ELLOREE - In a rematch of the 2003 race, the Elloree Town Council candidate who upset the District 2 incumbent four years ago is being challenged by the former councilman.

Also, on tap for Elloree voters in the Nov. 6 nonpartisan municipal election is a contested seat on the Water Commission.

Councilman Barry Pauling, who defeated former District 2 Councilman Harold Void by a vote of 28 to 15 four years ago, is seeking his second term.

Also, Water Commission incumbent Bill Irick is facing a challenge from Charles Denniston, a former commissioner, for a new six-year term.

District 2 has 141 registered voters of whom 107 are black, 32 are white and two are designated "other." The town as a whole has 562 registered voters. Of those, 339 are white, 224 are black and two are designated "other." The population of Elloree is 742.

Barry Pauling

With four years of council experience under his belt, Pauling says now that he has more experience, there are more things he'd like to accomplish.

"I had two goals when I was elected -- a Boys and Girls Club in Elloree, and that's been fulfilled, and I wanted sidewalks where the school bus stops on Harlin Street. I'm still working on that," he said.

If he's re-elected, Pauling says he'll work to encourage new businesses and retail stores to come to town.

Also, he said, "We need to clean up our community. I think we can do better ... I'm busy doing for this community. My concern is for the people of Elloree."

A native of Elloree and a high school graduate, Pauling is a retired truck driver.

Harold Void

Void, who had served six years on council, says he's seeking election again because of the things he sees that need improving, such as youth activities and programs for the elderly. And, he says, he's campaigning harder this time around.

"We as a whole, as a community, need to respond to the youth more," he said. "And, we need a program for the elderly people. That's as a whole; all of the districts need a lot of improvement."

In addition, Void says he decided to run again "because, when you start something, you want to see it end. My goal was to get Elloree back like it was in the '80's when more people came to Elloree to do shopping. We need more stores in Elloree. The economy needs to grow in Elloree."

Void is a native of Santee who moved to his wife's hometown after retiring from the military. He attended Midlands Technical College and is employed by Federal-Mogul in Orangeburg.

Bill Irick

Irick, who has served on the Water Commission since 1995, is running on his 12-year record.

"I'm awfully proud of the 10-inch line we were able to put out to the Santee State Park. We did that in the past six-year period," he said. "We're continuing to upgrade the overall water and sewer systems."

Although the office of commissioner is a low profile one, Irick says there are a lot of meetings to attend as well as continuing education classes. And, there's his main concern about drought, the effects of drought.

"Things are going well," he said. "We're going to keep water flowing in Elloree."

A native of Elloree, Irick has a bachelor's degree in political science from Newberry College and a master's degree in education from The Citadel. The former teacher has a local antiques mall and he's a real estate broker with South Carolina Realty of Columbia.

Charles Denniston

While joking that he's "trying to break Bob Hill's record" for most attempts at public office, Denniston says the little town of Elloree is "getting generic" without the characters like the late Hill, who made the Guinness Book of World Records for his numerous runs for office.

"The town has dried up, and it will continue unless something is done," Denniston said. "It's all related. There's nothing to be gained by 'pretty,' planting bushes and ignoring stuff."

Concerned about the town's dependency on federal and state dollars, Denniston says he'd work to help the town become more self-reliant and self-supportive by promoting light industry and small business growth.

"Something has to be done in the town, of which water and sewer are the major infrastructure, for any development," he said. "The powers-that-be either don't see it or they see it and ignore it ... These small towns have got dependent on grants. They need to generate enough local business, generate their own revenue instead of getting handouts,"

Concerned with the way the Lake Marion Regional Water Authority is being proposed, Denniston says he just doesn't trust Santee Cooper.

"There's something fishy all the time," he said. "Santee Cooper doesn't do anything for free."

In a strange turn of events, in 2003 Denniston did not seek re-election to a second six-year term on the Water Commission. Stating that he did not know the filing books were open, he ran an unsuccessful write-in campaign instead. He also ran for the Water Commission again in 2005 and for Town Council from District 3 in 1995.

A native of Columbia, Denniston has been an Elloree resident for more than 30 years. He has an engineering degree from the University of Pittsburgh and does consulting work.

T&D Government Writer Tucker Lyon can be reached at tlyon@timesanddemocrat.com or by calling 803-533-5545. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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