REEVESVILLE – The four-term veteran Democratic Dorchester County Council member from District 1 is facing a Republican challenge in the Nov. 7 general election from a former Democratic councilman, trying to regain a seat on council.
Councilman Willie Davis, a Democrat seeking his fifth four-year term, is being challenged by J. Don Canaday, who served two terms on council as a Democrat over 30 years ago.
Neither candidate had primary opposition.
How best to manage growth and taxes are the two big issues.
No longer constrained to the rural upper end of Dorchester County, District 1 runs across an estimated two-thirds of the county and reaches from Dorange and Reevesville to the edge of downtown Summerville. Of the 8,164 registered voters, 4,711 are black; 3,399 are white; and 54 are designated “other.”
-- Willie Davis
Proud of his 16-year record, Davis says he hopes district voters recognize his hard work.
“I hope the people recognize you worked, not for yourself, but for the entire county. If they do, they’ll return you.”
An official with the Colleton County school system, Davis says he’s concerned about both public education and economic development.
“I’ve always wanted to get sewer to the upper end, not so much for houses, but for industry,” he said. “Fifty-five to 60 percent probably work outside of Dorchester County. If we had an industry base along the Interstate 95 corridor, these people (who) already have houses, if they have jobs, they can return home and improve our school system.”
In addition, Davis says he’s for strong law enforcement, fire protection and “a major concern of mine is allotted funds to the fire departments.” Although the task is “never finished,” he says that work is moving forward on paving the county’s dirt roads and improving drainage. And, he notes his support for both senior citizens and youth.
Tax increases, Davis maintains, are caused by growth countywide.
“By the upper end not having the industrial growth we need, when it relates to schools, we pay more,” he said. “It’s easy for five of the County Council to give school districts what they need. It’s more difficult for (District 3 Councilman Kenny Waggoner) and I to do the same at our end of the county.”
Calling for managed growth, the Reevesville area resident says there shouldn’t be “empty houses all over the place.”
“My focus is on economic development through the industrial base. We need a plan and not go full blast building houses,” he said. “The housing market is on the down low. We don’t want to depend on building so many houses each year to pay taxes.”
Concerning the recent dog hoopla, Davis says he only favors requiring dogs that are sold to have had shots.
“That’s as far as I go. Dogs have been around for centuries; they’re man’s best friend,” he said. “I’m doing something in the elementary classes with kids to reduce violence. It’s called ’Sharing the World.’ Dogs and cats have a place ... We’ve got bigger fish to fry.”
In addition to his council duties, Davis serves as chairman of the Berkeley-Dorchester Economic Development Co-Op.
“When I work for the citizens of Dorchester County, I don’t see it as a burden. I see it as a mission,” he said. “I’ll serve all to the best of my ability. You can’t serve if you don’t like people and I genuinely like people.”
A native of Dorchester County, Davis has a bachelor’s degree in biology and general science from Claflin University, a masters in guidance education from South Carolina State University and 30 hours in drug prevention studies. The 34-year veteran educator directs the drug free school program and the elementary school mentoring program for Colleton County schools.
Davis is a lifelong member of St. Mark United Methodist Church. Also, he is married and the father of three children.
-- J. Don Canaday
After serving on County Council for eight years (1967-1974) as a Democrat, Canaday says he’s running again – this time as a Republican – to “make a difference.”
“I was an elected Democrat. As the years passed by, I voted more for the man than the party. By the time I voted about 100 percent Republican, it was time to change,” he said. “Ever since I was defeated, I thought about next time and when I retired two years ago, I said now is the time.”
Stabilizing the tax base and holding the line on taxes are the top priorities, Canaday says.
“Every year (taxes) go up,” he said. “We need to stabilize the tax. Enough is enough. School taxes went up...and, they’ve got a storm water fee they use generally. It’s a specified tax and they use it in the general fund. I don’t think that’s right to tax for a special thing and put it in the general fund.”
Stressing that “I’m not against everything,” Canaday makes clear that he knows “it takes money to run things.”
“It takes taxes,” he said, “but, if you pay, you want to see some productive things done ... When you do something, you’ve got to do it right or it comes back and bites you.”
The half-cent road tax is an example he cites. Unless the foundation and drainage are good, the money is wasted.
During his tenure on council, Canaday notes, such worthwhile projects as two libraries and the vocational school were constructed.
His approach to taxes, Canaday says, is a key difference between him and the incumbent.
“He votes for any tax increase and he abstains a lot,” Canaday said. “I guarantee the voters, I’ll vote ’yes’ or ’no’ on everything. I’ll be prepared...People do have a choice. I’ll represent the people ... I’ll not be a ’yes man’.”
Also, Canaday complains, some county ordinances are “just foolish.”
The issue over stricter dog policies, which caused some outrage in rural parts of the county, considered such regulations as limiting the number of dogs, requiring implanted identification chips and imposing high fees to reclaim animals, is an example, he says.
“I’m not for that. It’s like telling people how many children they can have,” he said. “This is an area of hunters and (many) have eight to 10 dogs and they’re precious. That’s a problem on the other end of the county in Summerville, where there are more pets than property.”
In addition to stabilizing the tax base, Canaday calls for growth in the upper end of the county that’s “very organized and in a structured way.”
“It should grow so it’s a nice place to live and there are good schools and it’s good for everybody,” he said. “Summerville has filled up and it’s coming our way ... We’ve got growing pains and Rolaids is not the answer. We need good planning.”
A native of Dorchester County and a high school graduate, the Reevesville area resident is retired from LaFarge Cement Co. and from farming. He and his wife have three adult children.
An active member of Reevesville Baptist Church, where he’s a deacon, Canaday says he’s “very concerned about churches bringing the world in the church, instead of the church in the world...Our country was founded on ’In God We Trust’ and we’ve got away from that.”
-- T&D Government Writer Tucker Lyon can be reached at tlyon@timesanddemocrat.com or by calling 803-533-5545.