A local resident fighting for public safety has announced his campaign for county council, challenging incumbent Charli Wessinger for District 6 which covers Chapin, parts of Irmo and Lexington.

Here’s more on the District 6 candidates.

Jason Resnick

Jason Resnick comes from a background in public safety, bringing to the table roughly 25 years of experience as a former firefighter and EMT. While he is no longer in the profession, Resnick is now the owner of JJ Rez LLC.

Public safety was the main push for why Resnick decided to run. He has been active with the  Lexington County Ambulance Response Solutions Team, a group of residents pushing for better response times for Chapin and other portions of the county.

Rensick told the Chronicle that this is his first time running for public office, adding that he’s been told there are a lot of people newly stepping into politics.

The candidate said there have been times where county council has overreached. One example he provided was AirBnB and VRBO restrictions within the county. He told the Chronicle that it is an overreach of the government to tell people what they can and can’t do with their properties.

According to Resnick, he has four main priorities for his campaign, including improving public safety, supporting local businesses, managing growth and keeping the government in check.

Resnick detailed his first week if he is elected:

- Meet with the county administrator and human resources to review employee exit interviews to see why hundreds of employees have left the Lexington County EMS and dispatch centers.

- Talk to human resources about recruiting strategies for high-need positions.

- Evaluate county’s spending and results as far as sending upper level EMS management to seminars, conferences and conventions.

- Talk to the staff about their concerns and suggestions for how to improve the work environment.

- Visit other EMS agencies he has talked to and encourage other council members to do the same.

- Suggest a scale with step raises for every year of service along with substantial raises at the milestone five-year marks.  

- Push for the revamping of how private ambulance service in county responses are utilized.

“With the issue of public safety, people don't understand the importance of it until they need it,” he said. “Until you call 9-1-1 and somebody isn't picking up the phone on the other end, you don't understand the importance of it.”

When it comes to local businesses, Resnick said that they are the backbone of the economy and employ a majority of residents. As the owner of a local business, Resnick said that he would work to remove government barriers to entry into the workforce.

No matter the election, growth is always a topic. Resnick said that while growth is a sign of a thriving, vibrant and economically sound community, when it is poorly managed, it often destroys quality of life, increases crime and erases small town charm.

“We can’t address 2020’s problem with 1990’s solutions,” he said.

Charli Wessinger

First elected in 2021, Charlene ‘Charli’ Wessinger is now up for her first re-election, telling the Chronicle that it is the citizens that made her want to run again.

“I have been asked by many citizens to please run again as they have been pleased with the work I have accomplished in my short tenure. I genuinely care about the citizens in my district and the entire county and that is evident by my actions in addressing concerns from the citizens, even those not in my district.”

According to Wessinger, her goals if re-elected, would be to continue the trajectory that the council is currently on. She said that the county has a lot of work to be done updating its land development manual, simplifying complicated ordinances, addressing funding of roads, focusing on the county's public works department and infrastructure and continue to make improvements to emergency management and fire services.

Wessinger told the Chronicle that she has been reviewing impact fees, saying that there have only been two counties in the state that have effectively and successfully implemented impact fees.

“They are not as simple as some have argued,” she said.

Other items of focus on Wessinger's list include concurrency ordinances, stray and abandoned animals, economic development opportunities in agricultural areas and looking into agritourism.

According to the incumbent, this election will bring the same challenges any election brings, and that is deciding which candidate is the best one for locals’ interests and who will advocate for the citizens.

“In my first and only election in 2020, my opponent's team was pretty ruthless in spreading lies and misinformation,”  Wessinger said. “This seems to be the case again.”

Regardless of whether she wins re-election, Wessinger told the Chronicle that she will continue to be an advocate for her community. 

She is currently a board member for the River Alliance, a non-profit focused on engaging the community with the Broad, Saluda and Congaree rivers while keeping them protected, and she has been appointed to the Central Midlands Council of Government and to the Transportation Committee as well to CMCOG.

“I will look to serve on other boards and foundations in the future as time allows. I have been a community advocate before, and will continue to serve my community. I absolutely have a servant's heart, sometimes to a fault, and will continue to make a difference in my community.”