Serving Barnwell County and it's neighbors since 1852
A seat that no one wanted is now headed to a runoff next week.
No one filed to be a candidate on the Nov. 8 ballot for the District 2 seat on the Barnwell County Consolidated School District board. That meant voters in that district had to write in a candidate of their choosing. Eighteen write-in votes were cast.
After eliminating the names of write-in candidates who do not live in District 2, Barnwell County Voter Registration & Elections Office Director Naomi DeFrenn called the qualified candidates to see if they wanted the position. The two people who had two votes each – the most of anyone written in – did not want the job. DeFrenn then reached out to the people who received one vote. Ken Beatty and Eric Johnson, both from Williston, both accepted.
“We narrowed it down to two people who want it. We will have to do a runoff for something no one wanted originally,” said DeFrenn.
A runoff will be held Tuesday, Nov. 22 between Beatty and Johnson.
“Runoff elections will not have write-ins,” said DeFrenn, meaning either Beatty or Johnson will win.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Only five precincts at four polling places will be open for this runoff, including Barnwell #1 (33 voters) at the National Guard Armory, Elko (183 voters) at the Elko Fire Station, Snelling (183 voters) at the Snelling Town Hall, Williston #2 (524 voters) at Williston Town Hall, and Williston #3 (32 voters) at Williston Town Hall.
Just like the General Election, early voting will be an option for voters in the runoff. Early voting will take place this Wednesday through Friday, Nov. 16-18, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Barnwell County Voter Registration & Elections Office (367 Fuldner Road, Barnwell).
The Candidates
Beatty is a 1993 graduate of Williston-Elko High School. He later attended The Citadel and is a U.S. Navy veteran. He is an active member of Williston Presbyterian Church.
“We are in the formative stages of our new consolidated school district and have a great opportunity to ensure our students have all the necessary tools available to them to become the leaders of tomorrow that I know they are capable of being. Education is not a one size fits all endeavor. We have the responsibility to ensure that our schools provide the diverse learning environment that will provide our students all the opportunities to realize their full potential. I will work with our superintendent and other board members to do everything in our power to bring that environment to fruition,” said Beatty.
As a third-generation sailor in the U.S. Navy who grew up in Charleston, Johnson worked 11 years in the U.S. Navy on nuclear submarines before beginning a career as an instructor at Savannah River Site’s Defense Waste Processing Facility. He left SRS for 15 years to become a training manager for a simulation company and an instructor for Southern Nuclear. He returned to SRS in 2021.
“Early on in my Naval career I qualified as an instructor, and it has been at the forefront of my working life for over 30 years. I have been a Technical Instructor or Trainer at Navel Nuclear Field “A” School, DOE Facilities like SRS, and for Southern Nuclear. During that time, I have developed, implemented, and evaluated the effectiveness of curriculum supporting commercial nuclear power plant operation, nuclear submarine operation, and our counties own Defense Waste Processing Facility disposing of the state’s most hazardous material. As a Training Manager in a large Training and Simulation Company I have experience budgeting and allocating resources, interviewing prospective team members, and presenting new ideas,” said Johnson.
He originally wrote his name in thinking nothing would come of it, but he decided to participate in the runoff because he “felt it was important that the students had representation for their district on the school board. I believe my collective experiences will help me fulfill the school board mission in setting the long-range vision for strategic and budgetary planning. I will work for the students to ensure the policies that govern their education will set them up for success in whatever future they envision. I intend to be and advocate for the students and their parents to make certain the communities views and concerns are heard and understood,” Johnson said.
Johnson lives in Williston with his wife Gail, five children, and three dogs.
Other Board Results
The other six seats for the BCCSD board were also on the Nov. 8 ballot.
All had only one candidate running except for District 6 which had two candidates. In that race, Catrena Hughes-Parker of Blackville won with 156 votes. Blackville resident Edward F. Rockwell Jr., who has served on the board since Dec. 2021, received 74 votes.
“First, I would like to say thank you to all that voted for me. I would like to thank Mr. Rockwell for all his hard work and time he contributed to the Barnwell County Consolidated School District. My goal as a board member is to work with the board addressing issues that may arise for the students, teachers, and other faculty members in hopes to resolve all issues in a professional manner and help to continue to move BCCSD in a positive direction for the future for our children, facility members, and teachers in BCCSD,” said Hughes-Parker.
Results of the other five board seats are:
The newly-elected board members, with the exception of District 2, will be sworn in this Friday, Nov. 18 at 4 p.m. in the Blackville-Hilda High School auditorium.
