Orangeburg Department of Public Utilities Electric Division Director John Bagwell was elected 2007 president of The South Carolina Association of Municipal Power Systems.

As two-year president of SCAMPS, Bagwell will preside at meetings and gauge the pulse of the legislative bills that impact municipal utilities in the state.

“It is an honor to be selected by my peers as president of SCAMPS,” Bagwell said.

Bagwell has worked as the director of the electric division in the City of Orangeburg Department of Public Utilities for the past nine years and has been a member of the Association for 20 years.

In his 20 years – all spent at DPU – he says the most significant change in the utility field can be summarized in one word: automation.

“It has come a long way,” Bagwell said, explaining that computers have allowed utilities to control electric devices from the office and to gather information from the field instantaneously. “I have so much information now compared to what we had 20 years ago. I can make much better decisions on critical issues when they come up.”

He has been employed by the Department of Public Utilities for 20 years – 12 years as controls systems superintendent and eight as director of the Electric Division.

Bagwell graduated from Clemson University in 1986 with a bachelor of science in electrical engineering. He also graduated from Spartanburg Methodist College 1983 with an associate degree in liberal arts.

Bagwell is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Orangeburg and currently serves on the board.

He is a member of White House United Methodist Church, where he serves as member of PPRC board. He is also the district deputy for the Seventh Masonic District for the Ancient Free Mason#,s of South Carolina.

Bagwell and his wife, Kathy, have no children but two dogs as substitutes.

All of the state’s 21 electric cities belong to the South Carolina Association of Municipal Power Systems, an affiliate of the Municipal Association of South Carolina. Originally, the association existed solely to serve as a network of the electric cities to assist one another during times of disaster.

The membership has expanded its scope to include training, legislative initiatives and public relations programs.

The Municipal Association of South Carolina is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit association of incorporated cities and towns dedicated to raising the standards of municipal government through a broad range of services.

You must be logged in to comment.