Batesburg-Leesville leader plans to end absence from town

Batesburg-Leeville Councilman Todd O’Dell is promising to move back into town soon, after living elsewhere for several months during a divorce.

“It’s on top of my agenda to get back in town,” he said. “This is not something I’m looking to string out.”

O’Dell, a councilman for 14 years, said he mostly lived with relatives and friends in other communities with the approval of town leaders during divorce proceedings that concluded a month ago.

Doing that is common while couples work out an end to their marriages, Mayor Rita Crapps said.

“We’re very aware of his circumstances,” she said. “It’s called mutual collaboration.”

No deadline is set, but O’Dell must return soon to live in his district on the east side of the Lexington County town of 5,400 residents, Crapps said.

Leeway with residency requirements is up to council members to decide, town attorney Chris Spradley said.

Finding a new home is a challenge since the neighborhoods in the district “are not a hotbed” of turnover, making choices limited, O’Dell said. He will “fall on my sword” and step down from office if he can’t find something to buy or rent shortly, he said.

O’Dell is the second town leader dealing with a residency issue in two years.

Councilman Steve Cain was ousted in 2015 after O’Dell and other council members decided an eight-month absence that Cain refused to explain was too long. Cain won the special election held to fill his seat.

Cain said giving O’Dell a residency break seems like a double standard. “I’m happy to give him the courtesy that he and other council members didn’t extend to me,” Cain said.

O’Dell has been upfront about his situation while attending meetings and staying in touch with residents and other town leaders, Crapps said.

“He’s kept us in the loop as to what’s going on and he’s OK,” she said. “He knows he’s got to find a place to live.”