Fairfield County is blessed with beautiful land, a great history, and caring neighbors. We are also smack dab in the middle of major growth to the north and south of us. The past decade has seen incredible population and business growth all around us, yet not in Fairfield. I believe we need to have a vision that taps into this growth potential but maintains the beautiful, rural environment that we know and love. Fairfield County without the farms, without the large stretches of tree-filled acreage, without the historical homes would be a shame.
Change, positive or negative, rests with the leadership.
For a county, that leadership must come from its council. The council has the opportunity to set the vision, and align the citizens it represents and all necessary stakeholders toward achieving that vision. In fact, the vision should be developed with the citizens’ input. Council should be willing to actively engage the public, the taxpaying citizens, on this and all issues related to the county. Council should be willing to listen to citizens on any topic concerning the county at the regular public meetings, and should conduct Town Halls on specific subjects to tap into the great ideas our citizens have. Council should be willing to listen and respond to citizens’ concerns about the services we receive, or don’t receive. There is a simple opportunity to improve the relationship between county council and its taxpaying citizens, and that needs to be the first step.
The responsibility to make this all happen also rests on us, the taxpaying citizens, to elect council members who actually want to move Fairfield County forward. We need council members who are willing to engage with us, who are willing to learn and put in some effort, and who will speak up and make decisions, even the difficult ones. We have the chance to bring in three new council members next week. It is up to us to know each candidate and vote for the one who has the skills and desire to work together towards positive change. Take advantage of your voting privilege and together let’s elect the leadership that will work towards creating a Fairfield County that can become South Carolina’s example of the great things that can be accomplished when government and its citizens work together.
Don Goldbach
Lake Wateree