Democrats reject Richland coroner candidate. They say he lives in Lexington County
Richland County voters will have one less option for coroner after the S.C. Democratic Party rejected the candidacy of former coroner Frank Barron. The reason? An apartment Barron has rented for years in Lexington County.
Barron said he was told he would not appear on the Democratic Party’s June primary ballot because of evidence he lives at the Granby Oaks Apartments in West Columbia, which is in Lexington County. Barron, who previously served as Richland’s coroner for 22 years until 2000, said he keeps the apartment as a part-time residence and he lives full time at his home on Walker Street in Shandon.
State party officials did not share what evidence they had against Barron, but the former coroner believes he’s been tracked when he has been at the apartment. He even accuses someone of attempting to place a GPS tracking device on his car.
S.C. Democratic Party Chairman Trav Robertson, who turned down Barron’s filing for the office, could not immediately be reached by The State for comment.
Incumbent coroner Gary Watts, who defeated Barron in 2000, said he had nothing to do with trying to prove Barron’s residency in Lexington County.
“It’s been common knowledge he’s lived in Lexington County for 13 years,” said Watts, a Democrat. “The party will deal with it. I’m in the middle of a pandemic and that’s really all I’ve got time for.”
Barron told The State that for the past year, he’s primarily used the West Columbia apartment as a campaign office, although he admits he does spend the night there occasionally. He points out his driver’s license and voter registration both list his address on Walker Street.
“You can have a lake house, a beach house, a mountain house, but you only have one legal residence, and it doesn’t matter how many homes you have or how often you stay there,” Barron said.
Barron formerly ran for Lexington County coroner three times between 2012 and 2016, listing his Granby Oaks address as his home in all three campaigns.
The former coroner said he would appeal the party’s decision to the state election commission and may file a lawsuit. But speaking to The State on Tuesday, Barron did not seem hopeful he will end up on the ballot for the June 9 primary election.
“I’m not worried about it,” he said. “God has always taken care of me, and if I’m not going to be the coroner, it’s got to be for a reason.”
Watts will still face a challenge in the Democratic primary from Naida Rutherford, and Barron suggested he might throw his support behind her bid instead.
Speaking of Watts, Barron said: “It’s more important to get him out than to get me in.”
.jpg)