Less than a week after the death of the town’s mayor, the surviving candidates for mayor of Chapin held a candidate forum on Thursday to inform voters about their intentions for the community. However, with the race moving so quickly, even several of the contenders were unsure where the election stood just days before the ballots closed.
As moderators from the League of Women Voters introduced the two mayoral candidates and four town council candidates, candidate for mayor Bill Mitchell felt compelled to provide a correction.
“Actually, we have three candidates for mayor here,” he informed me.
However, Town Councilman Gregg White, whom the Koon family is attempting to push into the mayor’s race as a write-in candidate following Mayor Al Koon’s death, denied campaigning for the position.
“I’m here for what’s on the ballot,” White stated, implying another four-year term on the Chapin Town Council.
The exchange ended a week of twists and turns in the contest to lead the 2,000-person hamlet north of Lake Murray. Koon was running for a second term as mayor in the Nov. 4 election before entering hospice care last week and dying on Friday. Mitchell and Ron Colley are the only remaining contenders for mayor.
Koon’s name is still on the ballot, but the Lexington County Elections and Voter Registration Office has informed The State that votes for the former mayor will not be counted. Koon’s sons, Ryan and Chris, are pushing for a write-in campaign for White, who told The State that he would be willing to serve as mayor if elected but is more concerned with his town council race.
Early voting for the Chapin election began on October 20 and finishes on October 31.
How should we handle growth?
At Thursday’s discussion, candidates for mayor and town council shared the stage, answering questions about how they saw Chapin’s future.
The town has faced development challenges as the area surrounding Lake Murray has seen an explosion of new house development in recent years. Chapin officials have little alternatives for restricting growth outside the town borders, and all of that growth has created traffic congestion and stretched the town’s sewer system, which runs far beyond the town itself.
Some candidates focused on the town’s authority to approve sewer taps for new construction as a means of limiting growth.
“We’re not required to issue the sewer taps,” Mitchell stated. “They may bring a lawsuit, but they may also sue if we fail to carry out the deal. The town owns the water facility. We have complete control over that. We can make our own choices.”
White stated that a developer’s lawsuit to force the town to connect sewer service will cost the town more money in the long term, and that Chapin has received state approval to expand its water treatment plant, which should alleviate some of the concerns locals have.
Colley stated that if the town declines a sewer tap request, residents have other choices. “If we say no to sewer access, they can always use a septic tank,” he told me.
Other candidates agreed with such idea. “I have a septic tank, which works fine, and it would probably limit the developer to two or three homes per acre,” said Warren Burritt, a town council candidate.
However, White stated that septic tanks can cause their own problems. “Septic tanks can be an environmental issue,” he told me. “That’s where you see some of the issues we’re having with Lake Murray, because that’s what we have to deal with going into the estuaries.”
Calls for an active leader.
Both of the official mayoral candidates stated that they intended to be a more engaged and outspoken leader for the municipality. Colley committed to conducting regular office hours for citizens and having his phone number widely known.
“The mayor needs to have input on everything, not just on meeting nights,” stated the council member.
Mitchell stated that he would consider “deleting some staff, like the town administrator,” and placing the mayor in charge of personally monitoring local operations.
White said the town is working on other upgrades, such as extending Columbia Avenue and negotiating with the Lexington-Richland 5 school system to construct a communal area at the former Chapin High School.
Candidates indicated interest in the prospective Brighton development, which could bring roughly 400 homes within the town borders, but they were concerned about the possible impact on traffic and the neighborhood’s mixed-use aspect, where businesses would coexist with homes. Burritt compared it to the Tipsy Toad Tavern.
“I wouldn’t want to live above the Toad,” Burritt explained.
Others believed that the near development would lessen the need for residents to commute on town roads outside the area while remaining consistent with Chapin’s small-town charm.
“I don’t see any plans for residences on top of buildings,” town council candidate Jerry Taylor stated. “It’s not going to be New York loft apartments.”
Ainslee Bost, a town council candidate, expressed her wish that the state Department of Transportation would build extra exits to Interstate 26 to reduce bottlenecks around town during rush hour.
“I get up an hour and a half early and there’s still a ton of traffic,” Bost said. “Sometimes I have to drive down to the Peak exit to get on the interstate.”
While the candidates stated that they would consider prospective annexations or other steps to regulate development inside the town of Chapin, many claimed that the attractiveness of Lexington County and its shoreline as a location to reside would imply that changes to the little town were unavoidable.
