Serving Barnwell County and it's neighbors since 1852
On Nov. 20, Shavontay Elmore launched his campaign on the steps of the Allendale County Courthouse.
Randy Creech is running for Allendale Town Council on a platform of improving the town’s infrastructure and starting a trade school.
Randy Creech and Shavontay Elmore, two lifelong residents of Allendale, are running to fill the Allendale City Council’s empty fifth seat.
The nonpartisan seat has been empty since Governor Henry McMaster suspended councilman Earl Morell Jr. in Oct. 2022. In Oct. 2023, Morell Jr. pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor. Voters will choose the next Allendale City Council member on January 23, 2024, and the next council member will serve the remainder of the term. The city will have a regular city council election in Nov. 2024.
The two candidates are running on similar platforms; both want to invest more in local businesses, increase opportunity for young people and reduce crime. However, both differ in tone and have proposed different ways of pursuing those goals while on council.
Having lived in Allendale for 52 years, Creech expressed frustration with the decades-long trajectory of the town, and views his experience within the community as the best means for turning things around. The speed at which the city council is pursuing change through outside investment, Creech said, does not match the urgency of the town’s issues.
“Allendale is a small community but is a big county and has a big heart,” Creech said. “When I was a child, yes, there was some form of racism that was here. When I was young, it wasn’t great, it was minor. But we had growth, we had mom and pop stores that were here. Allendale was the place to be. … My objective and my goal for Allendale is to help bring businesses here, help to build up the infrastructure here.”
Elmore, on the other hand, is a young graduate of Allendale-Fairfax High School who spoke to the town’s lack of opportunity for youth like himself as one of the reasons for its decline. On Nov. 20, Elmore launched his campaign from the steps of the Allendale County Courthouse, where he criticized the status quo of the local government.
“This will not be easy, but together, we can win,” Elmore said. “Listen, I’m not a politician, and I don’t plan on becoming one. What I am is an advocate for change. … I know that there are those who believe that our plans are too bold and [that] we may be too young to hold public office, but we don’t need their permission.”
Elmore said that if elected to council, he wants to push the town council to create afterschool programs for young people in high school that get them engaged with the community.
“Like so many others I struggled to find my way after high school,” Elmore said. “I had a passion, but no real place to use it. Confined by lack of opportunity, I attached myself to the calls of pouring into the lives of my generation.”
To prepare young people for a career in the future, Creech proposed creating a trade school within Allendale. Currently, Allendale has its Adult Education Facility and Allendale SC Works Center, both of which work in employment access and workforce development. Additionally, the Allendale-Fairfax High School offers Career and Technical Education courses to students.
“Trade school in this day-and-age is something I feel that people need to be trying to invest in,” Creech said. “With that, we want to acquire a facility where young individuals can go in with a full scholarship to get those trainings so they won’t depend on crime.”
A major issue for the town is the lack of jobs within the community, as many Allendale residents have to travel out of county to find work. This issue was raised by Elmore in his campaign announcement.
“I’ve seen the problems that we face, whether it be the mother who has to decide between her kids eating dinner and keeping the lights or the dad who has to commute to work back and forth to Georgia to earn a livable wage,” Elmore said.
Tin Thanh Group, a Vietnamese manufacturing company, claims its new Allendale County tire retreading facility will bring 1,031 jobs. However, it is unknown how many of these jobs will be for people who are from within Allendale. Creech said that if he is on council, he wants to use his seat to bargain for more community investment from Tin Thanh Group.
“[We will] try to get them to invest more into Allendale,” Creech said. “If we can get them to not only invest in that facility but facilities all over Allendale like housing, that will be a big plus for the community.”
