Special election to fill empty seat after Pelzer Mayor Ken Davis resigns

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The Town of Pelzer will hold a special election on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 to fill the seat for mayor left open by the resignation of Kenneth Davis last week. Davis abruptly resigned his position, effective at nine o’clock the morning of Feb. 8.

Town Administrator Skip Watkins said that a special election will have to be held to fill the seat and that State code sets the thirteenth Tuesday following the resignation as the day for the election, which will be non-partisan.

Watkins says he has no indications of who might run. “Incumbents in Pelzer tend to stand unopposed for reelection. I believe the entire Council, along with Kenneth, were in their third term, and had been unopposed the last two election cycles.”

Pelzer has four streets and contains less than fifty households in its town limits, a circumstance Davis acknowledges in his letter. “Even though there are only a few streets and residents in the actual town of Pelzer, I have always looked at the town as a whole. I have always felt incorporating the other streets to unite the town is the best thing for Pelzer.”

Citizens desiring to be candidates for the office of mayor should file at Pelzer Town Hall, 103 Courtney Street in Pelzer. Books will open for filing at noon, February 24, and remain open during regular business hours until noon, March 5, 2012. There is no filing fee for this office. The election is a nonpartisan election and no party affiliation will be placed on the ballot.

Davis’s resignation would also appear to address any issues of conflict of interest or appearances of impropriety as the Town of Pelzer is preparing to put the Town’s garbage pickup contract out for bid in the coming weeks.

According to Davis’s letter of resignation, which was tendered to town administrator Skip Watkins, Davis said that various factors prevent him from dedicating the time to the Town which he feels it deserves.

He added that the goals he had set when he ran for Mayor ( he began his third term last month) had largely been accomplished. Those goals included restoring Pelzer’s recreational program, as well as to upgrade the Monkey Park and adjacent community building.

Davis also stated in his letter that his sanitation business is flourishing and he needs to spend more time at the job. He also expressed a desire to spend more time with his family, and especially his teenage daughter, before she goes off to college. He also expressed a desire to be more active in his church.

The letter of resignation continues, “I face the same time constraints issues as all of you. I had to take a good hard look at my life and prioritize things. Of course, God and my family come first, followed by my business.”