4 days ago
There's going to be another rematch in Rock Hill for the mayor's race
Rock Hill voters will again have two of the longest-serving public officials in the region vying to lead the city for the next four years.
Mayor John Gettys filed Monday morning to run for reelection. York County Councilman William 'Bump' Roddey filed last Thursday afternoon. November will mark the third time Gettys and Roddey face off to serve as mayor.
Other candidates for mayor have until Sept. 5 to file.
The margins between Gettys and Roddey have been thin. In 2017, both were part of a three-way race to replace Mayor Doug Echols. Echols served as mayor for 20 years.
Roddey received 48 more votes than Gettys in the city election, but the decision went to a runoff since Roddey got less than 46% of the vote and not a majority. Gettys rebounded in the runoff, winning more than 52% of the vote.
Another three-candidate race in 2021 wasn't as close. Gettys got more than 51% of the vote, followed by Roddey at nearly 34% and Ishmael Lowery at nearly 15%.
Both Gettys and Roddey have significant public service experience.
Rock Hill voters elected Gettys to the first of two City Council terms in 2002. He held several civic and appointed positions in almost a decade between those terms and his stint as mayor.
Roddey is York County Council's longest-serving current member. He was first elected in 2010 and represents downtown Rock Hill, a district that stretches from Winthrop University on the north to Rock Hill Country Club on the south.
Candidate filing throughout York County runs through Sept. 5. Use this link to keep up with the latest filings across the Rock Hill region.
Rock Hill mayoral candidate plans
Gettys filed to continue as mayor because he doesn't feel like his work is done.
'After serving for eight years as mayor, there's still several big issues we face as a community,' he told The Herald Monday morning. 'I feel a responsibility to see them through.'
A main priority is the poverty rate, which dropped from 18.5% when Gettys became mayor to 13% now, he said. Lowering the poverty rate is part of recent efforts in Rock Hill to grow businesses along Interstate 77 and the south side of the city.
Rock Hill also aims to position itself for high-paying jobs in life sciences or advanced manufacturing.
'I don't know that we can realistically see a continued downward trajectory (in poverty rate) unless we bring in higher paying wages to our community,' Gettys said. 'Higher paying jobs cure a lot of ills.'
Rising utility costs in recent years are a major concern for Roddey, especially when Rock Hill operates its own electric utility. Infrastructure, roads and other public services are a priority, he said, but utility rate margins top the list.
'Rock Hill makes a tremendous amount of profit on basic needs costs for citizens,' Roddey said.
Rock Hill and York County both bounced back well from the COVID pandemic, Roddey said, but the city could do more with its momentum to help its citizens. The city could use tourism revenue brought in by its facilities, he said, to let Rock Hill youth play in recreation sports programs for free.
'There's still some things that I think we could do better, and there are some things we could do to benefit the community a little more,' Roddey said.
Rock Hill to hold November election
Though Gettys and Roddey are familiar opponents for the mayoral seat in Rock Hill, this year will be the first time they've faced off in November. The past two mayoral elections, including the runoff eight years ago, were held in October.
Traditionally the city held elections earlier than other municipalities to set its elections apart and keep them off ballots with national and statewide races.
Roddey is hopeful the move to early November will generate higher turnout than past city elections saw.
'The vast majority of York County is going to be voting at the same time,' he said, 'which increases interest across the board.'
Both Gettys and Roddey agree on one question, that Rock Hill is a critical piece both in South Carolina and the greater Charlotte region.
Rock Hill is the fifth largest city in South Carolina and the fourth largest in the two-state Charlotte metro region. Despite surging growth rates in Fort Mill, Rock Hill remains more than twice the size of its neighbor to the east.
Fort Mill is the second largest municipality in York, Lancaster or Chester county. That three-county Rock Hill region is expected to lead South Carolina in its job growth rate for the next several years, according to South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce projections.
'We're major players now,' Roddey said.
The task for Rock Hill's next mayor, both candidates say, will be to use the city's outsized placement in the region to best benefit its citizens.
'The biggest,' Gettys said, 'and the best.'
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