Here are the results in the Blythewood, Lexington and Batesburg-Leesville elections
Voters in Blythewood ousted their sitting mayor, while another new face will become mayor in Lexington, as municipalities across Richland and Lexington counties elected leaders Tuesday.
In addition to their respective mayors, Blythewood and Lexington voted on several town council members, and Batesburg-Leesville voted on two town council members.
Here are the results as of 10:20 p.m., with 100% of precincts reporting in both Richland County and Lexington County.
BLYTHEWOOD
Voters in Blythewood chose a mayor and two town council members.
Incumbent Mayor Bryan Franklin ran for reelection against Councilman Sloan Griffin.
In Richland County, Griffin led the race with 69% of the vote. Franklin received 30% of the vote.
Blythewood also bleeds into Fairfield County. In Fairfield County, Franklin and Griffin each received three votes.
Two at-large seats on Blythewood’s Town Council were also up for grabs in Tuesday’s election. Four candidates — including incumbents Eddie Baughman and Donald Brock, Jr., and newcomers Andrea Fripp and Patricia Hovis — were running for two spots on the council.
In Richland County, Fripp and Brock were frontrunners, with 38% and 22% of the vote, respectively. Hovis received about 20% of votes, and Baughman received 18%.
In Fairfield County, Fripp received 38% of the vote, Baughman received 27% of the vote, Brock received 18% of the vote and Hovis received 18% of the vote.
The Blythewood Town Council has five members.
LEXINGTON
Lexington residents chose a mayor and three town council members.
Mayor Pro Tempore Hazel Livingston ran for Lexington mayor, uncontested. She received 92% of the vote.
Incumbent Mayor Steve MacDougall did not run for reelection.
Eight candidates competed for three of Lexington’s town council’s at-large seats, including incumbent Todd Lyle and newcomers Will Allen, Greg Brewer, Edwin Gerace, Matthew Graham, Jeannie Michaels and Amelia Cherry Pocta.
Lyle received 18% of the vote. Allen and Michaels received about 15% of the vote. Brewer recieved about 14%, Pocta received 13%, Gerace received 12%, and Graham received 10%.
The Lexington Town Council has six members.
BATESBURG-LEESVILLE
Four seats on the Batesburg-Leesville Town Council were on Tuesday’s ballot.
Incumbent Johnnie Mae Speech Lemon ran against newcomer Betty Barnes Hartley for the District 4 seat. Hartley received 61% of the vote, and Lemon received 38%.
Incumbent Paul Wise ran against newcomer Tillman Gives for the District 6 seat. Wise received 70% of the vote and Gives received 29%.
David Bouknight Jr. ran uncontested for the District 2 seat. He will replace Olin Gambrell, who was first elected to the council in 2017.
Incumbent Town Councilman Bob Hall ran for the District 8 seat, which was also an uncontested race. Hall was first elected 2019. This will be his second term.
The Batesburg-Leesville Town Council has eight members.
This story was originally published November 7, 2023 at 9:01 PM.
.jpg)