Orangeburg City Council: Candidates discuss plans for city

During the forum, candidates shared their plans, concerns and goals for the city.

The Sept. 10 election will decide the city council representatives for District 2, District 4 and District 6.

Councilman Dr. Kalu Kalu is running unopposed for his District 2 seat.

Annette Dees Grevious, Connie L. Johnson and Deidra R. Sharrow, are running for Councilman Bernard Haire’s District 4 seat, as he is not seeking re-election. Councilwoman Sandra Knotts is being challenged by Jack M. Grayton for the District 6 seat.

Here are the candidates’ thoughts on select issues:

• Crime: Grevious said, “Reducing our crime rate would be truly a critical concern of the city and I would like to work with our law enforcement agencies to find ways to reduce that.”

Johnson mentioned creating a community task force on gun violence once she’s elected.

“As someone who lives in the center of the city and experiences hearing gunshots from my home on a biweekly basis, I am a person that wants to create solutions. My idea of some solutions would be to create coalitions,” she said.

• Economy: Several candidates seek livable wages, affordable housing and an increase in the number of businesses in the city.

“One of the major things that we need to work on is our downtown. Some years ago, downtown used to be filled with a lot of businesses and people, but now it looks like a ghost town,” Kalu said.

He believes that Orangeburg has the resources for change.

“There’s no reason why Orangeburg cannot look like Five Points in Columbia,” he said.

Knotts said incoming businesses need, “an educated workforce.”

“I’ve been hearing the trend, not just here in Orangeburg, where folks go to work and don’t try to advance themselves while they’re working. That is problematic,” she said.

Knotts also addressed the issue of affordable housing.

“One of the things that council is currently working on and has talked about is affordable housing. We also have to keep in mind that it is not solely based on the city, it encompasses the entire county,” she said.

According to Sharrow, livable wages are needed in Orangeburg.

Also, “I won’t say affordable housing is obsolete in Orangeburg, but it’s few and far between. There isn’t an accessible in-between. There’s either low-income housing or high-income housing, but for the working-class citizens, it is extremely hard to find somewhere to live,” she said.

• Education: Grayton’s platform is focused on the advancement of youth.

“My major concern is children and the dropout rate in this neighborhood. No teacher has come and try to get the kids back or any counselors. We need to change that. If you have a child that drops out of school, you need to try your best to get them back in. Come talk to them, let them know what their chances are without a high school education,” Grayton said.

Grayton says parents, teachers and city leaders are responsible for ensuring students are receiving an education.

“City council needs to get from behind the desk and go out and see what the school is needing. We need leadership and we need more African American males to participate in programs like this,” he said.

• Resources: Candidates say that more resources should be available to citizens.

Grevious says in order for citizens to be “viable applicants for jobs that are coming into Orangeburg,” the city must provide training “where our citizens can be trained and equipped with essential skills.”

“It also means providing resources so that they can improve and enhance their skillsets,” she said.

Sharrow says the city’s current resources have “poor marketing.”

“We would have to start by pushing more information out to the community and bridging that gap and making the community feel welcomed to reach out to us for these things,” she said.

“Improving the quality of life would first start with not blaming the citizens for the shortcomings of the city. Yes, people have to motivate themselves, but there is a lack of resources,” she added.

• Community: Grayton says a sense of community starts “neighborhood by neighborhood, child by child.”

“We need to get our neighbors to come together as neighbors and reach out to all parts of Orangeburg and not just the district you’re in. The districts are supposed to come together and work for the good of Orangeburg,” he said.

Johnson believes incorporating more activities would benefit the community.

“As I reflect on my childhood, there were a plethora of activities available that engaged us and fueled our creativity. It wasn’t so much about keeping us out of trouble, it was about developing our minds and our hearts and making sure that we were a part of community outside of school. That’s something that I’d like to see, in Orangeburg, happen again,” she said.

Kalu says it is important that the community and city council work together.

“The city council does not work in isolation. We need to partner with the county council, our school district and also our colleges and other stakeholders. We are elected to represent the people. We need to listen to the people’s voice and know what the problem is in order to tackle that problem. We need to know the needs of the people and that means working together,” he said.

According to Knotts, city council is working on projects that “will not only change the scope and face of Orangeburg, but will also instill pride in the city.”

“What I see now is Orangeburg becoming. Moving forward to me is more than just lip-service. It is a posture that says in order to continue the positive track that we’re on, we need to come together as a community,” she said.

“It was said earlier that Orangeburg used to be a thriving community and I still wholeheartedly believe that we can still do that.”