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Government

  • 11 days to runoff for Pope, Norman

    Tuesday’s GOP primary results in the 5th District congressional race couldn’t have been much closer.
    For top finishers Ralph Norman and Tommy Pope, it was a virtual stalemate. Each got 30 percent of the vote, with Pope ending up 118 votes ahead of Norman in the unofficial results to set up the May 16 runoff.
    The key to victory is going to be a fast start, said Sandy McGarry, Lancaster Republican Party chairwoman.

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  • City OKs buying jail services from sheriff

    Lancaster City Council has unanimously approved a two-year contract to share jail services with the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office because the cells at the Municipal Justice Center are outdated.
    The contract’s annual fee will be $54,480, roughly what the city has been spending on jail services.
    The agreement, approved by city council April 25, will now go to Lancaster County Council for a vote. If approved, the contract will begin July 1 and end June 30, 2019.

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  • GOP runoff: Pope vs. Norman

    S.C. Rep. Tommy Pope and Rock Hill businessman Ralph Norman will meet in a May 16 runoff to determine who will represent the Republican Party in the special election for the open 5th District congressional seat.

    The winner will face Democrat Archie Parnell of Sumter, along with candidates Josh Kulma (Green Party), Victor Kocher (Libertarian Party), Josh Thornton (American Party) and Bill Bledsoe (Constitution Party) in the June 20 special election to fill the remainder of Mick Mulvaney’s term in the U.S. House.

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  • Blackmon steps down as local GOP chairman

    The chairman of the Lancaster County Republican Party is stepping down due a conflict of interest with his new job.
    Allen Blackmon submitted his resignation to party officials Monday after he was appointed associate municipal court judge for the city of Lancaster.
    The S.C. Judicial Department’s Code on Judicial Conduct bars judges from taking an active role in politics.
    “With my new job, I don’t have a choice,” Blackmon said.

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  • Melee interrupts last 5th District forum

    INDIAN LAND – A portion of Tuesday night’s 5th Congressional District forum disintegrated into a verbal free-for-all when audience members started shouting down candidates trying to answer a question about President Trump’s first 100 days in office.
    The 90-minute forum at Cross Ridge was hosted by the Indian Land Action Council and moderated by school board member Melvin Stroble. It was the last multi-candidate forum scheduled before before next week’s special election primaries.

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  • Candidate Profile: Tommy Pope

    Party: Republican.
    Age: 54.
    Residence: York.
    Family: Wife, Kim. Four children, one grandchild.
    Education: Graduated from Rock Hill High School in 1980 and the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy in 1983. Received a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of South Carolina in 1984 and a USC law degree in 1987.
    Employment: Attorney, Elrod Pope Law Firm. Former SLED agent and 16th Circuit solicitor. Prosecuted Susan Smith for murder in 1995 for the drowning death of her two children.

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  • Candidate Profile: Archie Parnell

    Party: Democrat.
    Age: 66.
    Residence: Sumter.
    Family: Wife, Sarah. Daughters, Julia and Lydia.
    Education: Graduated from Edmunds High School in Sumter in 1968. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina in 1971 and his law degree from USC in 1974.
    Employment: Retired. Worked as a senior adviser on tax law for the Wall Street financial firm Goldman Sachs.
    Civic involvement: Treasurer at St. Stephen’s Chapel (Anglican), 2003-07.
    Political experience: None.
    Top issues:

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  • Candidate Profile: Ralph Norman

    Party: Republican.
    Age: 63.
    Residence: Rock Hill.
    Family: Elaine R. Norman, wife of 42 years, whose family is from Lancaster. They have a son, three daughters and 15 grandchildren.
    Education: Graduated from Rock Hill High School in 1971. Received bachelor’s degree in business from Presbyterian College in 1975.
    Employment: President, Warren Norman & Co., real estate development firm.

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  • Candidate Profile: Les Murphy

    Party: Democrat.
    Age: 40.
    Residence: Fort Mill.
    Family: Children Alaysha and Greylin.
    Education: Graduated in 1994 from Madisonville North Hopkins High School in Madisonville, Ky. Received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Phoenix in 2007 and an MBA from Walden University in 2009. Received federal veteran service officer training from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

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  • Candidate Profile: Alexis Frank

    Party: Democrat.
    Age: 26.
    Residence: Rock Hill.
    Family: The Hartsville native married a Marine in 2013. He is a helicopter mechanic at Marine Corps Air Station New River, in Jacksonville, N.C. They have two children, Avery, 3, and Aliza, 7 months. Frank’s mother teaches special education at Rock Hill High School, and her brother teaches at Winthrop University.

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