“I just feel like I have a few things to offer and that I would like to give it a shot and see if I can bring the town and citizens together,” Lexington Mayor Pro-Tem Hazel Livingston said of why she’s running to have that second part of her title removed..

Livingston filed for the Nov. 7 election for mayor Aug. 16, set to run opposed to current Mayor Steve MacDougall, who confirmed to the Chronicle last month that he will seek another term.

Livingston told the Chronicle that leaving her positions as mayor pro-tem will not be difficult, and she is ready for the next step. When reflecting on how her time as mayor pro-tem has helped her prepare for mayor, she said it helped her earn the respect of her council members, which she believes she has the majority of support from in this election.

“I have history,” she said “I've served through three mayor's and I see good in all of them and I've learned from all of them, and I’m just hoping I take what I've learned from them into the future and do a great job.”

Livingston has served in her role as mayor pro-tem since 2004 and on council since 1998, having played a major role in town beautification efforts and leading the development of multiple parks, including the currently expanding Virginia Hylton Park. She was directly responsible for the formation of the Lexington Beautification Foundation.

MacDougall, who was first elected mayor in 2013, was at the forefront of intense public backlash after the announcement of the planned Smallwood Cove resort on Lake Murray, which was ultimately canceled July 19 when the property owners pulled out.

When the project was announced at an early-May Town Council meeting, the mayor called it the largest development the town would ever see.

According to Livingston, the way the project was handled by council was not a deciding factor in her decision to run for mayor.

“I just think I have something to offer,” she said. “I have something to offer as a team builder and kind of a coach because we're a council form of government, the mayor really is one vote like the rest of the council and I thought I could do some cheerleading, not saying anything negative.”

“Otherwise, I just thought I might have something to bring to the table.” she added.

Livingston told the Chronicle that for the last couple months, she has been praying about the decision a lot, mentioning that both members of the community and council have approached her, asking her to run.

When asked what her priorities would be, Livingston put a heavy focus on communication with citizens, something the council has been bashed for failing at in recent months. While she told the Chronicle she is still trying to figure out what that communication would look like, she said that their voices should be heard.

“We’re elected to represent them,” Livingston said.

The town's Vision Plan is another one of her priorities, saying she wishes to take a look and evaluate the current plan to involve more citizens, emphasizing how the community played a large role in deciding designs for Virginia Hylton Park.

“It had a steering committee to start the transition of the vision plan, and then eventually, it just kind of grew to where staff and council was doing most of it,” she said. “I'm not saying what we have on the Vision Plan is bad because I think it's a good Vision Plan.”

“My goal is to let the vision of Lexington be led by the people because I think the vision plan needs to have values for the people,” she added.

More mayoral news

With multiple mayoral seats up for grabs in Lexington County Nov. 7, both Cayce’s Elise Partin, West Columbia’s Tem Miles and Irmo’s Barry Walker have formally announced re-election bids, with Partin facing a challenge from Lexington County School District 2 board member Abbot “Tre” Bray.

“In recent years, our city has leaned into a Strong Mayor Model; I will seek to restore a true 5-vote model to enhance transparency and empower you through your elected Council Members,” Bray says on his website. “We will minimize close door meetings and operate in a client-focused manner whether we are listening to a Constituent or a CEO. We will empower the city manager to manage city operations.”