The Batesburg-Leesville mayoral race is heating up, with four candidates having filed.

Mayor Lancer Shull, who took office in 2017, announced he will not seek reelection, telling the Chronicle that his sister’s recent death is the leading reason.

The four candidates running for mayor are Greg Moseley, Stephen “Steve” Cain, David W. Bouknight and Larry McConnaughhay.
One candidate in the Batesburg-Leesville general election is running for more than one seat. Cain is running for mayor and district three, the seat he currently holds.

According to the state election commission, if a candidate currently holds an expiring term and wins that seat as well as an additional seat that candidate ran for, the candidate would choose which seat they want, and there would be a runoff for the other seat.

Bouknight, who currently holds the district two seat, which is not set to expire yet, is running for mayor. If he wins the mayoral seat, there would be a special election for his unexpired district two seat.

The Town of Batesburg-Leesville has a majority way of doing elections. Having a majority vote system means candidates must win at least 51% of the votes, or there must be a runoff election, which is very costly for the town.

The town, however, still has time to amend its ordinance from a majority to a plurality system if council wanted to. This would mean that the candidate with the most votes wins, necessitating only one election.

The Chronicle has spoken to all four of the mayoral candidates. Here's what they have to say about their campaigns.

Greg Moseley

Moseley, a Batesburg-Leesville native and Batesburg-Leesville High School alumnus, said he has deep roots in the town.

After leaving the town for some time, he returned to Batesburg-Leesville in 2019.

“I love the nostalgia of the small-town feel Batesburg-Leesville has,” he said.

Moseley told The Chronicle his decision to run for mayor stems from concerns about the town’s direction amid growth.

While Moseley said he doesn’t have the solution for managing the town’s growth, he wants to be actively involved in shaping the town’s future.

“I have no fix for it or any answer, but I want to be part of the conversation and help guide the town in the proper, positive growth direction,” he said.

Planning for growth requires gradual improvements, he said, emphasizing the need for communication within council, staff and residents.

If elected, Moseley said he would like to hold monthly open-forum meetings, separate from town council meetings. These forums would give residents the opportunity to speak directly with council members and ask questions.

“I don't want to be a standoff mayor where you can’t find me except one time a month at council meetings,” he said. “I want to be a mayor that you can contact at any time.”

Moseley added he has made his cell phone number public so residents can reach him.

He also said that if elected, he would donate any mayoral compensation or stipends to local town charities, including Batesburg-Leesville Women’s Society, Sole Stepping, Batesburg-Leesville Masonic Lodge No. 138, The Ridge Philanthropy Group and Cotton Branch Farm Sanctuary.

Creating an economic committee, which would focus on industries coming to the town, is another idea Moseley brings to the table.
“That’s one thing the town is missing: the industry or large scale jobs for our residents,” he said.

Outside of his campaign, Moseley is a husband, father of two daughters and a funeral director and consultant. He sold his funeral home earlier this year, which he said frees up time to attend town events and meetings.

Stephen “Steve” Cain

Cain is no stranger to the Town of Batesburg-Leesville. He has represented District Three for nearly two decades.

His current term ends in 2025, and he has filed to continue representing District Three. In a previous report from the Chronicle, Cain said he did not intend to run for mayor again; however, he filed for the mayoral race on Aug. 13.

Again, according to the state election commission, if Cain were to win both the mayoral seat and the District Three seat, he would pick which seat to take up, then there would be a runoff for the other seat.

“Over the past several weeks, I’ve been approached by a wide range of residents — people from all parts of our community, with different backgrounds and perspectives — who expressed a strong desire for another choice in the mayoral race," he said. "I was genuinely surprised by the diversity of the voices encouraging me to run."

With his years of experience, Cain said he has seen areas of improvement and potential.

“I want to bring a leadership style that listens to all voices, brings people together, and focuses on results — not politics," he said. "I believe we can do better, and I’m stepping up to help make that happen."

One of Cain’s top priorities is stormwater and streetscaping improvements.

“We need real investment in our infrastructure to address flooding issues and improve the look and feel of our town center. That’s vital for safety, quality of life and economic development,” he said.

Cain also emphasized the importance of managing the town’s growth with a clear plan. “Growth should benefit everyone — not just a few,” he said.

Ensuring that jobs are attracting residents and entrepreneurs is a third priority Cain has. He expressed he wants to work with entrepreneurs to create more opportunities in the town.

“I’m running to be a mayor who works hard, listens closely and leads with integrity. That’s what our town deserves."

Additionally, Cain sent a pledge to the candidates to refrain from personal attacks during campaigns.

"Our residents deserve a campaign that reflects the best of who we are as leaders and neighbors," he wrote. "Let’s show them that, no matter the outcome, we can conduct ourselves with civility, integrity, and respect for one another. I personally pledge to support and work closely with whoever is elected to ensure a smooth and productive transition that puts the needs of our town first."

David W. Bouknight

David Bouknight, who has been representing District Two since 2023, says he’s running for mayor to give back to the community and focus on creating opportunities for residents.

If Bouknight wins the mayoral seat, there would be a special election for his unexpired District Two seat.

Originally from Irmo, Bouknight moved to Batesburg-Leesville in 1973 and began building his family there.

Bouknight said the town’s support after the death of his son, Walter, inspired him to serve and give back.

Similar to the other mayoral candidates, Bouknight acknowledged that Batesburg-Leesville is expecting growth in the coming years. He said that growth is good when it's controlled and when there’s a plan, but uncontrolled growth can negatively impact residents.

“We need to make sure that we have a handle on the growth before it gets here,” he said.

One of his priorities, if elected, is to create opportunities for young people to stay in the area. He said he’s noticed that many young adults leave after college and settle elsewhere.

“They go somewhere else to work and we need to do something about that and do more,” he said. “The only way you can give them opportunities is to make sure to have good jobs.”

Bouknight wants area salaries to be competitive in order to attract and retain talent to the town.

Regarding the council, Bouknight believes working together is vital. “We’re not going to get anything done here if the council doesn’t work together. To me, that’s a problem.”

If elected, he would like to add more work sessions for town council to discuss items more in depth and ensure that all residents are informed with decisions the council is making.

“If someone can’t find an answer, nine times out of 10 they’re going to make their own and usually it's not good,” he said.

He added that you can never have too much communication with the community and wants to make decisions that will improve life for the residents.

Larry McConnaughhay

Larry McConnaughhay’s focus in running for mayor is on transparency and working together with council.

Originally, he ran for town council to represent District One but withdrew his candidacy to focus on the mayoral position. “I got several phone calls and some text messages inquiring about running for mayor,” he said.

One of McConnaughhay's priorities is to ensure the council works together. He said that at the council meetings he's attended, members haven’t worked together. If elected, he said he would make sure all council members are respected and their voices are heard.

“For a council to get anything done, we have to work together,” he said.

The Town of Batesburg-Leesville has had a major drainage issue for years. McConnaughhay said this is one of the first problems he will tackle if elected, adding that town leaders need to figure out who is responsible for what and get it done in a timely manner.

“We need to work together and get a plan and get it fixed, not patch it up, but fix it,” he said.

He said if the Department of Transportation is responsible, council members should be speaking to representatives trying to find a viable solution to put in place.

Focusing on infrastructure plays a role in this. McConnaughhay said that many housing developments have been approved to be built, which will lead to growth as well as traffic in the area.

Holding developers accountable can help address the situation, he said.

“Right now developers come in, they end up buying the land, they build the homes, they sell it, and then they’re gone, and the towns faced with anything that comes up after. … We need to think five, 10, 15 years from now.”

Communication with residents is important to McConnaughhay as well as being transparent.

“Citizens of this town need to understand where their money goes, where the town's money goes and where their taxes go,” he said.

Additionally, he wants a record of council voting to be public, with specific details on each council member's decision, so residents can see what their representative voted on, as well as being easily accessible.

The Town of Batesburg-Leesville has more candidates running for mayoral and council seats than any other municipality in Lexington County for the November 2025 election. The mayor's seat, as well as four council seats, are on the ballot this year. Fifteen candidates filed, including four for mayor and 11 for council seats.

Here's the complete list of candidates Batesburg-Leesville locals will see on their ballot this Nov. 4:

• David W. Bouknight (currently holds the district two seat) is running for mayor
• Stephen "Steve" Cain (currently holds the district three seat) is running for mayor
• Larry McConnaughhay is running for mayor
• Greg Moseley is running for mayor
• Incumbent Barbara Brown is running for District One
• Troy Teague is running for District One
• Bo Turner is running for District One
• Incumbent Stephen "Steve" Cain is running for District Three
• Tyler List is running for District Three
• Cathe Knox is running for District Five
• Kathy McBride-Friederich is running for District Five
• Sheba Williams is running for District Five
• Natalie Gary is running for District Seven
• Joe Montgomery is running for District Seven

Election Day is Nov. 4. Early voting is from Monday, Oct. 20, to Friday, Oct. 31, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lexington County Voter Registration and Election Office, located at 605 West Main Street, Ste. C, in Lexington.

This story was updated on Aug. 20 to reflect that Larry McConnaughhay dropped out of the District One race, but he is still running for mayor.