Five races to watch as the Rock Hill region heads toward Election Day

On Tuesday, Nov. 4, cities and towns across the Rock Hill region will elect new leaders. And Lancaster County voters will decide whether to start a new tax for road construction. So, what’s on the ballot?

Rock Hill, Tega Cay, York and Clover all have contested city or town council races. Tega Cay has a race for mayor. Smaller communities across the region have contests, too.

Here are five races to watch, followed by a listing of all contested races in the area:

Jackson, Sutton in Rock Hill City Council rematch

Three years ago, Winthrop graduate and retired U.S. Coast Guard officer Perry Sutton unseated healthcare company outreach supervisor Nikita Jackson in a close runoff race for Ward 5 in Rock Hill. Both candidates filed for the same seat this year, serving the south side of the city.

Both candidates agree the top issues relate to quality of life.

“One of the biggest challenges Rock Hill has faced is neighborhood quality,” Jackson said. “Things like blight, neglected properties and litter that can make good neighborhoods feel forgotten.”

Jackson intends, if elected, to work with nonprofits and developers to increase affordable and mixed-income housing options.

Mental health is another key piece to issues like housing and public safety, Sutton said. A countywide mental health task force with more than 60 stakeholders formed in recent years, and should be supported, he said.

“In the near future we want to build a state-of-the-art mental health facility in this area,” Sutton said.

Stormwater control to prevent flooding in areas where it has been a problem for decades is another issue important to Sutton. Jackson wants to expand volunteer civic programs that improve the community.

Both candidates lean into longtime civic involvement as a selling point for voters.

Sutton has more than three decades of youth coaching experience in Rock Hill and sits on several community boards. Jackson has worked on projects like new sidewalks for the reconstructed Sunset Park Elementary School and cleanup efforts at Lincoln Cemetery.

Tega Cay will elect a new mayor

Tega Cay has three candidates for mayor, and none of them are the incumbent. City Planning Commission Chairwoman Alice Dobleske, Councilwoman Carmen Miller and business executive John Tukker are on the ballot to replace Mayor Chris Gray.

Dobleske and Miller view the need for increased infrastructure and financial stability as key for a city that has grown significantly for more than a decade. The Herald did not receive a response to election questions from Tukker.

“As our city reaches its planned growth boundaries, I do not support additional residential development,” Miller said. “Instead, I believe in fostering thoughtful commercial growth that aligns with our community’s character and supports long-term financial sustainability.”

Dobleske wants to repair relationships between the city and its business community.

“As I have been speaking with citizens, one topic continues to be brought up, there is a strong distrust in government officials and city management in Tega Cay,” she said. “For years, a crossover between local business owners and council has eroded away the notion that our local government serves the people and not its own interest.”

Miller wants strong design standards and low impact businesses that serve the community to support the Main Street project, a $250 mix of businesses and residences under construction between Dam Road and Stonecrest Boulevard.

Businesses that join the project should benefit residents, and developers should offer elements citizens want, like trails or recreation amenities, Dobleske said.

A crowded Clover Town Council race

Clover has 11 candidates for three at-large seats on Clover Town Council. Voters will pick from Jeffrey Becker, Jeremy Brashears, Kathy Rae Brewer, Rorie Brooks, Teresa Hurst, Jeffrey Kidd, Darnella Lindsay, Jason Manos, Melissa Mason, Ian Moyer and Stephen Widener.

Brewer is a nurse and grandparent who wants more connected neighborhoods through trails, industrial development to bring quality jobs and a focus on middle income housing as Clover grows.

Brooks is a county account manager who would work to make sure Clover gets its share of state resources as its population grows, developers pay for infrastructure needed for their projects and there is improved communication between town and residents.

Hurst, an IT project manager and Council member, points to new downtown businesses as an accomplishment, and wants design standards that would limit small-lot development and clear-cutting.

Kidd is a retired law enforcement officer who wants sustainable and self-funded growth, low taxes, a plan to address homelessness and investment in crime prevention.

Mason is an early interventionist and service coordinator who wants to attract jobs like healthcare and technology companies. Mason wants to improve communication to residents and expand mental health services.

Widener is a teacher who wants continued downtown revitalization, the town’s recreation sites and amenities to grow in line with the population, maintenance of maintain its small-town charm and zoning changes to attract new business.

The Herald did not receive responses from the other candidates for Council.

York race to serve growing community

Like Clover, York candidates focus on maintaining a hometown feel as the area continues to grow. Councilwoman Kellie Wine Harrold and businessman Bob Gray vie for a seat on York City Council.

“I recognize that the greatest challenge facing York is balancing growth while still remaining ‘York,’” Harrold said. “We must find the right blend between the benefits of growth.”

The city needs growth like grocery stores and retail while focusing on public safety, recreation and municipal services, she said. Gray intends to use business principles to make common sense decisions for the city.

Crime prevention, commercial growth and fire service funding have to be priorities, Harrold said. “The question before us is how to welcome new opportunities while keeping the small-town character we treasure,” she said.

The city needs to be efficient and accountable to its citizens, Gray said.

Lancaster County to vote on new road tax

Lancaster County voters turned down a 1% sales tax to fund road projects last fall. A revised question is on the ballot again this year. If approved, the new tax would last 10 years and generate an expected $253 million.

The tax would raise the county rate from 8% to 9%.

Road work funded by the project would focus heavily on U.S. 521, or Charlotte Highway. Other major roads to be widened include Henry Harris, Harrisburg and Barberville roads.

The ballot asks voters two questions. The first asks whether the tax should be approved. The second, contingent on the first, asks whether the county can issue a bond of up to $100 million to be paid back from the tax, to go ahead and start the projects.

Candidates in contested races

Here’s a look at all the contested races across the Rock Hill region:

John Marks

The Herald

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John Marks graduated from Furman University in 2004 and joined the Herald in 2005. He covers community growth, municipalities, transportation and education mainly in York County and Lancaster County. The Fort Mill native earned dozens of South Carolina Press Association awards and multiple McClatchy President’s Awards for news coverage in Fort Mill and Lake Wylie. Support my work with a digital subscription