The Town of Lexington’s youngest councilmember, Gavin Smith, is running for reelection.

It’s been more than two years since he was elected to his seat in a special election at age 31 after former Town Councilman Steve Baker’s resignation.

Smith told the Chronicle his top priority for a second term would be infrastructure improvement—roads, parking, trails and green spaces, specifically.

“A major thing that I hear from our citizens is that we want traffic improvements,” he said. “Same goes for parking improvements, whether that be a parking garage downtown or just traffic improvements in downtown. … And green spaces are very important to me. It gives a place to go spend time with family and friends. Not everybody wants to go out to eat or go grab a drink.”

Smith said he would continue advocating for Lexington’s small business community in a second term, noting that revenue from business licenses is close to the town’s spending on its police department.

“We have to make sure that we support small businesses,” he said, “so that it is a great environment to do business, open a business and that new businesses are coming here, so we can continue to fund and ensure that [the Lexington Police Department has] the resources they need to keep our community safe.”

The 2024-25 general fund budget for the town shows that $8,100,000 was brought in from business licenses, while $7,805,830 was spent on the police department. The 2023-24 general fund budget shows that $7,500,000 was brought in from business licenses, while $7,150,742 was spent on the police department.

“Many of these small businesses we see across town, [the owners] don't live in the town,” Smith told the Chronicle. “They pay property taxes here. They pay business licenses here, they pay hospitality taxes, accommodations tax, all these fees, but they have no voice. They have no vote.”

To help give those businesses a say in town policy, Smith said he and the council started the Small Business Advisory Committee, which will be up for reauthorization soon and is one of the things he is most proud of from his time on council.

“I will fight to the nail to ensure that those business owners still have a voice in this community,” he said about the reauthorization of the committee, which will be an item on a future town council agenda.

Here are some other things he is proud of accomplishing, according to a press release:

• “Helped ensure citizens’ yards, driveways and other infrastructure were restored after fiber installation projects caused widespread property damage throughout the Town of Lexington, and successfully led efforts to pass a state law holding utility companies accountable and protecting communities across South Carolina from future utility digging damage.”
  
  
• “Collaborated with Town staff and Council to launch the Youth Ambassadors Program—a semester-long initiative designed to engage high school juniors and seniors in local government.”
  
  
• “Supported the expansion of parks and green spaces, including the revitalization of Virginia Hylton Park and the addition of Old Mill Trail.”
  
  
• “Worked with Council to advance over $55 million in road and traffic improvements—marking one of the largest infrastructure investments by any town in South Carolina.”
  
  
• “Strengthened financial transparency, improved communication with residents and passed a balanced budget each year—all without raising the Town’s portion of property taxes.”
  
  

His video message goes into further detail on his decision to run again, past accomplishments and future goals, and it highlights stories from residents who love living and working in Lexington. View the video here (if you are reading this in print, visit the online version of the story to access the link to Smith’s video).

“The most important part of the job, the most fulfilling part of the job,” he told the Chronicle, “would be responding to a citizen when they reach out about an issue and making them feel like they matter.”

Smith’s seat is one of three on Lexington Town Council with terms expiring this year; Councilman Todd Carnes and Mayor Pro-Tem Ron Williams are the other two.

Lexington County candidate filing begins Aug. 1, and Election Day is Nov. 4. Candidate filing can be done at the Lexington County Voter Registration and Election Office from noon Aug. 1 to noon Aug. 15. The office can be reached at 803-785-8361, and more information is available on the county’s website.