Newly elected Chapin mayor demands swearing in ceremony defying Town’s ordinance
The mayor-elect of a South Carolina town demanded that he be sworn-in several months early, in defiance of an ordinance.
The Town of Chapin’s newly elected mayor, Bill Mitchell, marched into the Chapin Town Hall Friday and insisted he be sworn-in, according to a report from WIS. The move came about three months early based on a town ordinance that says newly elected candidates “shall assume office at the first regularly scheduled meeting in February following their election.”
“We are moving forward with this and there is nothing that’s going to stop us,” Mitchell was heard saying on a WIS camera.
Michell, who was elected Tuesday, Nov. 4, secured the race in the wake Al Koon’s death, who was the incumbent. Koon died two weeks before Election Day, prompting Mitchell to claim the seat was vacant and needed to be filled immediately.
However, Town Councilman and Mayor Pro-Tem Gregg White was fulfilling the town’s mayoral duties since Koon’s passing, according to WIS.
“If the office is vacated, state law provides for an elected official to step into that position after 48 hours,” Mitchell said in a video recording by WIS.
The State was unable to locate any state laws that support Mitchell’s claim. Furthermore, the town’s code of ordinances does not address what happens when an incumbent dies but is clear about when an elected official is permitted to take office.
This story was originally published November 8, 2025 at 11:03 AM.
