Out of 4,328 total votes in June 11 Republican Primary, Garey Collins received 3,011 to Butch Kirven’s 1,317. The upset victory saw 3 other county council incumbents unable to hold on to their seats. Prior to the election a group of citizens began a campaign to ‘Change Council’ and un-elect all incumbents. The effort brought increased interest in the County Council election and seems to have made a difference.

Collins offered the following comments for this article.

We won the race for District 27. I say we because I believe this is really a win for district residents. I’m just humbled that they chose me to represent them.

This was an important primary, as seen by the high voter turnout across Greenville County. A lot of people in my district have been frustrated with local government for several years. I’ve heard so much from friends and neighbors and have myself experienced lack of response to concerns about roads, taxes and more. 

We knew it would be hard to bring a change. Our councilman had been in office for 20 years, cementing a strong position in local business and politics. So we’ve been hard at work for many months on the campaign. It was a difficult endeavor walking to connect with as many voters as possible. But I met my goal of knocking on over 10,000 doors in the district, going through four pairs of shoes.

It wasn’t easy, but I understand that the hardest work is ahead.

The people were ready for a change. And they deserve it, they deserve a voice at the table. 

I heard what local residents had to say. I really listened to them, and it was clear that hasn’t happened for a long time. Now, I want their needs to be front and center. We’ll be doing town halls to get input and to help inform residents of the local governing process. We saw so much new interest in this election, and I hope that continues.

 I pledged to focus on excessive taxes, wasteful spending and infrastructure. There are some simple solutions here, but certainly complexity with many issues as well. I will do whatever is in the best interests of the residents. 

We’ve got a long road ahead and a lot of work to do. Please stay tuned for big things to come.

Thank you!

Best Regards,
Garey Collins
864-905-2689
CollinsFor27.com●