Richland County Council candidate makes final pitch ahead of Tuesday runoff election
Voters in a stretch of Richland County north of Columbia will decide Tuesday if they want to keep their current representative on Richland County Council or if they want to make a change.
Incumbent Councilwoman Gwen Kennedy is running in her fourth overall term spread over three decades representing District 7 in the Democratic primary runoff against educator and consultant Gretchen Barron.
Tuesday’s runoff comes after no candidate in a three-way race won a majority in the election on June 9. Kennedy won 41.6% of the more than 6,000 votes cast in District 7. Barron came in second with 36.5%. A third candidate, Richard Brown, won 22% two weeks ago.
Barron is seeking her first elected office. Kennedy was elected to her current term on county council in 2016. She previously served from 2008-12 and from 1990-97.
Tuesday’s runoff is one of four taking place for Richland County Council after a tightly contested number of Democratic Party primaries on June 9. District 7 covers the area around Dentsville and communities north of the city of Columbia towards Blythewood.
Gretchen Barron
Name: Gretchen Barron
Age: 43
Education: University of South Carolina
Political experience: Volunteered on several campaigns.
Professional experience: I am a native of South Carolina. I have been engaged in educational program implementation and management for nearly 20 years. I have served as a local educator, the Interim State Administrator for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program at the South Carolina Department of Education, and the Assistant Director of Program Development and Grants at the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice, a consultant for the United States Department of Education and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Currently, my husband, James, and I own and operate Purposed Vision Consulting, LLC. Its primary function is to assist new and existing organizations to successfully navigate in developing a foundation that will align with its program and financial needs. In 2005, Barron Academy was established providing after-school programs, summer camps and one-on-one tutoring primarily to high-poverty, low-performing schools in South Carolina. Barron Academy began services with 12 students in one school district and now serves hundreds of students yearly in multiple school districts in the state of South Carolina.
Where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Inman, SC (Spartanburg County) to Robert (deceased) and Sharon Durrah. I have three brothers (Eugene, Derwin, Douglas) and 1 sister (Kimberly).
What do you see as the biggest difference between yourself and your opponent in the runoff?
We are missing an active voice and someone who will show up on Richland County Council and in the community. It’s difficult to be a voice of people you have no connection with, other than living near them. I spend time volunteering and working with particular neighborhoods. I can be that filter for them.
What is the biggest challenge facing District 7?
I’m working with two community groups that have no covenants, so they lean on their representative to get things done. When they’re lacking things and say, “We need to get this done,” there’s no follow through from the current councilwoman. At the same time, they’ve rubber-stamped projects with no thought, so while we have growth, which is wonderful, now there’s heavier congestion. The roads are full of traffic. If we’d had more of a forward thinker, some of these challenges we wouldn’t be facing.
What do you think Richland County Council does well?
Richland County Council has done a good job in convening regularly scheduled meetings with live stream that allows the citizens to see and hear firsthand what takes place during the meetings. The YouTube platform is available to review past meetings, which helps one to stay well informed.
What do you think Richland County Council should do better?
I would like for Richland County Council to take a more of a visionary approach rather than a reactionary approach. There is an opportunity for growth in the area of research and planning. For example, the Richland County Renaissance Program purchased space in Columbia Place Mall and other locations, but years later no plan or execution has been made for the $8M spent on these properties. Another area for growth is to improve communication and dissemination of information to the citizens of their respective districts. There are some Council Members who do this well; however, I would like to see a more consistent effort being made. Citizens should not have to go on a witch hunt to find out what decisions are being made on their behalf. As a Richland County Council member, I will host quarterly listening sessions to bring back the information to the citizens and more importantly hear their concerns.
How should Richland County move forward with the $1 billion penny roads program despite ballooning costs endangering some projects?
Richland County should look at the projects to prioritize them based upon need, cost and completion dates. Projects close to being completed should be funded and not left unfinished. Once the County gets the final report on the project, it should evaluate and fund projects appropriately, noting that some projects in the original proposal may have to wait.
Secondly, the County should take greater ownership of the program. Meaning that the managerial responsibilities for this program should continue to rest within the control of Richland County. Following the recent audit, an internal department assumed management responsibilities for the program, expanded their staff and developed additional relationships with 16 on-call vendors. This program has the potential to set Richland County on an unstoppable path of growth and is too important to farm out.
How can the county settle an outstanding $40 million dispute over management of the program with the S.C. Department of Revenue?
I am open to exploring the most feasible options to settling the outstanding debt. However, any option proposing the citizens of Richland County repay these funds in its entirety is out of the question. The recent events connected to COVID-19 have stressed the “purse straps” of many people and local business owners in the county. We must look at other options like selling vacant properties that have not been used or have no plan to be used. More importantly we should ask questions like, “How do we increase the involvement of local and small business into these projects” or “How do we ensure this never happens again?”
What are the top three issues in this campaign, and how specifically would you address them?
My priorities are threefold:
Education excellence—Providing equitable services to both Richland School Districts One and Two, while hiring highly qualified and caring adults. Education excellence starts with improving the education system.
Economic development—Development that supports local business and entrepreneurs, while balancing economic growth that is sustainable in the long term. We do not want to open local business just to close them 5 years later. Economic development should be synonymous with community development.
Leadership through integrity—I am committed to be an active voice in the community that leads with integrity and transparency. Eliminating waste and mismanagement of funds are basic practices we on our kitchen table deal with and the County Council must use for our District.
Tell us something important about you that you want voters to know? I am an educator, small business owner, community organizer and women’s advocate. I’ve been active in my community from a young college student at the University of South Carolina to owning my first home in Starks Terrace to bringing my sons home from the hospital. District 7 has been my home. The voters should know that I believe in transparency, integrity and accountability. As a Richland County Council member, I will host quarterly listening sessions that are designed to inform the citizens of decisions being made by County Council. This is my home and I am here to serve and work for a better Richland County.
Gwen Kennedy
The State did not receive responses from incumbent District 7 Councilwoman Gwen Kennedy (above).
This story was originally published June 22, 2020 at 5:50 PM.
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