This is a revision of the candidate filings that appeared in The Voice’s Sept. 7 edition.
BLYTHEWOOD – Six Blythewoodians had filed for political seats in Blythewood government when the filing closed at noon on Sept. 5. Two of the candidates live in Ashley Oaks, one in Oak Hurst, one in Holly Bluff, one in Cobblestone Park and one in the Lake Ashley area. Four currently hold political office now and two are new to Blythewood politics.
Mayoral Candidates
Bryan Franklin has served as Blythewood Mayor for four years and previously served two years on the Blythewood Planning Commission and two years on Town Council. Franklin is a native of Blythewood, and served 24 years active duty in the U.S. Army. He is a retired Lt. Col., and currently serves as a military contractor. Franklin said he wants to serve another term to finish the work he began in his first term. Franklyn and his wife Dusty live in Ashley Oaks.
Sloan J. Griffin III has served on Blythewood Town Council since 2020, and previously served as a member of the Blythewood Planning Commission. Griffin is Deputy Director for Fairfield County Emergency Management / 911 and is a Reservist for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He and his wife Tennille and their three-year-old son live in Cobblestone Park neighborhood.
Town Council Candidates
Eddie Baughman has served 10 years as a member of Blythewood Town Council, has been Mayor Pro Tempore for six of those years, and a board member of Doko Meadows Park Foundation for eight years. He is a U. S. Navy Veteran and Retired Battalion Chief of Columbia Richland Fire Service. Baughman said he grew up in Dentsville and has lived in Blythewood since 1985. He has two grown children and five grandchildren. Baughman said he is running once again to continue to serve the residents of Blythewood. He and his wife Vicky live in the Lake Ashley area.
Donald Brock, Jr., has served four years on Blythewood Town Council and previously as Chair of the Planning Commission. He serves on the Trustus Theater Board of Directors, and is a member of the Village Church in Blythewood. Brock says, if re-elected, he will continue to press for a council that is transparent, fiscally accountable, serves the citizens’ best interests and operates within the law. He has two children who attend Blythewood schools, and is employed as a Senior Investment Accountant for the SC Retirement Systems and State Health Plan (PEBA). He lives in the Oakhurst neighborhood.
Andrea Fripp is a Charleston native who grew up in a military family. She has lived in Blythewood for the past six years and is employed as a mortgage loan officer. Fripp has over 25 years of professional work experience in local government and the private sector. She is a longtime volunteer Guardian ad Litem. Andrea enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and two dogs: Franklin and Zuri, and riding her three-wheeler. Fripp lives in Holly Bluff neighborhood.
Patricia Hovis is a newcomer to Blythewood politics. She says she wants to strengthen the role and voice of local government and advocate servant leadership, transparency, and common-sense decision-making. Hovis has lived in Blythewood for 17 years. She and her husband Roger have one daughter, a student at the University of South Carolina. Hovis was a former parole officer and reserve sheriff’s deputy in Georgia, and was employed as a securities clearance manager at an investment-banking firm in Virginia. She lives in the Ashley Oaks neighborhood.