LEXINGTON, S.C. — People in the town of Lexington will start heading to the polls Monday morning for early voting during a special election to fill a town council at-large seat. Former councilman Steve Baker resigned his position in Lexington to pursue a new job in Florida.
Candidates Gavin Smith, Constance Flemming, Matthew Graham and Edwin Gerace are in the running for Lexington's open at-large town council seat.
News19 spoke with each of these candidates, learning why they love this area. All of them explain it's because of the people, and they hope to be part of the community's future population, business and infrastructure growth.
Gavin Smith shared that his experience working for the White House, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services makes him a strong candidate who will take action.
"There’s thousands of miles of roads in the town of Lexington: 32 miles of those roads are only owned by the town of Lexington, 27 are owned by the county. The rest are owned by the state and federal governments, so it’s going to take someone bringing state and federal partners to the table to actually deliver solutions to the people and I have experience working with state and federal partners to get things done," Smith said.
Constance Flemming, a candidate who has previously been a council member, tells News19 her main concern will always be what the citizens of Lexington want, adding that she'd like to see single member districts instead of at-large positions for council members because of the growth.
For Flemming, continuing to fund their police department is important to her.
"The global idea now is moving in the direction of non-funding, lessening the funding. No, they are very important partners in this growth that we’re experiencing here. And we have a very positive community-based policing force and we want to keep it that way. We want to keep our officers. We want to make sure that we take care of them and their families," Flemming said.
Matthew Graham tells News19 he stands for accountability, equal opportunity and combating crime through developing abandoned buildings.
"I hear a lot of citizens give me the feedback that they feel like Lexington is a 'good ol' boy' system, meaning that it’s a lot of closed door deals and not as much transparency, not as much forthright information being shared with the citizens in regard to what’s going on. And so, as I’ve been working more and more in the town of Lexington, I’ve found that what they say holds true and that’s a shame," Graham said.
Edwin Gerace explains that in serving on the town's planning commission, he's noticed a need for traffic solutions, open spaces for children and family activities, and more clear communication between the town and its residents.
"We have to look at when we open something. Does it make sense five years from now, ten years from now? What’s the impact of that one business going to do in the town? Economically as well as strategically with the traffic flow," Gerace said.
Early voting runs for two weeks, starting April 17 and ending on April 28. Election Day for the special election is May 2. The winning candidate will serve in office until November 2025.