Should Batesburg-Leesville elect a new mayor? An incumbent and councilman square off
Batesburg-Leesville voters will decide Nov. 2 whether the Lexington County town of 5,400 needs a new mayor.
Lancer Shull, the incumbent, is running against Batesburg-Leesville District 3 councilman Steve Cain. Cain, whose district includes the southwest part of Batesburg-Leesville, has been on town council since 2005.
Since that time, Cain has occasionally clashed with fellow town officials. In 2014, Cain filed a lawsuit against former Mayor Rita Crapps and Police Chief W. Wallace Oswald alleging the former mayor instructed the police chief to unlawfully remove him from a town council meeting. The suit was dismissed, and the town council ousted him a year later after questioning whether he lived in the district he represented, The State reported previously.
Cain was not deterred. He won a special election in 2015 and was elected again in 2017. He is also running to keep his town council seat. Cain declined to answer questions for this article.
Shull is an actor with minor roles in sometimes major productions. He played a Union soldier in “Lincoln” and a CIA Agent in Netflix’s “House of Cards,” according to IMDb.
At stake in the election is how the town will manage growth and — like every other election the last two years — manage the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lancer Shull
Age
51
Occupation
IT consultant/actor
Education
BSBA Computer Information Systems, University of Central Missouri
Political or civic experience
Municipal Association of South Carolina board member, Lexington County Municipal Association vice president, Lexington County School District 3 board of trustees 2015-2017, Lexington County Accommodations Committee member, Batesburg-Leesville Chamber of Commerce chairman of the board 2014-2015, Batesburg-Leesville Rotary Club member since 2010.
Campaign website
https://www.facebook.com/MayorLancerShull
Why are you running for this office?
To continue working for the citizens, businesses and and neighbors of Batesburg-Leesville. We have built a foundation from which we can now work to make great strides in improving the lifestyle of all who live, work, and visit Batesburg-Leesville.
If elected, what would your two or three priorities be during your first year in office?
- Continue working with existing business and community groups to maintain our small town feel while exploring ways to develop in areas that will fuel our economy;
- extend the current focus of improving our water and sewer infrastructure into the future;
- provide support for the carrying out of our master plans to improve our parks, promote youth-related organizations, and host more community events in our town.
What unique skills or life perspective would you bring to city governance?
The experience as mayor these past four years is undeniably the area where I’ve gained the most skills. The ability to build relationships with other mayors and municipal and county leaders provides a bridge to new information and support outside our town. Working as a solutions provider in the private sector has given me the ability to see the impact of positive change. Being raised on a farm in Missouri and also living a decade in Los Angeles has given me a unique perspective on life, an understanding of people from all backgrounds, and the adaptability to speak with anyone.
What current practice policy of the city would you preserve or enhance? Why?
I would work to enhance the preservation of our small town lifestyle. We need growth but we should manage that growth and support the mom-and-pop shops that really set us apart from others.