From a real estate broker to a former USC professor, meet Irmo’s Town Council candidates
The town of Irmo will have at least one new face elected to its town council this November.
Current Town Councilwoman Kathy Condom is stepping down this year, meaning at least one of the two seats up for election Nov. 2 will be taken by a new member.
Incumbent Town Councilman Bill Danielson is also running for a full term after winning a special election in 2020 to fill current Mayor Barry Walker’s old seat on the council.
Former USC professor Barb Waldman, who also ran in 2020, is now running in the at-large town council race along with Jenne Bennett and commercial real estate director Brent Chitwood, one of whom will take Condom’s old seat.
Both seats up this year will be elected at-large by all voters in the town.
The State asked each candidate what they would do if they win the election.
Jenne Bennett
Age: 57
Occupation: Professional
Education: University of Bridgeport, F.I.T.
Prior political or civic experience: None
Campaign website: None
Why are you running for this office?
To help create better communication between the citizens of Irmo and Town Hall.
If elected, what would your two or three priorities be during your first year in office?
My main priorities would be to help the youth, and adults return to the job market. The way we create these jobs is by continuing to grow our town through infrastructure and reduce outsourcing labor jobs needed to build our infrastructure.
What unique skills or life perspective would you bring to city governance?
With over 25 years of experience as a multimedia specialist, I’ll bring the visual systems up-to-speed and create a platform where our families can access more resources. I want to ensure public safety and disaster preparedness utilizing a well-planned base of operations using new technology for our central command.
What current practice or policy of the city would you preserve or enhance? Why?
Irmo is in fine hands, but if I have the opportunity, I would help build a strategy to work with the office of procurement to provide customer service, guidance and oversight through each phase to ensure the proper distribution of contracts.
Brent Chitwood
Age: 68
Occupation: Commercial real estate broker
Education: Newberry College, B.S. in accounting
Prior political or civic experience: Irmo Planning Commission, regional banks
Campaign website: None
Why are you running for this office?
Being an area native I take great pride in the well-being of Irmo and its citizens. Using my time and knowledge to give back to my community is my primary motivation to run for Irmo Town Council.
If elected, what would your two or three priorities be during your first year in office?
Continuing to improve the quality of the Irmo Police Department, managing the growth within the town and managing the negative effects of the extensive growth around us would be my priorities. Small town police departments face tremendous competition for officers. Continuing to turn the IPD into an elite small-town force is the challenge. More training, team recognition and leading-edge salary and benefits can help us to continue to improve. The rapid area growth is negatively affecting the citizens of Irmo. We must join together with the other municipalities and the state to have coordinated infrastructure and zoning plans to better deal with the inevitable future growth. Continued focus on spending priorities should allow us to move forward on our goals without adding a property tax.
What unique skills or life perspective would you bring to city governance?
My 40+ years of financial analysis, marketing, administration and real estate experience help me to be uniquely qualified to work together with council to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Irmo. Zoning and budgeting are two of the primary responsibilities of council. Being a commercial real estate broker with 4 years of Irmo Planning Commission experience brings a strong understanding of the challenges of managing the growth of Irmo through zoning. Having significant accounting, finance and business management experience also brings a strong understanding of the budgeting and finance side.
What current practice or policy of the city would you preserve or enhance? Why?
Continued progressive zoning techniques like the downtown overlay that is currently proposed can help transition Irmo and guide its growth. My experience and knowledge in this area can help make it happen.
Bill Danielson
Age: 65
Occupation: Owner, Datapay Payroll SC
Education: Bachelor of Science - Business Administration with a concentration in finance from the University of South Carolina-Aiken
Prior political or civic experience: Current Town of Irmo Council member; past commissioner of the State of South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (one year as chairperson); eight years serving on the board of directors of the Babcock Center; 12 years serving on the board of directors of the SC Philharmonic (including four years as chair); past president of the Lake Murray-Irmo Rotary Club; past chair of the Irmo Chamber of Commerce; advisory board of Celebrate Freedom Foundation; board of directors of the Glenforest School (eight years including two as chair).
Campaign website: Facebook - Bill Danielson Irmo Town Council
Why are you running for this office?
As the incumbent running for reelection I have much to do. Continuing my passion for helping small businesses in the town adversely effected by the current pandemic through the Irmo Future Growth Corporation. The IFGC is a 501 c (3) organization I formed and funded with the help of the Irmo Town Council to grant funds to businesses in need. To date, we have funded almost $200,000 in grant awards. I have lived in and around the town for over 30 years now and bring a perspective seen through a wide lens of experience and civic engagement most individuals do not have. The economic growth and stability is the key to the success of the town.
If elected, what would your two or three priorities be during your first year in office?
To continue the funding of IFGC and to assist non profits with similar grants funded by the American Relief Plan Act (ARPA). To focus on appropriate stewardship of the ARPA funds by investing in local broadband through our park system, upgrading our town software to better fend off hacking and ransom ware attacks, complete the development of the new Rawls Creek Park (skate park, community gardens and dog park) and fully fund the Irmo Police Department and update their out-of-date equipment. In addition, I will assist our citizens with individual grants, rent assistance and or financial inducements for vaccinations over the coming months. Lastly, I will work with the mayor, council and private investors/developers to construct a Main Street corridor adjacent to the community park.
What unique skills or life perspective would you bring to city governance?
The previous two questions pretty much answered this question. I bring a vast knowledge to the council from being in banking, finance and real estate brokerage/development. These abilities, as well as my extensive civic involvement, have provided me with the experience needed to best serve the citizens of the Town of Irmo.
What current practice or policy of the city would you preserve or enhance? Why?
I would continue the no real estate tax policy for property owners and work extremely hard to bring more economic stability to the area. I am in support of the town hiring an economic development officer and providing reduced business license fees as inducement for bordering businesses to be annexed into the town. Lastly, I will fight for improved road conditions and expansion (Broad River Road for example), improved sewer services by working with Blue Granite and keeping the pressure on them and improving our water systems provided by the City of Columbia.
Barb Waldman
Age: 65
Occupation: Retired college faculty
Education: I have a B.S. in Biochemistry from Virginia Tech and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from The Johns Hopkins University, trained as a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University, and accepted a faculty position at Indiana University School of Medicine before taking a faculty position at the University of South Carolina.
Political or civic experience: Since 2001, I have served continuously on school and district-wide committees in School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties. I was elected to serve on the School Improvement Councils at Harbison West Elementary School, CrossRoads Middle School, Irmo Middle School and Irmo High School. While on those Councils I served several times as chair, vice chair and secretary. I have also served as president, fundraising chair and business partner coordinator of the parent-teacher organizations at those schools. In 2015, I was honored to be awarded the district-wide Superintendent’s Volunteer Service Award. I am a member of the board of directors for two local non-profits: the District Five Foundation for Educational Excellence and the Parent Advocates for Gifted Education in LRD5 (PAGE Five). I have served as the PAGE Five president, vice president and secretary over my many years of involvement with this group. For the last several years I have been involved with the Town of Irmo through attending council meetings and workshops. In 2020 and 2021, I have served as a non-voting commissioner on the Irmo Okra Strut Commission. I have also been involved with the town through attendance at specific project meetings (the rededication of the Historic Upper Pine Grove Cemetery, community garden/dog park/skateboard park, etc.) and have been appointed to the Irmo Board of Zoning Appeals.
Campaign website: BarbWaldmanforIrmo.weebly.com
Why are you running for this office?
I do not consider myself a politician – I am running for a seat on the Irmo Town Council in order to serve my community.
If elected, what would your two or three priorities be during your first year in office?
My first priority would be to ensure that the town council develops appropriate plans for spending our American Rescue Plan Act funds in ways that not only alleviate economic distress caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but also improve the economic health of the Town of Irmo and enhance the quality of life of our residents. Use of these funds should have a lasting, beneficial effect on our Town. Council must carefully and thoughtfully consider ways to improve future development planning and implementation within the town. Irmo has three parks, and currently there are efforts to collaborate with local community groups to develop a new park with a community garden, a dog park, and a skate park. I wholeheartedly support this effort. Although it may be difficult due to limited land available for development or re-development, I support efforts to create a system of walking/biking paths throughout Irmo. To achieve these goals, we need to increase the communications to and from our residents.
What unique skills or life perspective would you bring to city governance?
I bring thoughtful, open-minded, critical thinking skills to the decisions I make. My experience as a biochemical research scientist has taught me to look at all the data and critically evaluate it before drawing conclusions. My diverse experiences have given me a deep understanding of the needs in Irmo and our greater community.
What current practice or policy of the city would you preserve or enhance? Why?
Currently, the Town of Irmo does not impose a property tax on the residents. The Town of Irmo generates a significant portion of its revenue through business licenses and permits. I will work to continue to avoid taxing our citizens. But to ensure that Irmo has a consistent revenue stream, we will need to make the Town of Irmo an attractive location for businesses, and then encourage support of our local businesses so that they will not only survive, but thrive. A healthy business sector will be an attractive benefit for our residents as well as generate the revenue the town needs to pay for our current operations (which includes funding the Irmo Police Department) and future activities (such as free community events, greenway development, etc.). Careful planning for future development within the Town of Irmo will be of utmost importance to our future growth and financial stability.
.jpg)