EDITORIAL: Get registered to vote on Nov. 3

A few people have asked recently if they can vote in the upcoming mayoral election in Hartsville even though they live outside the city limits.

No, they can’t.

You must reside inside the city limits of Hartsville to vote.

And if you do reside in the city limits and you’re not registered to vote, shame on you.

The deadline to register for the Nov. 3 election is Oct. 3, a week from Saturday, so there’s still time. You can register at the Darlington County Office of Elections and Voter Registration. The office is located in the Mozingo Building at 300 Russell St. in Darlington.

Director Hoyt Campbell said the office will be open from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 3. If you have questions, you can call the office at (843) 398-4900.

If you are 18 or older and live in the city, you have no excuse not to participate in the election of Hartsville’s next mayor.

Two candidates are running for the office, businessman Mel Pennington, who currently serves as vice chairman of the Hartsville Planning Commission, and Pam Sansbury, a former Hartsville City Council member and former finance director for the city.

Both are well qualified.

Two candidates are running for the District 1 seat on City Council. They are incumbent Adlena Graham, who has served on council since 1993, and Jannie Harriot, who is vice chair of the S.C. African American Heritage Commission.

In council District 3, Wanda James is running unopposed to succeed David McFarland. And in District 5, incumbent Bob Braddock is unopposed for another term.

Hartsville, like all cities, faces some daunting challenges, particularly in these difficult economic times.

With resources so limited, setting funding priorities takes on a new level of importance.

Strategic planning, encouraging annexation, keeping neighborhoods said and clean, providing basic services, stimulating economic development while preventing sprawl, these are just a few of the issues the mayor and council will confront over the next four years. How will they meet these challenges? How will we build on what has already been accomplished? How will we avoid the pitfalls of the past?

Don’t take Hartsville’s future for granted. Get informed, get involved, get registered – and vote.