Chester County loses a long-time leader

Carlisle Roddey so completely dominated Chester County politics for so long that his name will be forever associated with the county he loved.

Roddey, who died Monday at 79, held the post of county supervisor for nearly 30 years until being narrowly defeated by political newcomer Shane Stuart in 2015. Roddey also was revered as the voice of the Chester High Cyclones, delivering the play-by-play at both home and away games until poor health kept him from the announcer’s booth in 2015 and 2016.

Of South Carolina’s 46 counties, only four have an elected supervisor, while other counties hire their managers. The Chester County supervisor not only acts as chairman of the county council but also runs nearly all county agencies.

Chester County voters toyed with hiring a manager in 2002, but by 2004 they voted to repeal the change and go back to the elected supervisor.

Roddey was first elected in 1974 and served for 24 years before losing a re-election bid in 1998. But he ran again in 2006, winning by a landslide, and held the post until losing to Stuart.

Roddey was something of a throwback to old-fashioned Southern politics, a Democratic “boss” in a county dominated by Democrats where he knew everyone and their children. He talked in a down-home manner that belied his sophisticated knowledge of the county operation and his ability to sell Chester County to potential developers.

Roddey played a key role in bringing a new Giti Tire plant and 2,000 jobs to Richburg in 2014. The company instantly became one of the county’s biggest employers and was a huge personal triumph for Roddey.

While Roddey might have projected the image of a typical Southern politician, he often was ahead of his time. He was proud of his early support for civil rights and integration, and of promoting racial unity in the county throughout his time in office.

Roddey was a Chester County institution both literally and figuratively. The county government complex is named after him and features a monument to him and his service in front – not as a memorial after leaving office but as an honor bestowed while he still was serving as supervisor.

We join his wife, Lois, his family and his many friends and admirers in mourning the loss someone who devoted most of his adult life to leading Chester County and who served as one of its foremost champions.

This story was originally published January 11, 2017 at 12:57 PM with the headline "Chester County loses a long-time leader."