Meet the candidates running in Blythewood
It’s not a vote for president, governor or Congress, but Tuesday’s election day could be a lot more consequential for voters in the town of Blythewood.
Voters will make some big decisions about the town’s future with several competitive races. After eight years, term-limited Mayor Mike Ross will be replaced either by one of two current town council members or the former mayor Ross replaced.
Meanwhile, two at-large seats on the town council are being contested by five candidates, with the top two vote-getters joining the council.
The State asked the candidates what they planned to do for the town. Here are their answers.
Keith Bailey, mayor
Age: 60
Occupation: Retired as a major after 22 years in the Army. Former JROTC instructor at Bowman High School, ROTC liaison at Benedict College.
Education: Hampton Institute 1981, bachelor’s in business management
Family: Married, three adult sons
Previous experience: Blythewood mayor from 2008 to 2012. Blythewood Town Council 2004 to 2008.
“The town has not been developing the way it was during my time as mayor. I eliminated property taxes inside the town, built the 23-acre, $10 million Doko Meadows park. I don’t think the town officials now have that same vision.
“We need a strategy for public safety. We need upgraded surveillance that will tie into a public safety network, so you can look on your computer at what’s happening. That will not only deter crime downtown, but if you’re on a business trip in Chicago and your wife calls and says she’s going to Food Lion at night, you can watch her go in and out, and it will give you peace of mind.
“We have a (sheriff’s office) substation that’s two miles way, and one call took them two hours. We need an improved relationship with the Richland County Sheriff’s Office…I would have a public safety division that we could cross-train for police and fire. We could have four officers, and it would cost $5 million for cars, equipment, training and insurance.
“Traffic is a problem. I want to have smart streets with a large cyclist contingent. That would alleviate some of the traffic concerns. Right now the school district is doing traffic control. If we have lights that change in sync, that will ease the flow of traffic.
“I also want to be friendly to the environment. People here like the woods, and we want to make sure we conserve those and put the least amount of stress on the environment.
“I want to increase public events. When I was mayor, we had Balloons, Blues and BBQ in Doko Meadows with 15 bands and barbecue, with a 1.5 percent loan from the Department of Agriculture. That hasn’t continued, and I’d like to see more of that brought back.”
Bryan Franklin, mayor (town council incumbent)
Age: 51
Occupation: Army lieutenant colonel with 24 years of service.
Family: Married to wife Dusty, eight children between the ages of 26 and 9.
Education: The Citadel 1990; masters in strategic studies from the Army War College; masters in health administration from Chapman University; Spring Valley High School
Previous experience: Elected to Blythewood Town Council 2017; previously on the town planning commission. Served on Whitakers, NC, town council from 2000 to 2003, prior to being deployed to Iraq.
“Mike Ross has been a great mayor. I’ve supported him and think he has a great vision. I didn’t feel other candidates had the vision or leadership strong enough to lead us into the future.
“There’s an industrial park going in across from Cobblestone (Golf Club), that causes concerns about traffic. We need to ensure it’s a pleasant place with good jobs, that it’s not noisy and dirty.
“We want infrastructure to keep pace with development. There’s a huge traffic problem, especially during school hours in the morning and in the afternoon when kids are picked up. All of downtown comes to a halt.
“We have developers who clear cut an area and then don’t build on it for years. People come here because we have good schools, and because of the beauty of the woods and the outdoor environment. They don’t want to see old oak trees cut down if you’re not going to build anything for years.
“There was a golf course at Crickentree that wasn’t inside the town limits, but it’s right next door… People expect when they buy a house next to a golf course there’s going to be green space, even if that isn’t guaranteed. I went before (county council), our legislators went before them…
“We have three baseball fields for baseball and softball… some years we have to turn kids away… I want to find somewhere in the city to buy 40 to 50 acres and build a modern sports complex. Teams have to pay to play in a tournament and parents have to pay to watch, so it will generate income and pay for itself over time. Families will also have to spend the night, which will help the town.
“Pop Warner (football) doesn’t have space either. Soccer doesn’t have space. I’d like to see a modern rodeo complex for horse sports. That would be three different complexes — for baseball, football/soccer and horses.
“We had problems with Crickentree, but we couldn’t do anything about it because it’s not within the town limits, even though anybody within the area would say they’re from Blythewood. We have maybe 35,000 people in the Blythewood area, and only 3,000 voters in the town limits.* I want to see us push out the town boundaries and get property owners to agree to annexation. We have no property tax or millage in the town, and it would allow us to protect open space we’re losing to growth.”
Malcolm Gordge, mayor (town council incumbent)
Age: 71
Occupation: Engineering Manager (retired)
Education: Four year college diploma in mechanical engineering obtained in UK (where I was born. Relocated to SC in 1999)
Family: Married to Emily, 31 years, one son Zachary
Previous experience: Four year term serving on Blythewood Town Council, currently vice chair Transportation Penny Advisory Committee, serve on Muller Road Middle School Improvement Committee
“My mission for Blythewood is to achieve at least one of two things: fulfill the needs of the town or improve the quality of life for all the residents.
“Blythewood has far exceeded reasonable residential growth and is at risk of losing the very assets that make Blythewood a great place to live in, raise families and appreciate one another.
“As mayor I will do whatever is possible to preserve our rural zones. We have a great need for addition ballfields and recreational facilities and I will make this a priority to better serve our talented kids
“I have been an active member of the Transportation Penny Advisory Committee for Richland County to ensure that the $29 million allocated to Blythewood is realized for the road improvements that will benefit everyone using the roads in our town.
“I represent the town at the Central Midlands Council of Government and negotiated a cost sharing study for a Traffic Improvement Plan for the Blythewood area which looks at the road improvements needed for the traffic volume we are likely to see in twenty years’ time.
“Our comprehensive plan is due for an overhaul as we approach the next decade and I am excited about driving that important task forward.
“My vision is for a safe and inclusive Blythewood that values its cultural history, embraces all citizens and appreciates its natural charm and attributes but is not afraid of change when change is needed. As Mayor, I shall work diligently for the good of Blythewood.”
Eddie Baughman, town council (incumbent)
Age: 60
Occupation: Retired battalion chief, Columbia Fire Rescue
Education: US Navy, SC State Fire Academy
Family: Wife Donna, 2 grown children, 37 and 34, with 4 grandchildren 12, 10, 4, and 6-weeks-old.
Previous experience: 6 years on Blythewood Town Council, the last 4 as mayor pro tem, U. S. Navy Veteran, retired battalion chief Columbia with Richland Fire Service, Trustee at Sandy Level Baptist Church, member and officer Lake Wateree VFW and Lake Wateree AMVETS post.
“As a member of Blythewood town council I have and will continue to: serve as a liaison between the town and Richland County services, work to improve our town’s infrastructure, support our business community, call for improvements to our storm water management, guard our citizens from unnecessary debt, be a good steward of the towns resources, promote harmony & diversity in the community.”
Donald Brock, town council
Age: 39
Occupation: Investment accountant for the Public Employee Benefits Authority; managing partner for Soda City Comic Con
Education: Bachelors in finance, University of South Carolina 2002; masters in accounting, University of South Carolina 2005.
Family: Married, three children ages 13, 9 and 7.
Previous experience: Candidate for town council in 2017; Blythewood Planning Commission since 2017, chairman since 2018.
“My wife and I had a small house in Columbia off of Gervais Street, but we quickly outgrew our house and we weren’t comfortable with the schools in the area so we chose to move to Blythewood. Since then, I’ve immersed myself in the community. This is going to be where my children grow up, so I want to have a say and help bring positive growth to the community.
“As a planning commissioner, we have a record preventing or eliminating high-density development. A lot of people here are concerned about developers buying land, clear cutting it and trying to put as many homes as possible on there.
“We’re a rural suburb of Columbia, and a lot of people want to keep it that way. We have trees and yards for our kids to play in and parks. I want my kids to be able to go outside, play in the woods, play in the street and you don’t have to worry about them getting run over by cars.
“Town council took a step in the right direction saying there would be no high-density development in town. But unfortunately there are areas right outside the town limits that are outside our purview. In town, there will be no more high-density development, with a minimum of 20,000 square feet.
“One interesting thing about Blythewood is that the town and the community are vastly different. There about 4,000 people in the town, a little more than 3,000 registered voters. But the community that calls itself Blythewood balloons to about 25,000 to 30,000.
“Any decision we make on town council or have made on the planning commission impacts more than those 4,000 people. It impacts the whole community. Annexation would bring more people who feel like us into the town. You might say, ‘then I’d have to adhere to your ordinances,’ but you would know what you’re getting because we’re your neighbors.
“There’s a difference between being governed by a small town government and Richland County. You look at what happened to Crickentree, the county turned their back on the residents there. At county council, you get to speak for two minutes and then you’re gaveled down and they move on. We’re more laid back and we can be more effective, not as hard and cold.
“(Franklin) and I definitely share a vision. We need a recreation facility for youth baseball and softball, which is huge here. They’ve been playing on the same field since the ‘70s, so there’s a huge need for recreation facilities in Blythewood. The Blythewood Rodeo is looking for a permanent facility, and we’ved begged the county for some facility and our words have fallen on deaf ears. Our kids need something to do, and if they go out to find something to do, generally speaking, they’re not going to make a good choice.”
Sloan Griffin, town council
Age: 33
Occupation: DHEC emergency preparedness coordinator for the Pee Dee region.
Education: Bachelor’s, magna cum laude in fire and emergency management from Kaplan University 2015
Family: Married, 3-week-old son
Previous experience: Town Planning Commission since 2018
“We’re coming up on 2020, and 20/20 means perfect vision, I want to cast a clear vision for the future.
“Blythewood has had growing pains. It’s one of the fastest growing communities in the state. We’re bursting at the seams. We need to take a smart look, holistically, at what community needs, and we need to better engage with the community.
“My background is in public safety, and we need to tighten up our partnership with Richland County (Sheriff’s Department). We’ve had a host of growing pains when it comes to crime, we’ve had residents dealing with burglary and car thefts. We need to come up with a plan for how to protect the city, and we need to work with Columbia Fire Department on how we can support getting fire services. Do we need more equipment, more trucks? Do we need a west side station?
“I want to establish a town-owned police department, and we need to look at what we need to do that. We need to look at Forest Acres and see how they did it. We need to look at Winnsboro in our backyard, and the cost of them operating one with cross-training (between police and fire services). I was a FEMA reservist for four years, and we need to start looking at what federal grants might be available that could establish it.
“We also need to look at annexation. We need to start to work with builders, sit down at a table with the builders, because they’re acquiring property right outside the town and building residential communities. If you’re not working with them, it’s harder to do property annexation because they own the property. Then we have to work on a traffic plan.
“One thing we probably could do is set up a livability board. Then you could go down a list of priorities. What’s more important to residents? Fine dining? Traffic? Water? Parks? Then we could compile the data and re-engage in the correct manner.
“I want voters to know I’ll work hard and have a clear 2020 vision, but I can’t see 20/20 without the support of the community.”
Marcus Taylor, town council
Age: 47
Occupation: Civil contractor, Blythewood Surveillance Services
Education: Eau Claire High School
Family: Three children between the ages of 22 and 12
Prior experience: Blythewood Planning Commission, 2006 to 2018
“I’m one of those who’s made all the training classes we have to do on the planning board. Now I want to move up to the board that actually makes the decisions.
“I’ll do what the people want me to do. I’ll focus on growth and business. Traffic is a big issue, so we need to widen some roads… At the planning commission, our master plans calls for a traffic circle at the intersection between the McDonald’s and Hardee’s (at Blythewood Road and the Interstate 77 interchange) and the other across from Cobblestone (at the other interchange). That would require DOT to do it, but we have a good relationship with them and they usually get things done pretty quick.”
(Town council candidate Barry Belville did not respond to The State’s request to participate in this story.)
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