COLUMBIA – Richland County Council members gave unanimous initial approval of proposed re–drawn district maps Dec. 16, and Blythewood’s three council representatives – Derrek Pugh (Dist. 2), Gretchen Barron (Dist. 7) and Jesica Mackey (Dist. 9) are holding a special meeting for Blythewood area residents to see those draft maps up close and ask questions on Friday, Jan. 14, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Doko Manor.
The meeting comes just days before council will hold a required public hearing in chambers on Tuesday, Jan. 18. Council will take the final vote on whether to adopt the proposed maps less than a month later, on Tuesday, Feb. 8.
“We wanted the citizens in the Blythewood area to be able to see the maps and ask questions before the public hearing. Then they can come to the hearing and make their voices heard,” Dist. 2 representative Derrek Pugh said.
The new maps have to be in place by March ahead of the primary election season.
While redistricting has been consequential in some parts of the state as the legislature changed how some Midlands residents are going to be represented by state lawmakers, county council members did not make drastic changes to their districts. There appeared to be no significant interest on the part of council members to change representation with the new lines.
Redistricting has been taking place for the last few months in jurisdictions throughout the state, from local municipal offices to congressional districts, as required by updated population counts from the 2020 census. The updated maps in Richland County will ultimately determine which areas the 11 policymakers on County Council represent.
The entire group of Richland County proposed district maps can be viewed via the homepage at www.richlandcountysc.gov. Hard copies of the re-drawn maps for the Blythewood area can be viewed at the Blythewood Public Library on McNulty Street during library hours.
While they are there ask them when County Council plans to refund the illegal road fee they have charged us for 20 years.