Serving Barnwell County and it's neighbors since 1852
From left, Dorothy Kennedy, Phyllis Smart, Ken Ready, Tiffine Forester, Butch Sauls and Carl Love form the Town of Fairfax's new government.
On Nov. 20, former Fairfax town council member Butch Sauls was inaugurated as mayor alongside three council members.
The inauguration occurred days after the outgoing Fairfax mayor, Dorothy Riley, had made multiple attempts to “cancel” the Nov. 20 meeting. Riley’s claims appeared to contrast with South Carolina municipal law, as previously reported by The People-Sentinel. Sauls said that on Nov. 20, before the meeting, Riley called and congratulated Sauls for winning the election.
“I want every citizen to understand: this is a council form of government,” Sauls said shortly after being sworn in as mayor. “It's not a mayor form of government, and I expect this council to work together for one thing: the betterment of Fairfax. I don't want any personal agendas.”
Under a council form of government, the mayor “has no additional statutory authority beyond that of other councilmembers,” as defined by the Municipal Association of South Carolina.
The new council members are Dorothy Kennedy and Carl Love. Council member Tiffine Forester was sworn in for another term, and was also appointed mayor pro-tem of the council.
Since being elected, Sauls has said that he wants to increase transparency between the town’s citizens and the council.
“Any concerns that you may have, I am willing to address,” Sauls said. “I want you to be able to come to these meetings and voice your opinion. I don’t expect you to sit home and complain. Hold me accountable.”
One of the first steps the new council will have, Sauls said, is looking through the town’s bank records and forming a budget. Sauls said he will share what information he can about the town’s finances with The People-Sentinel.
“I've got to meet with the bank and sign some papers to be able to get the information I need and get our finances in order,” Sauls said. “We’ve gotta get a budget. We have no budget. … We have to know what we can operate on.”
Council member Orlando Spiller, who is the son-in-law of Riley, was not at the Nov. 20 meeting.
Additionally, Art Williams, a consultant who has worked on the town’s community center, resigned shortly before the Nov. 20 meeting. Council member Phyllis Smart and Sauls said they planned to release Williams upon taking office.
“I went on and resigned because I thought it was a perfect time for us to part ways,” Williams said. “My vision was to help the town become a better town through development. The politics side; I don't want to get involved in that.”
Williams said he would continue to help the town on the community center if needed.
While campaigning for office, Sauls criticized the town’s use of American Rescue Plan Act funds. Although he believes the town’s overbudget and delayed community center should be completed, he has said the town’s infrastructure should be a top priority.
“We’ve got to start fixing our infrastructure,” Sauls said. “We’ve got some places with no fire hydrants. Citizens are suffering. If we don’t start fighting for people that’s going through struggles and hardships, what are we going to do?”
