Candidates for the Fort Mill School Board have spent more than $21,600 on yard signs, door hangers, mailers and T-shirts ahead of the Nov. 3 election, according to campaign disclosure reports filed with the South Carolina State Ethics Commission.
Seven candidates, three of them incumbents, are on the ballot. All seven had filed campaign disclosure reports as of Thursday, Oct. 22. The board appears in state filings as York County School District 4.
Larry Barnett has spent the most, $7,849.57, or about 36% of the combined $21,647.88, much of it backed by a $20,000 loan to his campaign. Lipi Pratt has spent $3,992.37, Keith Griffin $3,866.83, Brandon Langford $2,699.15, Joseph Helms $1,928.54 and Melissa Maynard $1,311.42. Michelle Branning reported no spending.
Leaving loans aside, Langford has raised the most from supporters, $3,150 in cash plus a $150 in-kind contribution. Pratt follows with $3,115 over her election cycle, then Griffin with $2,900, Helms with $2,188, Maynard with $2,150 and Barnett with $1,400. Branning reported no contributions.
Barnett, Branning, Griffin, Helms, Langford and Maynard have filed the combined third quarter and pre-election report, which covers activity through early October. Pratt’s most recent posted filing is her third quarter report, which runs through Sept. 30. Her pre-election report had not been posted as of Thursday.
Barnett spends heavily on mail
Barnett’s report, filed Oct. 16, lists a $20,000 loan dated Aug. 20. The filing does not name the lender or list an interest rate or term. He also reported $1,000 in personal contributions earlier in the cycle.
Two supporters gave to Barnett this period. Dennis Getter, a Fort Mill retiree, gave $1,000, and Tim Steele, a Rock Hill retiree, gave $200.
Mail is Barnett’s largest expense. He paid the post office on Tom Hall Street four times in October for mailers, a total of $4,038.39. He spent another $2,463.76 on signs from Signs by Tomorrow on Mount Gallant Road in Rock Hill and $711.52 at Minuteman Press on Ebenezer Road for door hangers and printing. Smaller items include $279.41 for shirts, $200 for a web page from Ignite Marketing of Cincinnati and $59 for a post office box.
Barnett ended the period with $14,550.43 on hand, the most of any candidate, and a $20,000 loan balance.
Griffin draws 14 donors
Griffin, who filed Oct. 14, raised $2,900 from 14 contributors. His largest gift was $1,000 from Jon Young, a small business owner, followed by $500 from Will Close. Most of the rest came from Fort Mill retirees giving $50 to $100.
Griffin began the period $1,425.24 in the red after earlier spending. His report lists two loans, $500 on July 31 and $1,424.24 on Aug. 3, without naming the lender.
He spent $2,441.59 this period and $3,866.83 over the full cycle. Build A Sign of Austin, Texas, received $1,491.90 for banners, bumper magnets and larger yard signs. VistaPrint was paid $650.54 for door hangers, and he spent $147.19 at the Lowe’s on Highway 160 for posts and zip ties to put up banners. About $80 went to processing fees on online donations.
Griffin finished the period with $957.41 on hand and a $1,924.24 loan balance.
Langford has the longest donor list
Langford’s report, filed Oct. 18, lists 22 contributions totaling $3,300, including $150 in kind. Davis M. Timmerman, a Fort Mill retiree, gave $1,000, the largest single gift. Wirth Textiles, Design and Color LLC gave $500, and Laura C. Langford of Simpsonville gave $300. Nine of his donors gave $25 or $50.
Langford spent $2,699.15. Most of it, $2,387.63, went to Jen Will Design of Fort Mill for door hangers, yard signs and campaign shirts. The $150 in-kind expense covered the clubhouse rental at Knightsbridge for a meet and greet. He also paid $55.10 in Anedot processing fees, $81.42 to The Postal Route on Pleasant Road for printing and a digital mailbox, and $25 for a notary.
He ended the period with $1,100.85 on hand and a $500 loan balance from earlier in the cycle.
Helms runs without loans
Helms, an incumbent, filed Oct. 14. He started the period with $1,795.68 already in his account and raised $2,188 from eight contributors. Getter gave him $1,000, the same amount Getter gave Barnett. Julie Pigg gave $300, and Jacob Priest, a cybersecurity analyst, and Terry Fraizer of Gallatin, Tennessee, each gave $250.
Helms spent $1,928.54. Vista Print received $1,221.32 for 6,000 door hangers, 10 campaign T-shirts and design help. Sign Hut of Orlando, Florida, was paid $692.80 for 120 yard signs and a pack of 75 sign riders. The rest went to Venmo processing fees.
Helms reported no loans and ended the period with $2,055.14 on hand, second only to Barnett.
Pratt draws support from educators
Pratt, an incumbent, filed her third quarter report Oct. 4. It covers activity through Sept. 30. She raised $800 that quarter from eight contributors, several of them teachers or retired educators. Keri Sibley, a travel consultant, gave the largest amount, $250. Over the full cycle Pratt has raised $3,115 and taken a $1,000 loan, which shows a zero balance. Her cycle spending totals $3,992.37.
Pratt reported $727.93 in spending for the quarter, but $566.69 of that was for magnets from UPrinting that she sent back. Her report says the magnets were poor quality and lists a $566.59 refund on Aug. 18. Her other expenses were $82 for stamps, $53.49 for metal sign stakes and about $26 in processing fees.
She ended the quarter with $689.22 on hand.
Maynard spends on marketing materials
Maynard has raised $2,150 over her campaign. Her initial report, filed Oct. 5, showed $800 from three contributors: $500 from Tracy K. Springer, who lists the same Neff Court address as the candidate, $200 from Samuel J. Maynard of Orient, Ohio, and $100 from state Rep. Jackie Terribile.
Her pre-election report, filed Oct. 20, adds $1,350 from three more contributors. Getter gave $1,000, Priest gave $250 and James Foltz, who lists his occupation as military, gave $100.
Maynard has spent $1,311.42, almost all of it on marketing materials. VistaPrint received $791.07 over two orders, and A.G.E. Graphics of Little Hocking, Ohio, was paid $498. The rest went to GoDaddy processing fees. She reported $838.58 on hand and no loans.
Branning reports no activity
Branning, an incumbent, filed her pre-election report showing no contributions and no expenditures.
Campaign disclosure reports are public and can be searched by candidate name on the South Carolina State Ethics Commission website at ethics.sc.gov. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
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Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
