County Council District 2
Vernon Pylant
Age: 73
Marital Status: Married to Shirley Bundrick Pylant for 50 years
Education: High School Graduate with two years Technical training
Current Employment: Duke Energy- Aquatic Weed and Mosquito Control
1. Briefly discuss your background and qualifications for the office you are seeking.
Born and raised in Winnsboro. Graduated from Mount Zion High School. Military service - four years with honorable discharge
Retired from AT&T after 30 years of service and 20 years management experience
2. Why are you running for County Council?
I want to make Fairfield County a better place to live and work. I moved back to Fairfield County 12 years ago to find high taxes and high unemployment. We are losing population. Our best and brightest are leaving Fairfield because there are no jobs here.
3. What would you do to foster economic development in the county?
Reduce taxes, personal and business taxes, to make Fairfield more attractive for business and to provide job opportunities to our residents.
4. How would you improve the situation in the county?
School improvement will make Fairfield more attractive to business and future residents from other areas of the state and country. The schools need parents to get up and get involved in their children’s development. This is about the children’s future.
5. What are the biggest issues facing the county, in your opinion?
Education and water should be our top priorities. Education to train our students and prepare them for the future. We have good facilities, teachers, and administrators. Water is absolutely necessary for growth or to attract new industry. Without new industry, we have no jobs for our citizens. Without jobs, our young people are going to leave us. It is all connected. Without water, we have no jobs. No jobs, our educated go elsewhere to seek employment and live out their lives.
6. What do you fell is the most important aspect of this position?
Water-See previous paragraph
7. What will your number one priority be, if elected?
Water is the one commodity we don’t have enough of it can be the driver for improving overall living in our county. We have been in drought conditions for sometime, then we sold what we didn’t have enough of to begin with. We need a reliable source of water.
8. What is your favorite book and why?
Last of the Breed by Louis L’Amour. This book is about the trials and tribulations of a native American. He became a test pilot for the U.S. Air Force and was shot down over Siberia during peace time, escaped prison, and found his way back to America. To me, this story epitomizes the American spirit. It is what made this country great.
Carolyn B. Robinson
Age: 66
Marital Status: Married
Education: S.C. Association of Counties, Institute of Government, Levels I and II
S.C. Economic Development School
N.C.-S.C. Economic Development School
Midlands Technical College: Paralegal Associates Degree;
Winnsboro High School honor graduate
Current Employment: Paralegal in the law offices of Coleman, Tolen and Swearingen
1. Briefly discuss your background and qualifications for the office you are seeking.
Previous service in this position has been 1995-2004; and 2008 to date. For twenty years I worked for Senator John A. Martin, during which time I served as Administrative Assistant to the Rules Committee of the South Carolina State Senate. Presently I am employed by Senator Creighton B. Coleman and assist with real estate closings and probate matters.
2. Why are you running for County Council?
I began assisting citizens of this county in the 70’s by helping direct them to the appropriate person or office to obtain answers to their problems. Through the years I have been able to establish relationships in the county and in the state which provide information and assistance in meeting the needs and challenges of our citizens. Also, from the knowledge I have obtained through my years of service, I feel I am a better decision maker when issues come our way. It is all about making Fairfield County a better place to live, work and play. It is such a joy to me to serve the citizens of Fairfield County in this capacity.
3. What would you do to foster economic development in the county?
An economic development study was performed two years ago with input from Fairfield County business leaders and citizens. I will continue working toward having the Council study this report and seeing if many of the recommendations in the study can be implemented in order to ‘grow’ this county. Also, it is important to continue having a good working relationship with the entities who can introduce and recruit companies to our county so we can meet the needs of the labor force in Fairfield County. We need to continue positioning the county to attract more companies when the economy stabilizes.
4. How would you improve the situation in the county?
As there may be many situations in the county, I approach all of them the same- I do my homework on each issue so I understand the full impact, see what possible solutions are available and then vote in a manner which is best for our citizens.
5. What are the biggest issues facing the county, in your opinion?
One issue facing all citizens of the county at this time is that of water, our most necessary resource. Because of the droughts we have faced, the water table has been drastically lowered, thus diminishing our water supply. I have attended several meetings called by the water providers, and at this time we are discussing possible solutions. Adequate services and amenities need to be provided to better serve all citizens in the outlying areas of the county, namely: health services, recreation, fire protection, and police protection, just to name a few.
6. What do you feel is the most important aspect of this position?
Being readily available to serve all areas of my district as it covers an extended area from Lake Wateree, to Ridgeway, to Winnsboro, to Lebanon.
7. What will be your number one priority be, if you are elected?
I will continue to look out for the welfare of the county based on the issue at hand. For example: economic development, lack of water, protecting the environment by recycling, improving roads, ensuring constituent safety, protecting and utilizing funds received from the new reactors at V.C. Summer, all for a better quality of life.
8. What is your favorite book and why?
I could not pick just one book, so I chose my favorite genre of books. The genre of books I enjoy is historical fiction/mystery. One learns from history the accomplishments and mistakes which have been made by our forefathers and trusts we can have successes while learning from their mistakes. While reading mysteries I attempt to put the clues together in order to solve the mystery. I think I enjoy mysteries because it mimics what I do daily at work with real estate closings-putting together puzzle pieces. I especially enjoy reading Eugenia Price’s “St. Simons” series and Sue Grafton’s “Alphabet” series.
County Council District 4
Kamau Marcharia
Age: 67
Marital Status: Single
Education: Three-and-a-half-years of college courses– Mercer Community College, Glassboro State Teachers College, Greenwood Technical College, Orangeburg Community College and Thomas Edison State College.
Current Employment: I’m retired from my position of Rural Organizing Director for Grassroots Leadership. I do consulting work with non-profit community and philanthropic organizations and serve on the Fairfield County Council.
1. Briefly discuss your background and qualifications for the office you are seeking. I am currently serving my fourth term on the Fairfield County Council and I have only missed three County Council meetings in all that time. I have been involved in community issues my entire adult life.
2. Why are you running for County Council? I know of no better way to help my community than to be able to participate directly in decision-making on issues that directly affect people’s everyday lives.
3. What would you do to foster economic development in the county? First, there must be a willingness to cooperate between County Council and the School Board. I feel there is a move to control the school system by political and economic powers – not a strategic plan for education. I want to play a role in creating more cooperation. The county’s recent investment in the Fairfield County Commerce Park and investment in the Midlands Technical College Training Center could help us create living wage jobs. Schools must get with the program to prepare our young people for careers. How many youth have graduated instead of just getting certificate? What structural resources are in place to support pre-graduation and post-graduation? Are we tracking the outcomes?
4. How would you improve the situation in the county?
Stop giving tax breaks to companies that don’t hire workers from Fairfield County and work toward cooperation of the local companies, the school district and county government on both education and our aging water system.
5. What are the biggest issues facing the county, in your opinion? Water, education, and living wage jobs.
Our local water systems are aging and need repair and expansion. We currently have water shortages and there is conflict among the agencies and people involved. There are five different water companies/organizations – and there is lack of coordination among them. We need put money into a plan that serves the whole county – and we need to start upgrading our water/waste infrastructure before we have a crisis. If we don’t have adequate water, we can’t bring in companies that need water for manufacturing either.
The lack of living wage employment in the county for county residents holds our county back. We don’t prepare our students for jobs or higher education, we don’t push the employers locally to build training opportunities into their work places, We don’t spend tax dollars to seriously support young people to move into a decent job. We need a real program to locally that links schools, families, employers, social services and families – to figure out what employers need, what young people need and put systems in place to make this happen.
6. What do you feel is the most important aspect of this position?
I think the most important thing that I can do is listen to all the people who live in Fairfield County and look for solutions that benefit the whole community – not just a part of it.
7. What will your number one priority be, if you are elected?
Water, jobs and education are so linked together that it’s impossible to separate them. For our county to advance we need jobs and to have good jobs we need to have water available and an education system in place that supports young people in accessing employment.
8. What is your favorite book and why? – I have two.
The Tarzan Series by Edgar Rice Burroughs – 29 books. I didn’t really learn to read until I was a young adult. When I began to improve my reading skills as an young adult these books helped me understand how books can engage the imagination and help people learn about the world.
I’ve Got the Light of Freedom by Charles M. Payne. He documents the history of struggle for freedom for all in the United States of America through the lens of the decades of the fight for civil rights in Mississippi.
Mary W. Brown
Age: Omitted
Marital Status: Omitted
Education: High school graduate from McCrorey-Liston High School
Current Employment: Co-Pastor of Straight Way Faith and Deliverance Ministries
1. Briefly discuss your background and qualifications for the office you are seeking.
Was born and reared in Western Fairfield County. Attended and graduated from McCrorey-Liston High School, Blair, SC; received two years of Business Law and Accounting studies from Mansfield Business College. My work experience includes operating as cashier/patient account representative for three-and-a-half-years at Fairfield Memorial Hospital; Secretary of the Community Development Program for the Town of Winnsboro for 2 years; performed as proposal, grant, and contract writer for Williams Services in Columbia. General Manager of the Palmetto Post Newspaper Company in Columbia, New Loan Set-up Supervisor for Security Federal Bank in Columbia, currently serving as a co-pastor of Straight Way Faith and Deliverance Ministries of Winnsboro, and assisting Brown’s Plumbing and Construction Company (a family owned business) writing proposals, contracts, billing, and tax preparations.
2. Why are you running for County Council?
I am pursuing the office of County Council as the representative of District 4 to fulfill the need for a dedicated council person who will help establish a more compilable council/citizen relationship making known all available assistance, promoting a fair and equitable distribution of services, and enhancing community growth and development through involvement and dedication.
3. What would you do to foster economic development in the county? Omitted
4. How would you improve the situation in the county? Omitted
5. What are the biggest issues facing the county, in your opinion?
A lack of industry; limited employment and business opportunities; minimal youth programs and recreational activities; inadequate job training; and the absent of committed community and parental involvement.
6. What do you feel is the most important aspect of this position? Omitted
7. What will your number one priority be, if you are elected? Omitted
8. What is your favorite book and why?
My favorite book is the Bible because it is filled with instructions, directions,
teaching, wisdom, knowledge, grace, mercy, forgiveness and love and through its knowledge our personal power as a human becomes enhanced.
County Council District 6
Mary Lynn Kinley
Age: 69
MARITAL STATUS: Widow
EDUCATION: two year secretarial science (Univ. Of S.C.)
CURRENT EMPLOYMENT: Fairfield Memorial Hospital (PR Director)
1. Briefly discuss your background and qualifications for the office you are seeking. I have served the residents of District 6 in Fairfield County for the past sixteen years as their council representative. This is a strong qualification for me to run for my fifth term representing District 6. The county’s business is not something that you learn quickly; it takes years to understand the processes and guidelines. My experience will allow the citizens in my district to have better access to someone with this knowledge. Through the years I have had employment that has been much involved with working with people. I am a people person and enjoy serving my constituents.
2. Why are you running for County Council? I am running for County Council because I truly enjoy helping the folk in my district with various concerns/problems they have. It has been rewarding learning about our county in such a way that I can improve our county and serve people. I like being involved on this level with county government.
3. What would you do to foster economic development in the county? Our Council has fostered economic development in many ways in Fairfield County. We realized the lack of training for our unemployed and underemployed citizens; this is why we diligently worked toward bringing the Midlands Tech Quick Job Training Center to our county. We have upgraded our local airport to the point that businesses and industries can fly their products in and out without going out of town. Because of the economy these days, they cannot afford to stock parts, supplies, etc. so they depend on bringing them in as quickly and efficiently as possible. With the downturn of the economy, many counties are hurting for jobs. We are and will continue to foster economic development.
4. How would you improve the situation in the county? I will continue to prepare our county for more economic development so that when the economy turns around, we will be ready to accommodate businesses and industries. We have been told by the State Department of Economic Development that we need to have a product (spec building) ready; companies will not wait a year or two for you to build a spec building! This building will be completed in November of this year. We are in the process of building our second spec building because we sold the first one to Elite.
5. What are the biggest issues facing the county, in your opinion? I believe that providing water for our county is of the utmost importance to Fairfield County and this is the biggest issue facing us now. We have to have water for our everyday living needs, for our businesses and industries, for our farmers, and for our animals. We must all come together and find a resolution to this problem because it affects our entire county.
6.What do you feel is the most important aspect of this position? I believe the most important aspect of serving on County Council is dedication. There is so much that you have to learn, there are many meetings that you must attend so that you can make good decisions for the entire county and you have to have the county’s well being in your heart.
7. What will your number one priority be, if you are elected? My number priority has always been and will continue to be do the right thing! If it is the right thing for the county and it will be beneficial to the county, then that is the way to go. You must keep personal agendas out of your decisions!
8. What is your favorite book and why? My favorite book is God’s book…..the Bible. Where would I be without my faith in God. I have always depended on the road map that God provides in the Bible for my life. This life is not easy and I am grateful for what God has done for me. As the old country song says….you have to stand for something or you will fall for everything.
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