Lexington County Council shakeup in GOP primary. See final results Tuesday
Lexington County Council will have three new faces next year, and two incumbents will be leaving the governing body based on preliminary results in Tuesday’s Republican primary.
As of 11:20 p.m., former Springdale Mayor Michael Bishop defeated incumbent Councilman Scott Whetstone in preliminary results Tuesday. Bishop led Whetstone by 52% to 48% with all precincts reporting in the 1st District, covering the Gaston-Pelion-Swansea area.
Elsewhere, Clifford Fisher is looking to add another new face to the county council with a 20-point lead over Councilman Gene “Bimbo” Jones in the 5th District, with all of the vote counted in from the Red Bank-area district.
Voters on Tuesday not only choose five Republican nominees for Lexington County Council seats, but, with no other candidates filed for the November general election, they essentially set the majority of County Council for the next four years.
Councilwoman Charli Wessinger will return after beating challenger Jason Resnick in the Chapin-area 6th District by a 10-point margin with all precincts reporting Tuesday. Councilman Darrell Hudson also defeated challenger Brent Munnerlyn 63% to 37% with in from the 3rd District, covering the western side of Lexington.
In the 4th District around Springdale, where Councilwoman Debbie Summers did not run for reelection, Todd Cockrell beat Doug Leonard 52% to 48%.
The race has featured clashes over the future of Lexington County, which has seen an explosion of growth in recent years. The council incumbents hosted a press conference May 24 to accuse the Building Industry Association of getting involved in the election by boosting challengers to the current council through the group Protect Lexington’s Future.
Several challengers in the primary denied an association with the group, although some accepted donations from builders.
Members of Lexington County Council make $20,266 a year, according to a 2022 rundown of public officials’ salaries from the Lexington County Chronicle. The council chair makes a higher $23,321, and the vice chair makes $21,793.
