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Following a close three-way primary in which neither leading candidate received a majority of votes cast, a runoff election will be held on June 25 for Allendale County Council’s first district which includes large parts of Fairfax and southern Allendale County.
The first round of voting, which took place on June 11, saw 165 ballots cast in the Democratic primary, with educator Keith Browning receiving 24 votes (14.55% of ballots cast), former magistrate judge John Chaney receiving 66 votes (40% of ballots cast) and decades-long incumbent Theresa Taylor receiving 75 votes (45.45% of ballots cast).
“While I have lost my bid to be your next County Councilman for Allendale County, District 1, I am nowhere near done,” Browning said. “You don’t have to be a council member to effect change. We are still in the same boat as we were when I first threw my hat into the ring. We still need a fresh, new take on representation. It is obvious that we simply cannot continue on the path that we find ourselves on.”
If re-elected, Taylor said, she wants to work on organizing the county’s finances and hiring an administrator. Taylor also said one of her strengths as a candidate is her pre-existing knowledge of the inner workings of county council and its finances.
“I want to make sure we have accountability for our state and local funding,” Taylor said. “I want to make sure employees have the tools to do their job and work towards making Allendale County a safe community.”
If elected, Chaney said, he wants to work with the council to address nutrition issues in Fairfax and increase financial transparency. Chaney also said one of his strengths on council would be being a new council member.
“I think it’s time for a change and I have a lot of ideas,” Chaney said. “We need a store in Fairfax, and if I’m on council we can find some grant money to get that grocery store. If I’m elected, I’m going to vote if I think it’s best for the county and best for the citizens.”
The runoff election is open to all Allendale County voters, even those who did not vote in the June 11 primary. However, those who voted in the primary can only vote in the same party’s runoff.
Elijah de Castro is a Report for America corps member who writes about rural communities like Allendale and Barnwell counties for The People-Sentinel. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep Elijah writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today.
