Meet the candidates who are running for town council in Lexington
The town of Lexington has three at-large council seats up for grabs in the coming election. Three incumbents — Gavin Smith, Todd Carnes and Ron Williams — are running. Two challengers, Greg Brewer and Doug Leonard, are also vying for one of the three seats.
Lexington, the county seat of Lexington County, will hold its election Nov. 4. Early voting starts Oct. 20. You can find more information about where and how to vote at scvotes.gov. The candidates’ answers are listed below in alphabetical order.
Greg Brewer
Age: 63
Occupation/place of employment: Retired
Education/school: University of South Carolina - College of Engineering
Political or civic experience: Midlands Council of Governments - Board Member
Campaign website: www.LexBrewCrew.com
Why are you running for town council in Lexington?
My family has called Lexington home since the 1700s. I was raised by my grandmother, Verdell Koon, who picked cotton as a sharecropper for Walter Rawl before launching a drapery shop in the Vista. From her, I learned resilience, service, and the value of hard work. After graduating from Carolina’s Engineering School, I worked at GE and Siemens, leading utility and water infrastructure projects nationwide. Now retired, I’m ready to give back.
Our town’s infrastructure is lagging — roads, water, and sewer. I’ve managed complex projects on time and on budget, and I know we must fix the basics before allowing more growth.
I won’t take council pay. Instead, I’ll donate it to programs chosen by residents through a poll on my website. I will not take taxpayer-funded healthcare that Council voted themselves as full-time benefits. My campaign is 100% self-funded; my only financial tie is paying property taxes and high water bills. Town Council should be about service, not perks.
If elected, what would your two or three priorities be as a council member in Lexington?
1. Team with the county to slow growth. Infrastructure and safety MUST catch up. This includes aligning zoning on residential density and increasing minimum lot sizes to close loopholes that drive developers to seek annexation into town. 2. Strengthen financial discipline and transparency on spending priorities that matter most to residents. That means drawing on great ideas from both residents and town staff, who know the inner workings best. I’ve already proposed a capital spending model with Low–Medium–High options tied to resident value, so the community, not just council, can help decide how much gets spent on future projects. 3. Limit taxation and reduce the millage rate. As the town grows, residents should see better value for their money. I’ll also work with our State House legislators to increase the Homestead Exemption for seniors, who have already paid a lifetime of taxes.
In recent months, the county and the town have worked together on several initiatives. Do you see collaboration with the county as a positive, and how would you approach working with the county, if elected?
Town and county must work to align zoning standards and services. I’ve been part of these teaming conversations and was appointed by County Council to the Midlands Council of Governments. Earlier this year, the town adopted the county’s Landscape and Open Space Ordinance, requiring larger buffers and preserving more trees. In return, the town was expected to reduce its zoning density to match the county, but those talks have stalled. Town Council has also not addressed increasing minimum lot sizes to align with the county.
I strongly support zoning changes that close the loopholes driving developers to annex into town. Today, developers can build up to six homes per acre under the town’s minimum lot size, compared to the county’s proposal of four homes per acre with proposed quarter-acre lots. Aligning zoning for future growth reduces congestion, limits wear and tear on roads, and eases strain on county-provided fire and EMS services. This is about protecting residents first.
What are your financial priorities for the town? In what areas do you think the current council has been fiscally wise and in what areas do you think there’s room for improvement?
As a private citizen, it took me eight months to get the town to publish expenses, something state law already requires. Transparency should be automatic, not forced.
The town must prioritize must-do infrastructure and safety over nice-to-do projects that spiral out of control. Virginia Hylton Park is a great park, but its expansion ballooned from $3M to over $10M. [Editor’s note: The State reached a different conclusion when we investigated.]
Even worse, subcontractors were never disclosed in the contract, despite being required by the RFP and requested by me through FOIA. After the park opened, the town suddenly turned to failing town-maintained roads, without a plan or adequate funding. For the same $10M, the park could have been completed for $3M, $5M would have repaired those roads, and $2M would still be left.
This lack of foresight and accountability would never fly in the private sector. I’ve led $100M infrastructure projects on time and on budget. I can be a strong sounding board for disciplined financial decisions that put residents first.
Todd Carnes
Age: 56
Occupation/place of employment: Business Owner/Todd Realty Partners
Education/school: BS Civil Engineering/University of Alabama
Political or civic experience: I began my civic service as a chaplain for the Lexington Police Department in 2011. Subsequently, I was first elected to Town Council in 2014 and have served for these past 12 years. In addition to this civic service at the Town of Lexington, I have served on various boards at local schools (Pleasant Hill Middle and Lexington School District 1) as well as non-profit organizations like Run Hard, which I currently Chair. Finally, I have served on the staffs of two churches in our community, Lexington Baptist Church and Radius Church, where I still attend and serve by facilitating our community partnerships throughout the Midlands.
Campaign website: www.toddcarnes.com
Why are you running for town council in Lexington?
I am running for Town Council to continue serving my community and building a place our children and our children’s children will treasure and enjoy. Lexington is a very safe, prosperous and hospitable community and we need leadership that understands these values and does everything necessary to maintain them. Over the last decade we have invested over $25 million dollars in our transportation infrastructure and public parks to continue to create efficiencies on our roadways as well as beautiful green spaces where neighbors meet and real community is nurtured. If re-elected, I will continue down this same path.
If elected, what would your two or three priorities be as a council member in Lexington?
My first priority is transportation projects. We have allocated over $40 million for new infrastructure on Sunset Boulevard at the North Lake and Corley Mill Road intersections, along with smaller projects like sidewalk improvements and traffic signal upgrades. These intersection enhancements have been fully engineered and approved by SCDOT over recent years and are now ready for construction. As a civil engineer, I am committed to advancing our infrastructure. My second priority is maintaining community safety, building on our success with the Police Department. Their efforts have paid dividends, with crime rates low enough to earn our town the title of 2025 Safest City in South Carolina by SafeWise. Third, as a fiscal conservative, I will continue ensuring our town government operates efficiently to save taxpayer money. In 2020, we lowered the municipal property tax rate by 21%, providing significant relief to residents.
In recent months, the county and the town have worked together on several initiatives. Do you see collaboration with the county as a positive, and how would you approach working with the county, if elected?
I have a great working relationship with our County Council members and we all benefit when overlapping agencies collaborate and work together for the common good. We are currently working together on future development standards and we always collaborate on issues of road maintenance and other infrastructure projects.
What are your financial priorities for the town? In what areas do you think the current council has been fiscally wise and in what areas do you think there’s room for improvement?
The Town of Lexington is a large organization with an annual budget of $60 million and approximately 185 employees. Our leadership’s goal is to ensure this organization operates smoothly and efficiently, delivering critical services such as clean drinking water, public safety, sanitation, public parks, and development standards. My financial priorities remain steadfast: honoring the hard-earned contributions of our taxpayers by spending wisely and making strategic investments to preserve our town’s character during this period of growth, as many seek to relocate to Lexington. I am proud of our decision in 2020 to become the first municipality in South Carolina to institute real impact fees on developers, five years before any others followed suit. This strategic move ensured developers pay their fair share of infrastructure costs for new growth, alleviating some of the burden on our residents.
Doug Leonard
Age: 61
Occupation/place of employment: Self-Employed
Education/school: Airport High School, Midlands Tech, IPIU, Disney Institute, Statistical Process Control/Improvement Demming Quality
Political or civic experience: Lexington County Poll Clerk 12 years, no political office previously held
Campaign website: facebook.com/VoteDougLeonard
Why are you running for town council in Lexington?
I’m running because I want to ensure the Town of Lexington remains a place where Traditional Family Values can prosper, businesses can grow and everyone feels heard.
If elected, what would your two or three priorities be as a council member in Lexington?
Listening to the citizens
Increase Safety, Reduce Traffic/Congestion
Manage growth by throttling residential/commercial development with infrastructure capability.
Simple Financial Transparency
In recent months, the county and the town have worked together on several initiatives. Do you see collaboration with the county as a positive, and how would you approach working with the county, if elected?
Yes. I believe we need to collaborate with Federal, State, & County partners to address a number of issues. I would establish working relationships with “key” partners at each level of government. I would work to establish solid communication and understanding of each partner’s needs and wants, while sharing the needs and wants of our Town Citizens to begin the process of collaboration/negotiation. The goal would be to develop a synergistic relationship that benefits all citizens.
What are your financial priorities for the town? In what areas do you think the current council has been fiscally wise and in what areas do you think there’s room for improvement?
Responsible use of taxpayer dollars.
Invest in employees and infrastructure.
Use data-driven forecasting to plan for future financial needs.
Lack of transparency makes it hard to assess past fiscal decisions.
Virginia Hilton Park was originally budgeted at ~$2 million, but the final cost exceeded $10 million — an $8 million overrun. That is simply unacceptable. [Editor’s note: The State reached a different conclusion when we investigated.]
Town Employee Pay & Morale: Our employees deserve competitive compensation. Those who meet performance standards should receive their full merit increases and bonuses. That didn’t happen last year — while the Town Council attended a Hilton Head retreat. I would move to retroactively award last year’s merit pay and bonuses to all eligible employees.
Financial Transparency: We need simple monthly, YTD, and annual financial reports — clear, concise, and easy for citizens to understand. Right now, residents must dig through a 141-page document to find basic fiscal info. A simple Town “Profit & Loss” snapshot would fix this.
Gavin James Smith
Age: 33
Occupation/place of employment: President, The Inspyre Group / Co-Owner, Brand Bros / Professor of Marketing, University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business
Education/school: Bachelors of Science in Marketing and Management, The University of South Carolina; Masters of Public Relations and Corporate Communications, Georgetown University
Political or civic experience: Following the resignation of a former Council member, I was elected in a May 2023 Special Election to fulfill the remainder of that term, and I am now seeking my first full, four-year term on Lexington Town Council. In addition to my service on Council, I am a small business owner and professor of Marketing at the University of South Carolina, roles that keep me closely connected to our community. Prior to joining Council, I led statewide grassroots and youth engagement efforts for President Donald J. Trump’s 2016 campaign, later serving as a Press Lead and traveling nationwide with him. I went on to serve on the Presidential Transition and Inaugural Committees in 2016 before receiving a Presidential Appointment as Press Secretary for the U.S. Department of Labor and Deputy Communications Director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Earlier in my career, I worked on Speaker Newt Gingrich’s 2012 Presidential campaign and interned in the Executive Office of the Governor under Nikki Haley.
Campaign website: www.gavinforlexington.com
Why are you running for town council in Lexington?
I am running for Lexington Town Council for one reason and one reason only: because I care about you, your families, and our local community.
Since being elected in 2023, I’ve poured my heart into serving — whether it’s fighting for traffic improvements, supporting our small businesses, expanding green spaces, or making sure growth is managed responsibly. Every decision I make comes back to one thing: making life better for our citizens.
Now, I’m asking for the chance to continue that work in my first full, four-year term on Council.
When elected, my promise to you is simple: I will serve with integrity, honesty, and an unwavering commitment to being accessible and accountable to you — the people.
This is my hometown, and I love it deeply — and I want to keep working every day to ensure the Town of Lexington remains the greatest place to live, learn, worship, and raise a family.
If elected, what would your two or three priorities be as a council member in Lexington?
When elected to my first full term, my top three priorities will be traffic, responsible development, and transparency.
On traffic, I will continue working to secure more state and federal dollars to accelerate critical road projects. I’ll push for real solutions that ease congestion and lead the effort to finally build a downtown parking garage.
On responsible development, I will continue fighting to reduce housing density and stand firmly against aggressive annexations. Growth must never come at the expense of our quality of life or the small-town character of our Town.
On transparency, I will continue working to make Town Hall more open and accessible. I helped lead the effort to create the Town’s Transparency Center, publish more detailed financial data online, and launched a monthly newsletter so citizens know how I vote. In my first full term, I want to take the next step by holding neighborhood meetings across the Town, bringing local leaders directly to the people we serve.
In recent months, the county and the town have worked together on several initiatives. Do you see collaboration with the county as a positive, and how would you approach working with the county, if elected?
Yes — I firmly believe the citizens of our community expect their elected officials to work together in their best interests. From day one, I’ve made collaboration a priority, working with members of the school board, County Council, and our legislative delegation. That includes helping secure passage of a state law that provides stronger protections for citizens when it comes to utility digging.
Most recently, I led the charge to establish a new working group between the Town of Lexington, Lexington County, and the Lexington 1 School Board — with three members from each body — to strengthen communication and foster collaboration on issues like growth, schools, and infrastructure.
At the end of the day, our citizens don’t care which level of government gets the credit — they want solutions. That means putting pride and ego aside and working together to deliver results on their behalf, and I am fully committed to that mission.
What are your financial priorities for the town? In what areas do you think the current council has been fiscally wise and in what areas do you think there’s room for improvement?
My number one financial priority is to protect our taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars. That requires Council to make decisions within our means, just as families must do with their personal budgets.
Since joining Council, I have not supported an increase in property taxes — and I will not support one moving forward. Period. In fact, when finances allow, I will advocate for reducing the Town’s portion of property taxes to provide relief for our citizens.
At the same time, we must continue making smart investments in traffic, infrastructure, public safety, and quality of life initiatives — funded through existing resources, not by raising taxes.
Being good stewards of taxpayer dollars also means supporting our Town staff. I will fight to ensure they are paid competitively, receive strong benefits, and have the tools they need to succeed.
Lastly, I will always fight to ensure growth pays for itself, waste is eliminated, and every dollar provides a direct benefit to our citizens.
Ron Williams
Age: 60
Occupation/place of employment: Director of Operations- Mission Lexington
Education/school: High School
Political or civic experience: I am currently engaged with the Lexington Elementary School Improvement council (12yrs), Boy Scouts of America (29yrs), and the Lexington Chamber of Commerce. I have served on the Habitat for Humanity board, Ezekiel Ministry board, Senior Warden of the Vestry at church, and Wreathes Across America. I coached baseball in my 20s, coached 2 soccer teams for Lexington Recreation for about 8 years. I mentored students of Lexington Elementary for 14 years, served on the LES Guidance I Advisory board and I was honored to be recognized by the Palmetto State School Association as the 2017 School Counselor Advocate of the Year. I won a special election as a write in candidate in April of 2014 for Lexington Town Council. I also serve the community daily in my role as Director of Operations at Mission Lexington.
Campaign website: www.facebook.com/RonWilliamsforTownCouncil
Why are you running for town council in Lexington?
I’ve lived in Lexington for almost 40 years, and I raised my family here. I’m running for Town Council because I love our community and want to do my part to make Lexington an even better place to live. I’m passionate about serving our neighbors and focusing on things that truly matter-improving traffic, supporting projects like the Old Mill Trail that brings us together, and keeping our town safe by standing with our police department.
If elected, what would your two or three priorities be as a council member in Lexington?
Listening to and working for the citizens of the Town will always be my top priority. Ensuring traffic projects are completed on time and within budget, revitalizing Corley Street Park to provide another gathering space for families, supporting our police department to keep Lexington the safest town in SC, and supporting our local businesses to encourage smart growth are my other priorities.
In recent months, the county and the town have worked together on several initiatives. Do you see collaboration with the county as a positive, and how would you approach working with the county, if elected?
I have and will continue to work diligently to get the county and town to collaborate. I believe County and Town Council have already proven that we can achieve more working together on issues.
What are your financial priorities for the town? In what areas do you think the current council has been fiscally wise and in what areas do you think there’s room for improvement?
We’ve lowered taxes 3 times since I’ve been elected. My financial priorities for the town will be to lower taxes a 4th time and focus on responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars while improving the quality of life for our residents. Transparency is key — I want our citizens to clearly see how their tax money is being spent. We have been wise in maintaining fiscal responsibility, including not raising taxes in over 30 years, and I am committed to continuing that approach. At the same time, there is room for improvement. We must continue to explore ways to lower taxes for our citizens while still funding essential services. Traffic improvement is a high priority, and I will continue working closely with state and federal legislators to secure funding for road projects, ensuring our town remains safe and accessible without placing an additional burden on taxpayers.
This story was originally published October 20, 2025 at 9:54 AM.
