Pennington elected Hartsville mayor; Lamar mayoral race set for runoff

Businessman Mel Pennington won an overwhelming victory in Tuesday’s race for mayor of Hartsville with 65.5 percent of the vote to rival Pam Sansbury’s 34.5 percent.
Pennington received 1,048 votes to 551 for Sansbury.

“I’m excited,” the mayor-elect said after learning he had won. “I haven’t even had a chance to think about it yet. We’ve been working hard. We’ve been pouring our hearts into this.”

Pennington said he plans to begin putting his transition plan, which he calls his “day one plan,” into place today.

He said one of his first tasks will be to call outgoing Mayor David McFarland and thank him for his service to Hartsville. “It’s been said that we stand on the shoulders of giants, and that’s how I feel about him. I want to thank him for his leadership and his service,” Pennington said.

Pennington said he had already spoken with Sansbury and congratulated her on a well-run campaign.

“When I first moved back to Hartsville, Pam got me involved in a lot of things in the community,” he said. “She ran a clean and honest campaign. She’s a mentor and a friend. It’s tough to run against a friend. I want to get back now to her being my friend instead of my opponent.”

“I’m ready to get started,” Pennington said. “I’m ready to get started on the broadband initiative.”

Pennington has been pushing a proposal to have a feasibility study done on the possibility of creating a city-owned fiber optic network that would allow the city to sell broadband services such as cable TV, digital telephone and Internet service to city residents and businesses on the open market. He said such a system could create a new revenue stream for the city and change the way the city raises revenue.

Pennington met with supporters at the Bow Thai Kitchen after the results were in.
Sansbury, a former member of city council and former finance director for the city, met with family, friends and supporters at Shug’s Smokehouse Grill and Tavern after learning of the outcome. She said she called Pennington and congratulated him on his win.

Before the campaign began, Sansbury said she told Pennington that no matter what the outcome she’d be there to help.

“I ran a very clean campaign,” Sansbury said. “I didn’t promise anything I didn’t think I could deliver.”

In looking at the outcome, Sansbury said she thought voters were grasping for something new and different and said she “obviously wasn’t it.”

Pennington carried each of the seven precincts participating in Tuesday’s election except Kelleytown, where no one voted. He also won among absentee ballots.

In the race for Hartsville City Council District 1, incumbent Adlena Graham defeated challenger Jannie Harriot 138 votes to 70, or about 66.3 percent of the vote to 33.7 percent.

“We all worked together, and I think we’ll improve the city of Hartsville by working together,” Graham said.

In council District 3, political newcomer Wanda James, who was running unopposed, received 116 votes. Three write-in ballots were cast in that district.

“I’m just excited and ready to do some work,” James said. “The things and the ideas he (Pennington) has will move Hartsville forward, and I know he’s going to work hard for everyone. One purpose, one vision, one mind.”

In council District 5, incumbent Bob Braddock, who was also running unopposed, got 191 votes, with three write-ins cast there as well.

Pennington supporters were jubilant over the outcome.

“He’s the first candidate I’ve seen trying to bridge Coker (College) with the community of Hartsville. It’s always been a plus,” said Aisha Moorer of Hartsville, who helped with Pennington’s campaign.

“I’m excited for the city,” said Tom Goodson, a supporter who bused voters to the polls Tuesday. “I believe Mel Pennington will do a good job marketing Hartsville to outsiders.”

“I’ve never seen him want something so much,” said Pennington’s first cousin Fearn Gupton of Columbia. “We’re all so excited and so proud of him.”

With 1,600 votes cast in the mayor’s race – one ballot was challenged - turnout was almost the same as it was in the mayor’s race four years ago when 1,583 votes were cast.

Pennington, James, Braddock and Graham will be sworn into office on Tuesday when council holds its regular monthly meeting. Pennington said during the campaign that if he won he would make that first meeting a working meeting for council.

Hartsville’s Municipal Election Commission met Thursday at 9 a.m. to certify the results of Tuesday’s voting.

In Lamar, voters will return to the polls in two weeks to continue the process of electing a mayor. Candidates Randy Reynolds and Jackie L. Thomas will face each other in a runoff on Nov. 17.

Reynolds led the field of three candidates with 162 votes. Thomas received 137 and Tom Langston got 38.

In the Lamar Town Council race with two seats up for grabs, incumbent Doris Byrd picked up 195 votes to return to council, and Robbie Smith, with 173 votes, will fill the second seat. Candidate Bernetha W. Witherspoon collected 144 votes. No runoff will be necessary in that race.

— The Messenger editor Lisa Chalian-Rock and staff writer Ardie Arvidson contributed to this report.