Late Chapin mayor’s family calls for write-in campaign. Opponent pushes back
The family of Chapin Mayor Al Koon, who died Oct. 17 in the middle of his re-election bid, is pushing a write-in campaign in support of the town’s Mayor Pro-Tem Gregg White. One of his opponents is pushing back.
Three candidates were running to fill the mayor’s seat in the town of 2,000 — Ron Colley, Bill Mitchell and Koon, who’d served as mayor since 2021 and had been a councilman prior to being elected mayor.
Koon’s death happened so close to the upcoming election, which will take place Nov. 4, that his name will still be listed on the ballot, an election official told The State. But votes for the late mayor won’t be counted and signs will be posted informing voters of that fact, the official said.
That’s led Koon’s family to endorse White, who is running for re-election to the town’s council, for mayor. Koon’s sons, Ryan and Chris, are pushing for a write-in campaign for White. When reached by The State by phone, White confirmed he would accept the mayoral position if he won a write-in campaign, but said he didn’t plan to promote the campaign himself since he is also running for town council.
White told The State he’d discussed the possibility of running for mayor before Koon died.
“We sat on my front porch one afternoon and he was trying to make up his mind whether he would run for mayor or not and I told him, ‘I am not going to run for mayor if you run, but if you don’t run, and you want me to run, I will run and ask for your support,’” White told The State.
White said his main priority, regardless of the election results, would be to continue Koon’s legacy in town.
“Our hope is simple: to keep Chapin on the path Dad envisioned — a town that honors its roots while embracing a bright future,” Koon’s sons said in a press release, in which they also endorsed Jerry Taylor for town council. “We believe Gregg and Jerry both share our father’s vision for the future and are well-equipped to continue our father’s work.”
But Colley, a retired home builder, said he believes it’s “kind of late in the game to even consider something like that.”
“I mean, look what they’ve done so far to hold on to power, they ran a man who they knew was dying,” Colley told The State. “This is just a way to consolidate power and keep power.”
Colley said his goal would be to be more “hands on” than Koon and complained that Koon didn’t have office hours and that “everything was run by the town manager, and the town manager is a tyrant.” He pointed to an issue he had getting a permit from the town.
Nicholle Burroughs, the town administrator, told The State that Koon did have office hours when he was mayor. She explained that the town “couldn’t grant a zoning permit because [Colley] wanted to put a driveway through someone else’s property” and that Chapin helped assist him in getting access through the state’s transportation department.
The other candidate in the running, Bill Mitchell, said that Koon’s death was a great loss for the community and called it unexpected. Mitchell said he was glad for anyone to participate in the race.
“That’s the way it works, and so I welcome people to bring their ideas and let’s present them to the citizens here in Chapin,” Mitchell told The State. He, like Colley, was critical of the town’s administration. If elected, he said he would make staffing changes.
“With the current administration and town council putting a town administrator in place and giving her the authority of the mayor, it absolutely means some staff changes. Our town decided on two referendums in a row that we wanted a mayor-council form of government,” Mitchell said.
Koon, a native and lifelong resident of Chapin who worked as an engineer for SCE&G, entered into hospice care just days before he died Oct. 17. He served only one term as mayor, after being elected in 2021, but had previously been the town’s mayor pro-tem.
“Mayor Koon was not only a dedicated public servant — he was a man of deep faith, a devoted husband and father, and a true visionary who led with heart, integrity, and unwavering commitment to Chapin’s growth and well-being. His absence will be profoundly felt throughout our town,” the town shared in a social media post.
This story was originally published October 23, 2025 at 3:12 PM.
