Here are the results in Lexington Richland 5 school board race

Voters decided Tuesday who will fill four seats on the Lexington-Richland 5 school board.

With 100% of the vote in from the Lexington County side, small business owner Elizabeth Barnhardt led a crowd of five candidates with 23.6% of the vote. School board vice chairman Ken Loveless also slightly trailed former Chapin High School Principal Mike Satterfield by just 14 votes for the second seat in the county. Scott Herring was in fourth with 18% and Renard Green had 11%.

After a period of controversy that saw the district’s respected superintendent unexpectedly resign, voters in the Chapin-Irmo area on Tuesday had a chance to decide who will represent them on the local school board for the next four years.

In Richland County with 100% of precincts reporting, USDA employee Kevin Scully and S.C. Bar diversity manager Kimberly Snipes led with about 29% and 30% of the vote each. Board secretary Nikki Gardner had 20% and incumbent Tifani Moore had 18%.

Loveless is currently suing Scully for critical comments about Loveless attributed to Scully on Facebook. The two men could soon be serving together on the school board.

The top two will win two seats in each county.

Voters in the school district are split between Lexington and Richland counties, with two school board seats in each county up for grabs in this election.

School board chairwoman Jan Hammond is stepping down in this election, leaving one Lexington seat on the board open.

Also running in Lexington County are small business owner Elizabeth Barnhardt; Renard Green, a retiree who used to work in sales; Scott Herring, a professor at the University of South Carolina; and Mike Satterfield, a former principal at Chapin High School.

Running in Richland County are Kevin Scully, a U.S. Department of Agriculture employee; and Kimberly Snipes, the diversity manager for the South Carolina Bar.

The current board managed the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also sparked controversy in clashes at board meetings and with the administration that led Superintendent Christina Melton to resign in 2021.

This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 8:08 PM.

Bristow Marchant

The State

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Bristow Marchant covers local government, schools and community in Lexington County for The State. He graduated from the College of Charleston in 2007. He has almost 20 years of experience covering South Carolina at the Clinton Chronicle, Sumter Item and Rock Hill Herald. He joined The State in 2016. Bristow has won numerous awards, most recently the S.C. Press Association’s 2024 education reporting award.  Support my work with a digital subscription