4 candidates running for spots on Lexington County Council in June primary

Two candidates are running for each of the two open spots on Lexington County Council, in Districts 5 and 6. Incumbents Bobby Keisler and Erin Long-Bergeson are not seeking re-election.

The primary election is on Tuesday, June 9.

District 5: Red Bank and South Congaree

Bimbo Jones

Education: High school and technical college

Prior political experience: I have never served in office as an elected official but have been an advocate and a voice for my community for many years.

Professional experience: I have been in the tire business for over 50 years in Lexington County. During my career I have met many people from various backgrounds. I have seen firsthand the struggles that many families face just trying to provide and pay for a necessity like tires. I have spent the last 50 years learning how to take care of the people that come to me with problems. My professional experience has been grounded on taking care of the customer and in doing so, I have stood by my core values of honesty and integrity since day one. The valuable experience I have gained from helping “all walks of life” is what leads me to continue wanting to serve on Lexington County Council. There is no experience greater than having good common sense!

Where did you grow up? Red Bank, South Carolina

What do you think Lexington County Council does well?

Lexington County Council has done a great job working together to achieve a common goal and I believe that council has done a tremendous job with providing a transparent and steadfast approach to promoting Lexington County.

What do you think Lexington County Council should do better?

When I look at the first responders, the fireman, the sheriffs deputies and the EMS personnel, there is no group of people finer in this state than those that suit up everyday to help our community. These brave men and women need the support of council through budgeting of new equipment as well as council members who will stand up for them. I have seen first responders injured and left abandoned and as a member of council, I will make sure their voice is heard.

As a taxpayer in Lexington, I have seen the increases in taxes over the years and believe council could have improved on budgeting and tax increases.

What are the top three issues you are running on, and how specifically would you address them?

Over the years, I have always been a community helper... whether its been organizing a neighborhood watch program, assisting with litter pickup or just helping feed the needy, I have always had the passion and drive to help others. In doing so, I have seen many issues that have plagued Lexington County.

My first priority would be to support the first responders that serve Lexington county. I believe these essential workers deserve the support of county council and they should be equipped with the best equipment available and competitive salaries to keep them employed with Lexington County. The first responders need a voice on council that will have their back and stand up for what is right.

Second — as I have watched Red Bank and District 5 grow, I have seen many fields turned into developments and many dirt roads turned to paved. I have seen developments take shape and expand at a rapid rate leaving behind congested roads and ultimately leading to vacant commercial properties throughout District 5 in other areas. As a council member, I will use a common sense approach and look for various ways to better the lives of the neighbors who are suffering with the congestion, the growth and the risk that have accompanied these rapid expansion.

Third — As a father of a small business owner and a state trooper in Lexington County, I find pride in calling Lexington County home. Over the last several years I have been alarmed at the growing rate of homelessness and drug abuse that has plagued District 5. I have seen firsthand the affects this has caused business owners in the area like my son and I have also seen the dangers associated with it. As a council member, I will address this issue with a common sense approach and seek other community leaders to help as well. As a lifelong member of Lexington Church of God, we have helped as a church but the issue needs more assistance. Rather it be better funding for the sheriff’s office, more funding for drug rehab and education or offering a safe and secure shelter, the issue (is) ... costing the taxpayers of District 5 everyday until this issue is resolved.

Tell us something important about you that you want voters to know.

I have been a lifelong resident of Lexington County and have been married to my wonderful wife Jean for 40 years. I have two sons, Richard and David, and have been blessed with three grandchildren who all call District 5 home. I have spent the last fifty years helping my friends and neighbors in the tire business, and since semi retiring, I would like to take the same passion and drive I’ve had for my customers to County Council.

Joel A. Tyson

Education: Associate’s degree in business

Prior political experience: None.

Professional experience: Management of a successful business employing many Lexington County residents.

Where did you grow up? Lexington County.

What do you think Lexington County Council does well? Oversee a rapidly growing county and assure that its citizens receive appropriate services.

What do you think Lexington County Council should do better? As well as council are doing things now, there is always room for improvement.

What are the top three issues you are running on, and how specifically would you address them?

I don’t know specifically how I would address these issues except to say that I would work diligently with the departments to address crime, homelessness and infrastructure.

Tell us something important about you that you want voters to know.

That I listen to everyone and try to resolve issues as they arise.

District 6: Chapin, parts of Irmo and Lexington

Johnny Jeffcoat

Education: Attended Palmer College majoring in business management

Prior political experience: Former County Council chairman, served previously on County Council and served on Lexington County Planning Commission for seven years.

Professional experience: Economic developer; former small business owner (insurance agency) for 25 years

Where did you grow up? I grew up in West Columbia and attended Brookland-Cayce High School. We raised our boys in Irmo, and I have lived here 30 years.

What do you think Lexington County Council does well?

People are flocking to Lexington County because it’s a great place to work, live, and play. Whether it’s health care, manufacturing, tourism, or retail, our county is in the right place at the right time to lead the Midlands and South Carolina.

What do you think Lexington County Council should do better?

Lexington County is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. We must do more to showcase and protect its natural beauty. Council must come up with a plan to smartly handle growth. We must work together to welcome new residents while also preserving traditions and quality of life for all.

This requires us to work hand in hand with school districts, local governments, and the state to create a county-wide, comprehensive infrastructure plan. This plan would guide the county in this decade and beyond.

What are the top three issues you are running on, and how specifically would you address them?

The three issues I am focused on are improving roads and public safety, recruiting jobs and economic development, and protecting quality of life.

Lexington County’s roads need work! Traffic jams hurt quality of life and wrecks endanger the public. Less traffic means more time at home or work. Slow EMS and law enforcement response times cost lives. We must fix our traffic issues and properly invest in the right people, facilities, and equipment for our public safety agencies.

Jobs are the economic engine of Lexington County. I have the experience needed to lead our county through this pandemic and get our county back to work by once again recruiting good-paying jobs.

We must do more to showcase and protect Lexington County’s natural beauty. As your next Councilman, I will appoint a “Vision 2030” ad-hoc committee that will make policy recommendations on quality of life issues like traffic, zoning, density, parks, and green space.

Tell us something important about you that you want voters to know.

I have a proven record of getting things done and working well with others. If you elect me, there will be no “on the job” training. Lexington County needs a vision for its future. I am proud of the gains we made as a county during my previous service on council, including recruiting over 10,000 jobs, and am running once again to make Lexington County an even greater place to live, work, and raise a family.

Charli Wessinger

Education: I am a graduate of Chapin High School, class of 89, and Newberry College ‘93 with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Speech. I attained my master’s degree in education from Nova Southeastern University 2005, with additional graduate credits toward an ed specialists degree at University of West Georgia 2017, coupled with additional professional certificates. I’m also a certified beekeeper as well. I am a lifelong learner.

Prior political experience: I am a community advocate. I have assisted in rezoning initiatives in the unincorporated Chapin area. I have been successful in working with our Councilwoman, Erin Long Bergeson, to bring about these changes. After many conversations about the future of our community, Councilwoman Bergeson nourished the flame in my heart for responsibility and sustainability in our community. I also founded the OneChapin Facebook page, which is a group designed to include all of the unincorporated Chapin areas in our community. The mission is to work together on efforts to keep Chapin the wonderful town that we love. Efforts will focus on zoning, responsible growth, and issues that affect us all in the community.

Professional experience: I’ve worked in higher education for over 23 years. These schools include Full Sail University, Rasmussen College and Newberry College. I even worked at The Citadel in Charleston in the mid 90’s, assisting the college’s webmaster and working with college seniors for their senior video business projects. I have held positions from instructor all the way to associate dean of a startup online campus. I am currently the director of educational technology at Newberry College and teach classes online as well. I served on the Newberry College Alumni Board of Managers since 2009, and served on the Greater Chapin Community Foundation Board of Advisers from 2013-2019. I also co-own Bear Creek Christmas Tree Farm and Old Barn Farm in Chapin with my sister. The farms are more a “labor of love” to serve our community and continue family Christmas traditions for many as Bear Creek has been in operation since 1981 for our community. Prior to my career in higher education, I have been a radio disc jockey, a counselor at Elmwood Cemetery, office manager at various employers and a graphic designer and video editor.

Where did you grow up? I grew up in Chapin, S.C., and was involved in Chapin Band — marching and concert bands. I danced at Dee Crump School of Dance and later Calvert Brodie, and was in DanSeworks Dance Company where we help several large performances a year. I was also involved in Act One Theatre in Columbia as well. I loved camping, swimming and skiing on Lake Murray growing up and still enjoy my lake time as an adult. In between all of these activities, I spent many hours on a mower at Bear Creek Christmas Tree Farm helping my father. Between 1994 -2007, I resided in several southeastern cities, including Raleigh, Charlotte, Charleston, Hilton Head and Orlando, which allowed me to develop a good perspective. I moved home to Chapin, in the fall of 2007, and purchased my home in 2008. I love being back home and value close comradery of this community.

What do you think Lexington County Council does well?

Over the past several years, I have seen an improvement from Council working better with members of their communities. I have also seen a push with various departments working closer together to form a cohesive unit instead of working in their own silos. This needs to continue. I have seen many complaints about EMS times, and after learning more about how the EMS system works with prioritizing calls based on emergency level, and the response times for true emergencies, seems to be working better. There have been improvements, with an average of a response time of 9-12 minutes for a life or death emergency. When you take into consideration the EMS personnel have to take the call, get the details, load up into the EMS vehicle, drive and arrive at the destination, 9-12 minutes for 80% of the calls is good. Someone who isn’t in a life or death situation will have to wait longer; the system in place currently takes the situation into account. Is there room for improvement, of course, there is. There will always be a need for improvement in everything we do as individuals, as employees, as a county council as well. This system seems to be working well and getting better.

What do you think Lexington County Council should do better?

I would like to see County Council as a whole be more proactive holding various webinars and updates to the communities. The County does live stream council meetings, however, they are often very long and sometimes heard to hear. So, shorter specific updates on policy, plans and changes would be appreciated. These updates could be educational in areas from understanding various programs that are available, like the Lexington County Cat Program, to educating the public on defining what terms, i.e; what is a connector road a RL4, vs Limited Local vs. RL1 road designations. People need to have a better understanding of what these items are. Once elected, I plan on keeping the community updated via short webinars, videos and meet and greets. People need updates and regular communication from their council person from changes or revisions in policy to zoning requests and how best to work together for a future all can be proud. I would also encourage more collaboration with the local municipalities to work together for the greater good of the community. One additional area I would like to look into is the Lexington County Landfill service. I know this is a very expensive operation to run, and understand that residents outside Lexington County use the facilities which adds to the cost. There are several facilities that are in need of attention, as traffic gets backed up on the roads and cause more issues. I understand that this is a very extensive in detail and I would like to learn more.

What are the top three issues you are running on, and how specifically would you address them?

Sustainability, conservation of resources and quality of life for the citizens in the district and the county. My goals are to protect what we have in our community going forward. As your elected representative, I will continue with efforts that Councilwoman Bergeson has started. This includes stricter zoning ordinances, continued development of a comprehensive plan, more stringent development practices and standards to prevent storm water damage, as well as the preservation of our resources to protect what we have from over development. If we continue to allow over development, we continue to pollute our lake and deplete our natural resources and beautiful surroundings with no plan to improve the needed infrastructure to support this over development. The growth that was allowed over the past 16 years is not a sustainable growth plan. Our duty is to preserve and protect our landscape and community assets for our future generations.

Tell us something important about you that you want voters to know.

I care and will represent your voice in our community. When I returned to Chapin in 2007, I realized even more how much I value this community, and how important it is that we protect it from being destroyed. I’m glad that I was able to live in some different cities because it truly made me realize the importance of home and community. The knowledge I gained from residing in those other cities enhanced my desire in shaping the future of our community.

Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.

This story was originally published June 5, 2020 at 4:10 PM.