Central candidates debate homelessness, AnMed plans and how to manage fast growth

At a candidates forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters and the Pickkins County NAACP, five candidates for mayor and town council in Central outlined priorities on homelessness, a planned AnMed medical facility and how the town should manage rapid growth.

Pat Spurlock, president of the League of Women Voters for Okone and Pickkins County, opened the evening and introduced moderator Carolyn Bishop McCloud. The forum gave each candidate two minutes for answers and included audience-written questions collected by ushers.

The candidates — Ken Dill (mayoral candidate), and council candidates Doug Barry, Robert Griffin, Daniel Avette and Paige Bowers — traded policy recommendations on issues that residents say are reshaping Central. On homelessness, candidates emphasized addressing root causes and coordinating with county agencies and nonprofits rather than simply displacing people.

"Reaching out and giving folks like that help is the most important thing," said Robert Griffin, arguing for interagency collaboration and for transporting people to services and shelter when appropriate. Doug Barry described local faith-based support such as weekly showers and meals through the Knights of Columbus and said the town should focus on meeting basic needs while seeking longer-term housing solutions. Ken Dill noted existing local efforts including recently completed workforce apartments and said affordable-housing and compassion should guide responses. Paige Bowers and other candidates said the county lacks a centralized shelter and urged the town to partner with providers and service organizations.

The prospect of an AnMed facility on the town’s edge prompted debate about infrastructure capacity. Doug Barry warned the town must "get the infrastructure caught up" to handle increased traffic and wastewater demands, saying preliminary estimates suggested thousands of additional daily trips and concerns about sewer and road capacity. Several other candidates — including Ken Dill and Paige Bowers — responded that sewer capacity for the project has already been encumbered and urged continued coordination with state transportation officials on bridge and road improvements.

"We have encumbered our allotment for sewer and registered that with the state," Ken Dill said, advising listeners to distinguish current capacity from long-term planning needs. Paige Bowers added that building or expanding sewer treatment can take years and said the town should press the Department of Transportation on bridge repairs and egress improvements.

On growth-management lessons from nearby Clemson, candidates repeatedly recommended stronger rules for developers and clearer, community-driven standards. Bowers pointed to a six-month moratorium the town adopted to rewrite its planning and land‑development regulations. Several candidates said Central should produce a developer "playbook" that sets setbacks, density limits and environmental protections and should hold builders accountable when infrastructure or promised mitigations fall short.

"We want to drive the growth instead of the growth driving us," said one candidate, urging the council to balance development with protections for trees, roads and the town’s small‑town character.

Throughout the forum candidates emphasized accessibility and constituent service: staying reachable by phone, email or in person and prioritizing transparent, accountable decision-making. There were no formal motions or votes taken at the event.

Pat Spurlock closed by thanking volunteers and telling the audience to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 4; she reminded listeners that early voting runs through Friday, Oct. 31 at the Pickkins County Voter Registration Office on McDaniel Avenue.

Next steps: the forum provided voters with side‑by‑side comparisons of candidate experience and specific proposals for housing, infrastructure and planning; the election is scheduled for Nov. 4.