Sellers elects new mayor

Three candidates are vying for the position as mayor of the Town of Sellers.

Current town council members Gretchen Michele McClellan and Bernice F. Fore along with newcomer Barbara Ann Hopkins are in the race to replace Mayor Luevenia Wright.

General elections for the mayoral position and four at-large council seats will be held on Feb. 9 at the Sellers Town Hall.

Sellers is a Mayor-Council form of government.

Sellers residents will be voting for new leadership, as Mayor Louvenia Wright will not be seeking re-election.

However, Marion County Voter Registration Director Teresa Moody said only two candidates have filed for the four at-large positions on council.

“We have three candidates running for Mayor and only two filed for Town Council,” Moody said. “Unfortunately, they have four seats to fill on council and no one has declared to be a write in candidate. Therefore, the two candidates that filed will be declared winners upon certification.”

Two winners that have been declared are Sharon Miles and Gretchen Michele McClellan.

There will be two write in selections on the ballot to fill the vacant seats.

Fore was elected to Town Council in 2006 and says she was motivated to serve as mayor.

“My experience that have the last four years being Mayor Pro Temp has prepared me to run,” she said, adding that she served as acting mayor when Wright was injured in a car accident.

“I want to see the Town of Sellers grow,” she said. Fore has lived in Sellers all her life and said the community is like family.

Fore said her goals include helping to recruit industry and improve law enforcement.

Fore says finance is the biggest challenge facing the community.

“We have to stay on top of what we need to do and stay organized and in a business manner,” she said of the town’s record keeping.
Sellers has been dealing with financial issues, such as waste management and auditing. Fore said council is working to address matters.

“We’ve worked out an agreement with Grand Strand Water and Sewer to help us with our water and sewer issue, so we’re getting on top of all of our financial issues.

Married 35 years, Fore said she is part of a large family with seven brothers and two sisters. Fore has three children and four grand children. “I come from a terrific family and they support me,” she said.

McClellan is the eldest of eight children is also a long time resident of Sellers. Her son Brandon is married and McClellan has three grandchildren.

McClellan graduated in the top 10 percent of her class at Marion High School and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration Management at Francis Marion University. McClellan said she is currently pursuing a graduate degree from Troy University.

McClellan said she loves her town and has been serving on council for the past 22 years. She is a 2009 graduate of the SC Municipal Association’s Elected Officials Institute.

McClellan said she maintains and active role with experience on the Marion County Palmetto Leadership class with Clemson Extension, Marion County Habitat for Humanity, and as an executive board member with the Marion County Rural Area Leadership Institute. McClellan said she also participates in a number of fundraising activities for local charities.

“The fact that I’ve been here for 22 years I’ve come through a lot of the ups and downs the Town has gone through over the years,” she said of her experience.

Dealing with the town’s financial woes, McClellan said someone is handling the book keeping responsibilities.

‘It’s actually been a wonderful experience serving on council. Sellers is home and I love the people there,” she said, adding that she’s been playing a supporting role in the background.

Organizing recreational activities for the youth and developing more cooperation with County Council are a couple of adjectives for McClellan.

“I think Sellers is sitting in the cat-bird seat. We’re located and surrounded by the corridor of I-73, seven miles from I-95, U.S. 76, U.S. 301 runs right through Sellers, including a railroad that runs directly through the town. We have access and can have that as a selling point,’ McClellan said of her intentions to work with the Marion County Economic Development Commission and local officials.

Hopkins was unavailable to be reached before press time.

Check scnow.com for election results in the Town of Sellers race for mayor and town council.