NEWBERRY COUNTY — During the June 9 Republican Primary, voters will have a decision when it comes to the Newberry County Council District Two seat. Incumbent Steve Stockman is running for reelection and faces opposition from challangers Mary Arrowood, Tammy Johns and Lee Attaway.
The following questions were posed to all candidates.
1. What made you decide to run for Newberry County Council?
Arrowood: “As your recently retired Newberry County Assessor, my desire is to continue to serve the citizens of Newberry County by using the knowledge acquired during my time working for county government. I have worked 17 years in county government with the last 13 years as your Newberry County Assessor. I feel this makes me a qualified candidate for County Council and being retired would allow the necessary time to devote to serve the citizens. As Assessor, I adhered to the South Carolina Code of Laws Title 12, taxation. I have hundreds of hours of training under the South Carolina Department of Revenue. I understand different assessments of various types, fee in lieu, bonds, reassessment, roll back mileage, mills and the levy. With this knowledge and several friends’ encouragement, I made the decision and I retired March 31, 2020, and signed up to run for County Council District Two.”
Attaway: “I have been in public service all my life. My career was in law enforcement and I left that career actually to remain on the board of education, where I spent 20 years. I’ve been out of public service for two years now and really feel the call to get back to serving my community and county in this capacity. I was planning to run four years ago, but Mr Bennie Bennett, superintendent of schools at the time, talked me out of it, wanting me to stay on the board with him; unfortunately, he is no longer on this Earth to support me in this venture. He was a great friend and I looked to him quite often for advice in many areas. He was a true inspiration to me.”
Johns: “We need a stronger voice and more communication in District Two. The number one complaint in my area is communication. Residents do not feel they are being fully represented. I believe that communication is key to successfully allowing the residents’ needs and desires to be known and represented in our county.”
Stockman: “TAXPAYER PROTECTION was and will continue to be my number one goal. I ran for council initially back in 2008 because property taxes had gotten totally out of control. During my tenure, council has reduced the non-school taxes significantly by 23 mills; however, we have no influence over the school taxes and how that affects our property taxes. We were once in the top ten of all South Carolina counties for property taxes. Now, we are 24th among all of the other South Carolina county councils. We are headed in the right direction, but we still have more work to do!”
2. If elected (or re-elected) to Newberry County Council, what would your top priority be?
Arrowood: “Top priority would be communication to the citizens by returning phone calls and being accessible to them. I would work to regain the public trust with open communication. Simultaneously, I would work to increase the stipend for the volunteer chiefs, firefighters and EMS first responders. I would explore ways to keep and attract our volunteers. Also, we must keep the competitive wages for our sheriff deputies. We have made some headway here but need to continually monitor this and adjust as needed. We want to keep our deputies and not lose them to other counties after they are trained. The citizen’s safety and well-being is vital.”
Attaway: “Top priority would be to listen to the citizens of my district and the county as a whole. I would then make sure their voice is heard. I would also put on the top of the list to see the county communicate well with the cities within the county, as well as the school board. We all have to work together to make us strong.”
Johns: “If I am fortunate to be elected, I will communicate with the residents, and represent the residents fully. I am here to work for the people of the county. Also, I will congruently work to improve our roads, continue to support all first responders, get involved fully in economic development.”
Stockman: “I will always continue working to lower property taxes. TAXPAYER PROTECTION, that is why I ran initially and that is where my focus continues to be. I also want to continue attracting higher wage jobs to Newberry County. That is one way we can improve our citizen’s lives without unnecessary government involvement. This would also keep our younger generation closer to home if we give them better opportunities for their future.”
3. How would you work to improve and support economic development in Newberry County?
Arrowood: “Our economic development team has been doing a good job. We need to stay committed to economic development, but there are other development areas needing attention like infrastructure. When Samsung came here it was great to land this company. Newberry, at that time, had no new housing developments with spec homes. All we had available were a few existing homes for resale. We lost new people moving into Newberry County to Chapin and the Irmo housing markets. There are many nice parcels a developer could develop for housing, but we lack the infrastructure. We have not attracted any home developers until recently. I think we need to work more for grants or with local authorities for infrastructure. The tax base grows about 1 ½ percent each year recently for new construction. This does not handle the growth in the county budget. I would like to see this growth increase to help more with our increasing budget obligations.”
Attaway: “I would look to bring programs that support youth and proper development in the county. I would especially listen to what the citizens of the county wanted to see here. Personally, I would look for businesses and programs that are needed in the county — grocery stores being one major business that is needed! In fact, I am not even on the council yet and recently was very instrumental in bringing a very good program to Newberry County, instead of Lexington! You should see the results of this in the next couple of years. They were looking to locate in Lexington county, but I helped them choose Newberry instead by helping them secure the needed property!”
Johns: “I will be excited to work with economic development in Newberry County. I want to see our area grow in a positive direction and successfully. I do think diversity and thinking outside the box are imperative. The economic director, Rick Farmer, has been so gracious to review his department and public projects with me. I look forward to getting involved for the economic success of Newberry County.”
Stockman: “I have served on our economic development committee for many years and have been the chairman for the past four years. One of the proudest days of my life was when we convinced Samsung, the 11th largest company in the world, to come to Newberry County. Before coming to Newberry County, Samsung had only one other manufacturing facility in the United States, a semi-conductor facility in Texas. Because of their size and wealth, Samsung offers great potential for expanded development and new job creation in Newberry County. We have secured our first BMW supplier, MM Technics, and our first Samsung supplier, KRA, since I have been on council. I think we still have a lot of potential in this area as well. The main challenge before us is in developing sites for industrial investment. Companies expect communities to deliver to them prepared sites with adequate infrastructure. We have done that in recent years without increasing property taxes by partnering with the state and utility providers. This is another area where we are headed in the right direction.”
4. Are there county ordinances currently in place you would like to see repealed/modified? Are there ordinances not currently enacted/enforced you feel should be?
Arrowood: “Ordinances are codified each year. Ordinances are classified by the area they involve like zoning, public works, animal control, County Council and so on. I think it would behoove the county to look at the ordinances and if it has not been updated in five years, to review the ordinance and see if it is outdated or needs updating. This would keep our ordinances updated and not outdated.”
Attaway: “At this time I would say that I want to make sure I am familiar with all the ordinances and understand their reasoning before I would say I want it repealed/modified. The second part of the question is pretty much the same, I need to understand all the ordinances and their purpose before I say I want to see them enacted/enforced. I don’t believe in jumping to conclusions without know all the information possible.”
Johns: “Honestly, the residents of District Two have not told me about any ordinances that need to be modified or repealed for our area. However, if an issue arises I will listen and look for the resolution.”
Stockman: “Zoning ordinances need to be modified to adapt to development trends. As we see more growth, people will come to value open space and their rural lifestyle even more. We hope to protect that. It is also time to crack down on dilapidated properties and people who stockpile trash in their yards. Newberry County is a place where people are proud to live. We need to emphasize that, especially where people have let their yards become trash dumps. There is no place in our beautiful county for dumping grounds.”
5. Will you be accessible to residents who encounter a perceived problem and will you maintain contact until said problem is resolved?
Arrowood: “My work ethic speaks for itself on communication. Yes, I will be accessible to the citizens of Newberry County as I have for the last 13 years. I will meet with citizens, I will return phone calls and I will follow-up on the problem until resolved, if it can be resolved. Citizens will be heard, listened to and responded to. I know the county, I know the people and I have served the people with respect. Being retired, I will be readily available, able and willing to continue serving Newberry County citizens.”
Attaway: “I always have been and will continue to be accessible to the residents. I do work full time plus some and in facilities at times that I cannot use a phone, so you may receive my voicemail, but I ALWAYS return my calls.”
Johns: “Absolutely I will be accessible to the residents. I do return phone calls, text and emails. I am also on several forms of social media.”
Stockman: “I have always been accessible to the citizens of this county and will continue to be 365 days a year. I can always be reached at 803-924-3731. If there is a problem for any individual or community, I will work with the citizens to find a resolution. When we work together we can accomplish more!”
Final Statement, what is something you’d like voters in Newberry County to know about you?
Arrowood: “My desire to serve the people of Newberry County is my only motive for running for County Council. Being a lifetime native, I’m committed to ‘making Newberry County better together.’ I am very approachable, will be accessible and will return phone calls. I am my own person and will do due diligence when making decisions. I am very conscientious about implementing any added taxes and will do my very best to keep the levy flat or low. I am a faithful person and guided by my morals. My qualifications and credentials speak volumes. I am committed to work for the people of Newberry County. I humbly ask you to vote Mary Arrowood, the qualified candidate for District Two County Council on June 9.”
Attaway: “I am a life long resident, born in Newberry and only moved away because, at the time, South Carolina Highway Patrol required you to move. I was only gone three years before I returned to Newberry and have been here since. I take pride in supporting my family, community, church, and this county. I spent 20 years on the Board of Education where I was instrumental in making sure the facilities were safe and good environments for learning. I also own two businesses, both of which are in Newberry County. Locating my businesses anywhere else is not even a thought. One is a joint venture with my wife and has been part of the Little Mountain community for 36 years. The other business was started in 2011 and provides various electronics and technology to numerous businesses and detention facilities in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia — along with products that support and assist law enforcement in the recording of all custodial interviews throughout the southeastern U.S., and again is based out of Newberry County! And last but not least, I really enjoy helping people find the right home/land for them as I was convinced by a long time friend, Barry Koon, to obtain my real estate license about 15 years ago! I have been here for the citizens of Newberry County all of my adult life and want to continue to serve the citizens and do what I can to make Newberry better in all ways and I am willing to go the extra mile for anyone. I do apologize for the picture I provided being an older photograph, but I have not had a new photo made in a while, biggest difference is my grey hair is more predominant now!”
Johns: “I am a business women who started her first successful business at age 15 and chaired my first board at age 19. I am involved and active in my community, state and across the nation. I work with several boards, organizations and projects. I am fully aware of the importance of education, communication and staying connected. These always leads to transparency and accountability. I will be a strong and positive voice for District Two. I want to work for the people of Newberry County — and I want to be part of a positive and successful future.”
Stockman: “I am a life-long citizen of Newberry County District Two and proud of it. I am not someone who seeks a lot of attention for himself and never will be. I am not a brand name or a celebrity. I am a public servant and I always have and always will take this position seriously. It would be an honor for me to continue serving on County Council, and to continue with the progress we have begun making on lowering taxes and creating better paying jobs for our citizens. I am thankful for the years I have served the citizens of District Two. I have met a lot of fine people over the past 12 years and I extend my gratitude for your support. I will continue to support the people of this district with whatever authority they entrust to me.”