The Town of Lexington council race has three incumbents and two faces who may be new to some. 

First elected over two years ago in a special election, Gavin Smith is running for his first full term on town council. 

Longtime Councilmember Ron Williams is running for his third full term on council.

Councilmember Todd Carnes has been on council for over 10 years and is looking to serve another term. 

Town of Lexington locals will also see two names on their ballots come Nov. 4 who have not served on town council: Doug Leonard and Greg Brewer (visit this link for more on Brewer). 

Doug Leonard has been on local ballots before. 

In June 2024, he received 1,580 votes for the Lexington County Council District 4 seat; Current Councilmember Todd Cockrell won with 1,680 votes. 

“I’ve been here since 1964, so I’ve seen Lexington go from a rural farm town to a small town,” he told the Chronicle. “One of my favorite things about [Lexington] is the small town feel. … I’m concerned if we don’t properly manage [the town], we could lose [its small town feel].” 

Leonard listed six initiatives he is running on: 

1. Safety
2. Improve water and sewer quality
3. Reduce traffic and congestion
4. Throttle growth to balance with infrastructure capability
5. Transparency; “Creating a culture of stewardship”
6. Reduce taxes and increase services

“Everybody promises to fix the traffic problems, there’s a lot of discussion about fixing the traffic problems, but it never gets done,” he said. “We’re going to have to really leverage our relationships, obviously at the state level and the county level, but we’re going to have to make sure that we have the roads properly funded from whatever resources we can get, and we’re going to have to make sure that we can handle the capacity of the people that are here.”

Leonard said his professional background in statistical process control would help him move the town in a positive direction, especially in terms of increasing efficiency. 

“Part of my job was to go into problem areas and figure out how to make it profitable, how to make it run more efficient,” he said, adding that fiscal management would be a top priority if elected. “We’ve got to be good stewards of our money because there’s other things like water and roads that need to be addressed as well.” 

Leonard was also mentioned in Brewer’s press release on lexbrewcrew.com. Where the two non-incumbent candidates are most similar is in their views on handling growth.

“We need leaders who will put residents first in every decision,” Leonard said in the release. “That means keeping taxes and fees low, supporting and listening to local businesses, and making sure infrastructure catches up with the rapid growth we've experienced."

What earned Leonard over 1,500 votes in the Lexington County Council race last year, he said, is his reputation in the town as someone who is a clear communicator and gets things done.

“I’ve been around for a long time. I’m a straight shooter. I don’t play games. I don’t mince words,” he said. 

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 St., Ste. C, in Lexington. Election Day is Nov. 4.

The Lexington County Registration and Elections Office can be reached at 803-785-8361, and more information is available on the county’s website.