George Frazier

Provided

Gabriel Penfield

Provided

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Two Irmo residents are again trying their luck at securing a seat on Town Council after receiving a second chance when the mayor was unseated in November.

On Feb. 27, Irmo will hold a special election to fill the spot left vacant when Bill Danielson was elected mayor. Local business owner Gabriel Penfield and George Frazier, chair of the Irmo Events Committee, who both ran in the fall, have filed for the at-large seat.

Early voting for the special election runs Feb. 12-23, with residents in the Lexington County portions of Irmo able to do so at the county’s Registration and Elections office (605 W Main St., Suite C in Lexington) and residents in the Richland County areas of the town able to do so at the county offices located at 2020 Hampton St. in Columbia. Early voting will be available from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays during that stretch.

The winning candidate will out serve the remainder of Danielson's term, which ends in 2025.

George Frazier

Frazier takes another stab at securing a council seat after being deemed ineligible in November due to not reporting his move from Richland to Lexington County the required 30 days before the election.

“My mom used to tell me all the time, ‘Everything happens for a reason,’” Frazier said. “And Mayor Danielson winning just opened up another opportunity, you know, and I just felt maybe that time in November wasn’t my time and this year is my time.”

Frazier told the Chronicle that some of his goals this time around include widening Broad River Road, claiming that as the town grows traffic is going to be one of the main priorities. Other goals include supporting law enforcement and keeping Irmo safe.

In order to achieve these goals, Frazier claimed that the town needs to be more involved with the community, getting them to buy into what the town is trying to do. When it comes to improving crime and violence rates, he said he’d like to establish video monitoring in high traffic areas and neighborhoods and to ensure that first responders have the equipment and training they need.

Frazier said if they meet those needs, they’ll be able to compete with other municipalities when it comes to staffing and pay.

As to how he’s approaching this campaign differently, Frazier told the Chronicle that he has been going out into the community, getting feedback from residents.

“I feel that if you're running for town office, you have to be engaged in the community,” he said 

Gabriel Penfield

Penfield takes another run at Town Council after losing out on securing one of the two seats on offer last fall by a whisper-thin margin. He was bested by Phyllis Coleman by 25 votes.

Following the results, Penfield filed two protests, one taking aim at the votes that were cast for Frazier and the other having to do with activities that allegedly transpired at polling locations. Hearings were held, but ultimately, the county’s election commission voted unanimously to uphold the results.

Penfield has been a town resident for 13 years and owns multiple businesses, including the recently closed Tribal Coffee, along with Poore House Furnishings, Parking Lot King and Mavericks Cigars, though his primary business is wealth management. 

Heading into his next election, he said the town needs to come together as a community.

Penfield told the Chronicle that he has been in contact with Akil Ross, superintendent for Lexington-Richland School District 5, and other educators about increasing the curb appeal of area schools.

“People look at moving to Irmo, they look at the schools, they go elsewhere,” he said.

Penfield added that he has been active within the Harbison Gardens community. That Columbia apartment complex has been identified by many as contributing to crime making its way into Irmo.

“I’d like people to get together and work towards overcoming issues as opposed to being polarized or contentious towards one another,” he said.

“I would say that Greenville is the new Charleston, because it's run by business people,” the candidate explained. “We will continue to be left behind as long as we're run by bureaucrats and politicians.”

Penfield previously told the Chronicle that he wants to create a “Friday Night Lights” feel, adding that he wants to help create a council that reaches out to communities and breaks bread so that residents feel like their voices can be heard.