Council candidates discuss issues in forum

Candidates for Hartsville City Council outlined their positions and goals Tuesday during an open forum. The only contested council race on the ballot in Tuesday’s election is for the District 1 seat. Incumbent Adlena Graham is facing a challenge from Jannie Harriot.

Wanda James, who is unopposed in District 3, and Councilman Bob Braddock, who is unopposed in District 5, also participated in the forum.

All four candidates discussed issues such as community development, accessibility, crime, neighborhood improvement and the need to develop new streams of revenue for the city to help address issues.

“I appreciate the voters of the district allowing me to represent them,” Graham said. Graham has served on council since 1993. She was the first African American woman elected to council after the city implemented a single-member district method of elections for council seats.

Graham said she is particularly interested in eliminating substandard housing and in removing dilapidated and abandoned houses in city neighborhoods.

Harriot said even though she was not born here, she considers herself a native of Hartsville because she grew up here. Harriot said she has 104 nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

“I’m running for city council because I want for my nieces and nephews the kind of city to live in that will help them grow up and be productive citizens,” Harriot said.

Harriot said her work with organizations like the African American Heritage Commission, which she formerly chaired, the Butler Heritage Foundation and the Darlington County Community Action Agency has given her the kind of grassroots organizing experience needed to be an effective council member.

“I have a lot of experience in grassroots development,” she said. “These connections will help me bring to bear the resources needed to get things done.”

Graham said she sees the role of a council member to not only represent the interests of the district he or she represents but to look to the overall interests of the entire city.

Harriot said the role of a council member is to look out for the interests of the city in general and bring to council the concerns of the district the member represents. “The consensus of the people is what we should be interested in,” she said.

Graham said annexation should be a top priority for council, but she said South Carolina’s annexation laws make it difficult for cities to grow. She said council had worked with Darlington County’s legislative delegation to try to change the annexation laws.

“It takes team work,” Graham said. “One person cannot do it all.”

Graham said she would like to see more citizen involvement in local government. She urged citizens to contact their council members when they have a concern.

Harriot said her work on various boards and committees has helped her learn the importance of building consensus and said that will help her as a member of council.

“There has to be an understanding among people on council,” she said. “You have got to get to know one another.”

Graham said she would like to see quarterly “coffee and chat” meetings with council members and citizens to help keep citizens better informed about what is going on in city government and to give citizens more opportunities to bring up issues with their elected representatives.

Harriot said if elected she would publish a quarterly newsletter for constituents and use social networking Web sites to help keep citizens in touch with their representatives.

Graham and Harriot both said the Butler/Clemson Sixth Street corridor project should be a priority, though both acknowledged that funding for the proposed redevelopment project poses challenges. Harriot said grant funding may be available to help with the project.

Graham said she would like to see a return to community policing to help curb crime in the city’s neighborhoods.

Harriot agreed and said she believes city council should hold the city manager and department heads accountable for enforcing existing codes and ordinances.

About 30 people attended the forum, which was sponsored by People to People and Second Baptist Church.