Clinton City Council stopped a local businesswoman Monday from posing questions about how and why the City gave county money to its economic development arm and allowed that agency to buy the four properties destroyed by fire in August on Musgrove Street.
Stacey Michaels was using the comments to council time at the Clinton City Council’s regular monthly meeting to pose the questions. She was stopped by Mayor Randy Randall, and re-directed to having a face-to-face meeting with departing City Manager Tom Brooks.
Later, it was revealed for the first time that the Clinton Economic Development Commission has bought the four properties for $10,000 apiece and has spent $135,000 to clear debris from the fire site. Next, the City has to install a fence and shore up the sidewalk, making the property suitable for redevelopment. Brooks said there already is developers’ interest in rebuilding on the four city lots. Michaels wanted to know about that approval and redevelopment process, as it involves City Economic Development Funds.
“This is a time for you to state your thinking not a question and answer. Make an appointment with the city manager and talk to him face to face,” Randall said.
Michaels says in a subsequent statement and letter to the council that, if she had been allowed to continue, it would have been clear that she was not expecting full answers on-the-spot at the meeting.
“You can leave it with the clerk,” Council Member Anita Williams said.
“You all have e-mail,” Michaels responded.
The exchange came during the 35-minute first part of the council’s meeting. The council then broke for a closed session to discuss city manager contract provisions and having the SC Municipal Association conduct its advertising and vetting process. The meeting continued for another 1 hour and 4 minutes after the council reconvened from the closed session. Brooks leaves his Clinton City Manager position on Jan. 31 after 3 years in the position. Michaels said she posed some questions to Brooks about the Musgrove Street redevelopment, and received a response.
Then, she posed more questions (Dec. 6) and had not received a response. She said there is “a need for transparency.”
The money that the City of Clinton gave to the CEDC - $250,000 - came from a Laurens County grant designed to assist Uptown Clinton with its fire recovery. When and how the CEDC agreed to spend that money on this project - $10,000 each for the four properity owners and $135,000 for the clean up - was not addressed at the City Council meeting; CEDC is governed by a board separate from the Clinton City Council.
No precise “conditions” were placed on the money by County officials.
Later in the meeting, the City Council was told the organization SC Main Street assisted in getting the property cleaned up - effectively negotiating the price down from the initial bids of $400,000 to the eventual $135,000.
Brooks said there would be “visioning sessions” about redeveloping Musgrove Street as it now “a blank slate” - “it is very expensive and will be grant dependent,” he said.
Brooks’ depature dominated the meeting. Mayor Randall offered himself as Brooks’ replacement on the PMPA board - that’s the agency that supplies Clinton’s electricity - and a majority of the council approved his nomination to serve as the City’s board member with Mayor Pro-tem Ronnie Roth continuing to serve as the alternate. In his previous term as mayor, Randall served 3 terms as chairman of the PMPA board.
Roth said, in his opinion, the city staff and the city council need to “split” the two seats apportioned to Clinton. He said he is willing to step aside when the new city manager is selected, to make that happen, if it is the wishes of the Council.
Council Member Anita Williams nominated City Finance Director Carl Stephens for the position - and Stephens said he is willing to serve - but Randall’s nomination was voted on first and he won a council majority for the position.
Council also deliberated about wording for the city manager’s job description, especially with regard to education vs job experience, and the way the city’s form of government is listed in the job description. They touched on whether the employment resolution should say “appointed” or “hired”. They talked about whether the manager should be able to grant raises, or whether these should be restricted by the council-approved budget. It is expected that the SC Municipal Association will conduct internal and external advertising for the city manager’s position.
Council members expressed a wide range of concerns - foremost that the City is not yet cleaned up from Sept. 27’s Hurricane Helene. Council Member Williams said residents need to become more aware that if they place large items out for disposal they must call the city to schedule a pick-up -- many residents have complained on social media that this is not and should not be the case - and repeated her concern that the city does not yet have an animal control officer, 11 months after the council authorized hiring one. Brooks said they don’t have anywhere to house dogs even if the strays are trapped. “We went back and forth with the county on expanding their facilities and that failed. The $170,000 that you budgeted won’t build a facility. We had an employee but she changed her mind. ($170,000) is a drop in the bucket to carry this forward,” Brooks said.
Council Member Megan Walsh addressed complaints that the city was “dark” during Christmas. She said the fire and the hurricane destroyed most of the lights strung along the buildings, and damaged the infrastructure, and people didn’t realize that’s why the buildings were not lighted. Also, it turns out that a $39,000 appropriation from the accommodations tax revenue originally designated for this year’s “Cowboy Christmas” actually was approved for the 2025 Christmas decorations.
“We can move from a Grinch Christmas to a Holly Jolly Christmas in 2025,” she said. “We need to make people aware and be open about that (no lights on the buildings) it would have been far more depressive to cut on the few lights we did have. I am looking forward to spring; hopefully, the library will be open and kids can run from the library to the splash pad. My kids wouldn’t even care how small it is.”
Council began the meeting in compliance with a request from Williams by observing a moment of silence on the December 29 passing of former United States President Jimmy Carter at age 100.
