York County Council returns largely intact, welcomes Allison Love to Clover, Lake Wylie seat

When Allison Love spent the first half of 2016 campaigning for a York County Council seat, she said she spent months telling people that she was the right person to lead District 2.

Now that she’s officially taken the reins, she reflected on that responsibility Tuesday night.

“I realized that this wasn’t a campaign anymore,” she said. “This is a job. I’m excited about waking up tomorrow and answering to the (more than 26,000) people in District 2. This spot, this job, has my name all over it.”

Love, 52, was the lone new York County Council member to take the oath of office at a public swearing-in ceremony Tuesday evening at York Technical College’s Baxter Hood Center.

The Lake Wylie resident will now begin her four-year council term serving the Clover and Lake Wylie areas as she takes over for her predecessor, Bruce Henderson.

Love, owner of Allison Love’s Fine Jewelry in Rock Hill, said she was looking forward to working with people throughout York County, and that she appreciated the voters’ faith in her.

Britt Blackwell was elected to his third term as council chairman, while Michael Johnson was voted to his second term as vice chairman. Both were returned to their posts by unanimous decisions.

Johnson said York County was “on the cusp of greatness,” citing rising growth and a renewed focus on keeping jobs within South Carolina.

“We’ll spend our money wisely,” he said. “We’ll show you how it’s spent, where it’s spent, every dollar. If we’re not proud of where we’re spending our money, we shouldn’t be spending it. ... I think we have one of the best groups of people to serve with ever.”

The council recently held a retreat at York Technical College, where they said they tweaked their vision and mission statement to better reflect their ideals. The council’s joint mission/vision statement now reads that it is their goal to create a government that “provides the best value for each dollar spent.”

Blackwell said the council was committed to creating and keeping strong jobs growth within York County, especially when competing against the Charlotte market.

“I feel this is one of the best counties in South Carolina,” said council member William “Bump” Roddey. “We’re definitely doing what we’re supposed to do to bring living wage jobs to York County.”

This story was originally published January 3, 2017 at 10:02 PM with the headline "York County Council returns largely intact, welcomes Allison Love to Clover, Lake Wylie seat."