Two city races to be contested

MARCH 30, 2011 1:01 p.m. (0)

District 3 Greenville City Council representative Jil Littlejohn and at-large member Susan Reynolds face opposition in the June 14 primary.

Littlejohn, elected two years ago in a special election, will face the Rev. Sam “Skip” Zimmerman Jr. in the Democratic primary.

Reynolds, who is finishing her first term, faces Greenville Transit Authority board member Jan Williams in the Republican primary.

Mayor Knox White and council member Amy Ryberg Doyle will have no opposition for new four-year terms. White and Doyle are Republicans.

Littlejohn lists her biggest accomplishments as working to establish the Youth Commission, road and sidewalk improvements and increasing affordable housing throughout the city.

She said increasing moderately priced housing for young professionals will be a key issue.

Littlejohn, who is the YWCA’s executive director, has an MBA from Webster University. She is a licensed Zumba instructor and serves on the Urban League African-American Leadership Council, the National Urban League Young Professionals and on the MLK Dream Weekend committee.

Zimmerman, 64, seeking elected office for the first time, said he’s running because he thinks District 3’s identity and voice is not being articulated. He said he is developing his platform.

“There seems to be a disconnect,” he said.

Zimmerman is a Greenville native and an ordained minister. He works with Unshackled Upstate, a nonprofit organization that works with ex-offenders.

Reynolds, 55, is finishing her first term as an at-large council member.She counts hiring John Castile as city manager as her biggest accomplishment.

Reynolds said she wants to see the city grow in population and tax base, and annexation is one way to do it. She also said there will be challenges that come with mixing development around and near neighborhoods. She said the key is to maintain a healthy balance between growth and neighborhoods.

A former business owner and schoolteacher, Reynolds serves on the Presbyterian College board and on the board for Clement’s Kindness. She is the council liaison to the Greenville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

Williams, 65, a retired textile engineer, is running for elected office for the first time. He said he wants to see less government spending and lower taxes.

Williams was the third vice president of the Greenville County Republican Party until he resigned to run for the council seat.

White, 57, is completing his fourth term as mayor.

He counts transformative projects in downtown Greenville such as Falls Park, Fluor Field and expanded walking trails and neighborhood improvement initiatives as his biggest accomplishments.

White, an attorney, said the biggest challenge facing the city is continuing to grow while maintaining a high quality of life. He said the council will focus on redevelopment of neighborhood commercial corridors such as Augusta Road, Stone Avenue, Wade Hampton Boulevard, Pleasantburg Drive and Haywood Road. Council will also focus on expanding green space and development opportunities along the Reedy River.

Doyle, 40, who ran to give mothers with young children representation in local government, is finishing her first term as District 1 representative.

Doyle, a stay-at-home mom who owned a company that manufactured a line of bath and body care skin products, said the Stone Avenue master plan was her biggest accomplishment because she believes it will jump start the revitalization of the north end of town.

Doyle said the biggest issue facing the city will be managing growth and budget issues. Doyle said the city will need to reduce non-essential services.

Doyle has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston College and is a board member at the Peace Center and the Children’s Museum of the Upstate. She is expecting her fourth child in August.

 

Phillip Kilgore, an incumbent on the Greenville Commission of Public Works, faces a challenge from Rex O’Steen Jr. in the Republican primary, said Greenville County Republican Party Chair Patrick Haddon.