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Public safety, local development and nutrition were top issues for voters who attended the Allendale Democratic Party’s Candidates forum on May 23. The forum, hosted at the Allendale County Courthouse, allowed Allendale voters to ask questions to the five Democratic candidates running for office.
The election will be held at a time of reckoning in Allendale; A recent string of shootings resulted in the killing of a 14-year-old girl, as well as multiple others injured, creating community-wide discussions surrounding the root causes of gun violence. Additionally, long-standing issues like community nutrition, job opportunities, the local housing crisis and the county’s financial situation were also top of mind for voters at the forum. The forum was facilitated by former South Carolina representative Wilbur Cave.
Voting and candidates
The statewide primaries for office will be held on June 11, with early voting having begun on May 28.
Three candidates are on the ballot for the Democratic primary in Allendale County Council’s District 1: incumbent Theresa Harvey Taylor, former magistrate judge John Chaney and educator Keith Browning. District 1 includes large parts of the Town of Fairfax, Barton and southern Allendale County.
In his opening speech, Browning criticized county leadership for the state of the county’s finances.
“With our governing body, things are bad, [and] they may get worse,” said Browning. “We may want to panic, but there’s no time for panic in our communities, that time has long passed. Now is the time for action.”
Chaney attributed the county’s financial issues to its lack of an administrator and encouraged greater cooperation between council members.
“I’m not going to put all the blame on the council,” Chaney said. “When you have five people together, there’s always going to be a little confusion. But when you’re at a [council] meeting, the only thing you should be concerned about is the citizens of Allendale County.”
Council member Taylor acknowledged the county’s financial problems, but said getting new sources of revenue for the county will help with community development.
“We’re making progress but right now the biggest problem we have in Allendale is finances,” Taylor said. “I hope that y’all bear with us. … We have a great team that’s working together, we’re trying to get funding for Allendale County to improve Allendale County.”
For state senate, incumbent Brad Hutto and Kendrick Brown will be running as Democrats, while Sharon Carter will be running as a Republican (though Carter is not on the primary ballot due to facing no opposition in her party). There are no third party candidates.
For the South Carolina House of Representatives, Republicans Demaris Johnson and Ben Kinlaw will be on the ballot in the June 11 primary. Incumbent Democrat Lonnie Hosey, who attended the candidates form, is running unopposed on the Democratic side and will not be on the primary ballot.
Hosey argued against voting for candidates other than Democratic incumbents.
“We all need to work together to keep our legislators in place,” Hosey said. “Why? Because we don’t have many Democrats in Columbia, and that’s why if you got feelings, you got issues, you better keep what you have before you go running for something else.”
Public safety
In response to a question from an audience member about public safety, Hutto said he has secured earmarked funds to increase policing in Allendale County.
“We know that Allendale has been plagued by gun violence,” said Hutto. “So we’ve got law enforcement funding for cameras — for both the sheriff’s department and the city police — to try and make sure that we live in a safe community.”
However, Chief Se’khu Hadjo of the Yamassee Indian Tribe pushed back against policing as the solution to gun violence within Allendale County.
“The problem we’re having here isn’t the law enforcement, [it’s that] our children aren’t able to be babies,” said Chief Hadjo. “They’re not able to grow up and be children and play. We can have all the jobs we want here — and I’m saying this to the county and the town officials here — what are we doing for our babies?”
Hosey said he believes that gun violence cannot be solved through legislative changes, and that increased reporting to police by community members is the solution.
“This is a community effort, it’s not a legislative effort,” Hosey said. “You asking us to do something that we are unable to do.”
Fairfax’s food desert
Since District 1 of Allendale County includes large parts of the Town of Fairfax, the town’s food desert was a frequently mentioned issue.
“The county needs to work closely with the municipality of Fairfax to try and get them a grocery store,” Chaney said, arguing the county council should play a role in helping Fairfax with the issue. “We’ve been without one for years, and now it’s time that they get one.”
Browning, who also emphasized nutrition as an important issue, also mentioned that development efforts made by legislators and local governments must also be paired with improvements in the school system.
“It does not matter how many jobs we bring into this county, it does not matter how many opportunities we give, if we are not producing students that are employable,” said Browning. “Many of our children are unapproachable, hungry or perpetually tired, which means that they are unteachable.”
During closing statements, Taylor encouraged the community to be patient with the council and said the county is making progress.
“It doesn’t happen overnight,” Taylor said. “All I’m asking is that you give me a chance to be re-elected for Allendale County Council and I assure you this county will be moving in the right direction.”
Polling locations in Allendale County include the Voter Registration and Elections Office, the Brandt Building, the Allendale Community Building, the Fairfax Fire Department, the Fairfax Municipal Building, the Martin Fire Department, the Sycamore Town Hall, the Ulmer Town Hall and the Allendale Community Building.
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.
