In late April I joined fellow mayors from across the state for the annual Mayors Conference, hosted by the Association of SC Mayors, in Hartsville. I’m proud to be a board member of the Association of SC Mayors and look forward to helping plan and attend this event each year.

This month I wanted to highlight this association of which I’m a part of because I think it’s important to know how mayors work together across our state and why I am active with my peers.

There are 271 cities in South Carolina, which means there are 271 mayors. And while each of our communities are unique, there is ample room for support across the state to help tackle the challenges and opportunities we all face. Throughout the year, our state’s mayors gather to connect and share ideas, highlight new resources, and discuss current topics and trends.

Over the years as Mayor, I have found tremendous support, ideas, and collaboration through this network of mayors. On any given day, I can be in touch with mayors from the small towns of Bishopville and Ridge Springs, alongside larger cities of Myrtle Beach and Anderson. The network helps provide me with access to leaders who maybe have already met the challenge in front of us in Fountain Inn, or have ideas on how to capitalize on any opportunity we have. 

In return, I also have the pleasure of getting to know new mayors as they enter their roles across the state. Helping them navigate everything from Robert’s Rules of Order and running meetings, to complex tax issues with their county or the state.

I’m proud to say that every mayor I work with locally, in Greenville County and Laurens County, are fairly active in the Association, so not only do I get to work with them daily here in our area, but we can work together to help our fellow mayors across the state.

In the future, I suspect this Association will become an even larger voice for our communities in the state, leveraging the passion and expertise of local mayors to ensure that citizens maintain their access to the government closest to the people.

I have found that one of the most important jobs mayors in our state have is being active in regional and statewide networks, like the Association of SC Mayors -  because they help mayors be better at their job, so they can serve their community better. Making the time to commit to this kind of work helps our community, and also our state.●