Get to know the candidates for York County’s fastest-growing council district

Two long-time Fort Mill residents want to serve the fastest-growing part of York County, an area that’s also home to the county’s biggest ongoing public controversy.

York County Council Dist. 7 incumbent Debi Cloninger and challenger Scott Couchenour expect Silfab Solar to be a driving factor for voters in their June 9 Republican primary. The winner will take the seat uncontested this fall.

Fort Mill neighbors have protested the Canadian solar panel manufacturer’s location on Logistics Lane near Carowinds for three years. Debate intensified this spring after two chemical release incidents prompted neighboring Flint Hill Elementary School to close temporarily.

Silfab’s location near what will be about 1,900 students this fall when Flint Hill Middle School opens is the most pressing issue in Dist. 7, Cloninger told The Herald.

“Their parents and grandparents are not only so mad, they’re so worried,” she said. “I cry with them, because that’s what’s making me (want to serve).”

Like Cloninger, Couchenour supports the Fort Mill School District and believes solar panel manufacturing shouldn’t be allowed on Logistics Lane. It’s the manufacturing that requires industrial chemicals, which is separate from assembly operations that Silfab can do without them, Couchenour said.

”If it’s going to stay, it’s got to be a true light manufacturing facility and the chemicals need to be gone,” Couchenour told The Herald.

Still, many issues will impact the district that stretches from Fort Mill’s borders with Indian Land, Rock Hill and Charlotte. Here’s a closer look at where each candidate stands on them:

Debi Cloninger

A retired small business owner, Cloninger was a month into her first Council term when a tax incentive agreement for Silfab came to the county. She points to her “no” vote on that deal as proof that she listens to her constituents. She still takes constant calls on the issue.

“It is a travesty that that place is there,” Cloninger said.

As chair of the Council’s planning and zoning committee, Cloninger is looking at zoning code changes to make sure other businesses don’t come in that are incompatible with properties around them. The includes continued changes related to data centers, sparked by resident concern about the QTS data center being built in Lake Wylie.

The 21-year Regent Park resident plans to continue working on the Heritage Tower issue, a decades-long back and forth between the county and property owners on what will happen to the unfinished tower from the Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker days of Heritage USA.

Cloninger supports a lean county budget that avoids tax increases, especially at a time when gas and food prices are so high. Fort Mill already has town and school impact fees, and even in an affluent area there are people working multiple jobs to get by, Cloninger said.

“The families of Fort Mill are overburdened,” she said. “It’s expensive to live in Fort Mill.”

Cloninger wants to see projects through that she began, including road work in a district that’s seen more construction projects from Pennies for Progress than any other part of York County. Pennies is a 1% sales tax voters have approved five times since 1997, creating funds for road work.

It almost takes someone retired to work what seems like a full-time job on Council, Cloninger said. Just last week Council met for more than six hours. Getting to bed early the morning after a Council meeting is common, she said, as is taking a constituent phone call late at night or on vacations.

“For me it’s all about the community,” Cloninger said. “It’s all about the taxpayer.”

More info: debicloninger.com; Debi Cloninger for County Council on Facebook

Scott Couchenour

Couchenour, 61, moved to Fort Mill in 1992 and has volunteered thousands of hours since serving on the town Planning Commission, Historic Review Board, county review boards and in various school roles. He’s coached lacrosse and been public address announcer for high school football games.

“With my experience, I’m qualified,” said the semi-retired flooring contractor and commercial real estate owner.

Couchenour has long friendships with public officials across York County, including road planners.

“I know I can communicate with the town of Fort Mill and the Fort Mill School District better than what’s going on right now,” he said.

Roads, sidewalks and pedestrian paths are a big focus for Couchenour. He’s sent video and photos of recent road repairs to officials where lane widths or markings weren’t what he expected them to be.

“I’m all about getting roads repaired correctly,” he said. “If we’re going to do a project, we need to do it correctly, timely, efficiently.”

Council rerouting funding last year from city and town recreation programs to the county recreation department got Couchenour thinking about a campaign for Dist. 7.

Road construction, and land use decisions on projects like Silfab and the QTS data center in Lake Wylie were also concerns. Couchenour disagrees with budget cuts just this month, which he sees as arbitrary.

He’s a big fan of impact fees, or charges on new construction to pay for growth costs.

Couchenour spoke out not only for Fort Mill schools but also Clover schools when they approached the county requesting money. York County Council sets impact fees and rates for school districts. While Fort Mill got the full amount it requested last year, Clover schools didn’t. York schools didn’t get any impact fees when that district applied four years ago.

Impact fees come back to the county every five years, and the county can change the amounts districts get.

“I’d sure like to be the person in office to support the school impact fees for Fort Mill,” he said. “I’m concerned it’s going to end up like Clover did.”

More info: scottforcouncil.com; Scott Couchenour for York County District 7 on Facebook