Pelion, SC 04/03/2024 (Paul Kirby) - Lexington County Councilmember Scott Whetstone is running for re-election in County Council District 1. This is a large portion of southern Lexington County that includes the towns of Pelion and Swansea. He has served on Council for the past 8 years.
Whetstone lives in an area of the County that is best described as Mack Edisto close to Poole’s Mill. It is a mostly rural area of the County. He is the father of a teenage son, and he works as an Operations NOC Supervisor for Infrastructure at Dominion Energy, SC.
Whetstone said he is proud of his record of constituent services. He says in the past years, he secured $8 million in funds to pave dirt roads in District 1. This was during the COVID pandemic. He said that this is the most money ever secured and spent on paving in the southern end of Lexington County. He also proudly helped establish the Agricultural Overlay District to protect the farmers who serve the needs of Lexington County, the state, and nation. Protecting farmers and their farms is a large part of what he does.
“I was essential in helping Lexington County secure the latest expansion project at Nucor, the steel building manufacturer in Swansea,” Whetstone said. “I also wrote several drafts of the ordinances that were presented to install measures to have controlled growth in the future development of the County.”
Whetstone says he also led the fight to secure no votes from other Council members who may have voted yes to the unpopular idea of a rain tax on non-porous surfaces in the County. This fee would have been used for roads and drainage improvements across the County. This fee would have been based on the roofs of buildings and other impervious surfaces like concrete and asphalt drives and parking lots in Lexington County. The cost to farmers who own long chicken houses with big roofs was very unpopular in the agricultural and business communities countywide.
Since he was first elected to County Council, Whetstone has served twice as the chairman of that elected body.
Whetstone also says he is an ardent supporter of public safety. “I was essential in the creation of retention pay and raises to ensure our firefighters, law enforcement officers, and EMS personnel can receive salaries that compare and exceed other areas around us.”
He also helped approach the Lexington County Legislative Delegation to propose asking them to vote against imposing property taxes on farm buildings or poultry houses.
“I’ve always stood strong for the constituents in District 1,” Whetstone said. “Even though I couldn’t always give them the answers they wanted to hear.”
He believes in a high quality of life for the citizens of Lexington County. “High quality of life means different things in different areas of the County. I fought hard to make sure that a Turkey Shoot with a 35-year history of providing fun for the community wasn’t forced to close,” he said. “People in some of the more affluent areas of the County may not even know what a turkey shoots is. To the people of District 1, it’s just good, clean, fun. It’s something that a father and his young son or daughter can do for entertainment together,” he concluded.
“I love serving and fighting for District 1,” Whetstone continued. With the unheard of growth we are seeing, I feel my background in utility construction and knowledge of roads is essential to the greater good of the County. We, as a body, have accomplished a lot of good for the future success of this County, but we still have unfinished business ahead. The growth will never stop, we just need to find a happy median with the developers. This would be controlled, healthy growth that doesn’t impact the quality of life for our existing citizens,” he continued. “We are booming as a County and there is no shortage of available homes. As of February, there are around 7,000 homes in the pipeline, with more coming. Does that sound like a shortage of homes in this County?” Whetstone asked.
In addressing the issue of Michael Bishop, the former mayor of the Town of Springdale and the candidate man who has filed to run against Whetstone, he said, “My competition, who I’ve never spoken to or seen, is saying he is a pro taxpayer voice. Well, what is a pro taxpayers voice? As I recall we all are. I’ve always been pro taxpayer, as I pay the same tax as everyone else.”
“He’s running, according to a post, because he’s mad at the County. That’s no reason to run for office at all, you run to help the people of the entire County. But at the same time, you can’t be claiming government overreach because you don’t want to obey the same ordinances as all the other citizens. I personally don’t agree with all the ordinances myself, but they have a true purpose,” he stated.
“I’ve lived in Swansea, I’ve lived in Pelion, and now I live 5 miles outside of Pelion. But my Council hat represents more than just those two towns. When you enter County government, you need to be sure all the facts are gathered before making decisions. I will fight harder than ANYONE for the citizens.”
In closing Whetstone said, “My goal is to continue to protect the quality of life for the citizens, while making sure we have great services. I appreciate all the citizens and value their opinions and can be reached night or day at swhetstone@lex-co.com. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to serve you on County Council for 4 more years.
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