The November 3 election for four seats on Spartanburg County Council won’t be unlike past elections except in one critical respect: no incumbent is on the ballot. All elected seats will be new faces.
And besides being a rare occurrence for a county as large as Spartanburg, it is indicative of an outspoken resident desire to see better leadership as Spartanburg positions itself as the state’s biggest hub of attraction for business and growth.
“Not having incumbents on the ballot is unusual,” said John Baucom, director of registrations and elections for Spartanburg County. “I personally can’t recall another instance for a general election where that has happened.”
He indicated that this oddity, along with the election for a new U.S. senator, could easily spur more voters to action.
“Turnout in these mid-term elections usually hovers around 50%,” he said. “Some years voters are motivated to turn out a bit more, some years a bit less. The last mid-term election was in November 2022 when turnout was 48.63%.”
Voters who have long wanted to see new blood on the Council will have no excuse to stay home, since there will be seven candidates on the ballot for these seats:
• William Crawford: County Council Chair, Republican, Boiling Springs.
• Lekesa Kesha Whitner: County Council Chair, Democratic, Spartanburg.
• Jason Seay: District 2 (unopposed), Republican, Chesnee.
• Garrett Gibson: District 5, Democratic, Inman.
• Betty Montgomery: District 5, Republican, Campobello.
• Alex Turner: District 6, Republican, Inman.
• Frankland Watts: District 6, Democratic, Wellford.
District 6 candidate Amanda Clubb was forced to withdraw due to health reasons.
In addition to voting for Council seats, voters will also be asked to choose their preference on these two referendums:
Question 1
Shall the Board of Trustees of School District No. 2 of Spartanburg County, South Carolina (the “School District”), be empowered to issue, at one time or from time to time, general obligation bonds of the School District, in a principal amount of not exceeding $156,600,000, the proceeds of which shall be used to finance the costs (including architectural, engineering, legal and related fees) of constructing and equipping a new K-8 school in the Boiling Springs community and constructing and equipping additional classroom space at Cooley Springs-Fingerville Elementary School and Mayo Elementary School?
Question 2
If and only if Question 1 above is approved, shall the Board of Trustees of School District No. 2 of Spartanburg County, South Carolina (the “School District”) be empowered to issue, at one time or from time to time, general obligation bonds of the School District, in a principal amount of not exceeding $30,000,000, the proceeds of which shall be used to finance the costs (including architectural, engineering, legal and related fees) of stadium upgrades at both of the School District’s high schools, athletic improvements at all middle schools, and improvements to playgrounds at all elementary schools?
Baucom pointed out that voters needing an absentee ballot should request one immediately.
“Spartanburg County began mailing absentee ballots to eligible requestors the week of October 5,” he said. “The deadline to complete an absentee ballot request is Friday, October 23 at 5 p.m. Requests may not be made by email, fax, or other electronic means.”
