Proposed landfill is big item in Marlboro County

A proposed landfill is a hot topic in Marlboro County that will go down the tubes if some residents of Bennettsville have anything to do about it.

And Barack Obama is the choice for president with the exception of one female who is going to write in Hillary Clinton’s name.

Marvin Johnson, 56, is owner of Johnson’s Barber Shop adjacent to the Marlboro County Courthouse. The landfill is the last thing he wants to see.

“I don’t live far from where they want to put the landfill,” he said. “Those things give off a bad odor and have a lot of chemicals in them. And that landfill might bring a lot of diseases in the future.”

Johnson said the economy is in bad shape in Marlboro County. He’s been a barber for 36 years, and his business is being affected.

“I’m hoping Mr. Obama will win and change things,” he said. “The administration we’ve had in there for eight years has gotten worse and worse.”

Bessie Johnson, 53, is Marvin Johnson’s wife. She is part owner of Johnson’s Hot Dog Shack next door to the barber shop.

“I’m not for the landfill at all,” she said, glancing up at the TV to catch the beginning of “The Young and the Restless.”

“If it comes here, we’re going to get everybody’s garbage and it’s going to eventually poison this city.

“They should locate somewhere else because we don’t need the country’s garbage in this county. We need to look out for our future generations that are coming up.”

Mrs. Johnson says change is needed in the White House.

“I don’t see the world surviving another four years with the conditions that are going on now,” she said. “So I’m looking for Obama to get in there and make the changes he says we’re going to get.”

Business has fallen off at the Hot Dog Shack since it started a year ago.

“You can tell people’s jobs got slack and they really didn’t have the money to come in and buy the hot dogs,” she said. “So we went from large crowds throughout the week to people just coming in Thursday through Saturday.

“Our thing was we introduced a new all beef hot dog that a lot of people down here couldn’t get. And that wasn’t all, we fix it anyway they want it because we want our customers to have their way.”

Lafeyette Jackson, 33, is a life insurance agent. He was sampling one of Johnson’s hot dogs.

“The landfill is a definite no because landfills pollute and decrease property values,” he said, “and for middle-class working Americans, we can’t afford to move to other locations. I think landfills increase the risk of cancer and other diseases down the road.”

Jackson says the presidential election is vital to improving the economy.

“Right now, the economy is in a disastrous state,” he said. “So it’s going to take a whole lot of effort and hard work to correct this problem.”

And he feels Obama is the person to meet the challenge.

“I like the way he talks and think he will stand behind what he says,” he asserted. “A lot of former presidents spoke on change, so I don’t think stepping out on a limb this time could make things any worse.”

Mahlon Padgett, 48, is a Bennettsville attorney.

“I don’t want to see the landfill here,” he said while eating lunch in a downtown restaurant. “We just don’t want a bunch of trash coming in here. That’s about all I can say.”

Joe Mills, 55, was working at a salvage shop that sells everything from used baby carriages to barren bicycles.

“I’m working here for another guy,” he said. “I don’t know the name of the place because I don’t know if the owner has come up with a name yet. I’m just working here and helping him out while he’s on another job.”

Mills said the only thing he knows about the landfill is that it doesn’t need to come to Marlboro County.

And he said the economy is tanking because people in the United States are losing the jobs they need.

“Everything is going overseas,” he said. “That means jobs goes over there and people got to go over there to survive because the money isn’t here in this country.”

Mills is an Obama supporter. But he says Congress runs the show.

“No matter who is president, Congress tells a man what to say,” he opined. “And he’s going to do it just like every other president because they do what Congress wants them to do. So why do we need a president if Congress is going to run the world?”

Jennifer Mills, 27, is Joe Mills’ daughter.

“Marlboro County doesn’t need a landfill,” she said. “What this county needs is more jobs. The only thing Marlboro County is is farming. Unless you’re a farmer, you better stay the hell out of Marlboro County.”

Jennifer said the economy is in trouble and the United States needs help.

“But do you think we’re going to get any help?” she said. “There’s no way because we owe China our shirts.”

And her thoughts on the presidency?

“We need a woman president,” she said. “I’m for Hillary, and I’m doing a write-in for her.”

Jennie Meggs, 68, is a retired school teacher.

“I think the landfill would help the county economically,” she said. “I’m for it, even though some people say it would have a smell. But I think with the unemployment, we need something where people can be put back to work.

“We are the Ford dealers here in Bennettsville,” she added. “The economy is affecting us greatly.”

And regarding the presidential race, she said, “It’s just a hard decision between the two evils. I guess my comment is that I will be voting against one of the two because neither can fill the position very well.”

Jessie Lee McDowell, 80, is a retired mill worker who is against the landfill. He said the country is in “pretty bad shape financially.”

“We’ve had Bush for eight years, and I believe we’re going to have more of the same stuff if McCain is elected,” he said. “So I decided to vote for Obama.”

Jacqueline Pouncy, 55, is a hospice aide.

“I’ve heard a lot of talk about the landfill, and I’m against it,” she said. “We have so many other things we need in Marlboro County, and they’re not bringing them. They’re bringing things that are going to deteriorate our county.”

Pouncy says the economy needs help.

“I saw on the news that the Harvest Hope Food Pantry is empty because the churches are using that auxiliary to get food to the communities,” she said.

“And if something doesn’t happen, I don’t know what’s going to happen to the people that need food and medicine. They are going to go lacking for one or the other,” she said.

Pouncy says it’s past time for a change in the White House.

“We’ve got to get this nation back on track, and the November elections are the way to do it,” she said. “I hope Obama is going to be the key.”

John Powers, 47, is information and safety systems director at Marlboro County Electric Cooperative.

He had no comment on the landfill and is undecided about the presidential election.

“I’m still watching, listening and trying to understand,” he said. “I think the presidential race is more important than ever because of the economy, the state of banking affairs and things like that.”