina House of Representatives and is the former two-term Mayor of the Town of West Pelzer.