Winners ready to serve; Branchville, Norway hold special elections

The small Orangeburg County town of Norway has chosen a new mayor, while a write-in candidate secured a council seat in Branchville in Tuesday’s special elections.

Tuesday’s elections were held to fill the unexpired terms of former Norway Mayor Tracie Clemons and former Branchville Town Councilman Charles Dukes.

Candidate Lynn P. Garrick was the only person on the ballot and secured the win for Norway mayor with 45 votes, according to Orangeburg County Voter Registration and Election Office Director Aurora Smalls.

Wendy Myles was the lone candidate to for Dukes’ seat, but was edged out of that position by write-in candidate Clayton Baker, a former Branchville fire chief.

Smalls said Myles secured 22 votes, while Baker came in with 38 votes.

Garrick said her objective is to see the town of Norway, “get back on its feet and flourish as much as it can.”

“I believe in serving everyone. Norway has been my home for a long time,” she said.

Clemons resigned from her position at the end of the Norway Town Council meeting on Dec. 5.

Her term would have expired in November 2023, when the next regular election is scheduled.

“I want to thank everyone who supported me as far as going out and voting for me. It’s going to be an experience, it’s going to be a learning curve, but I think it’ll be a good experience,” Garrick said.

“I’m going to serve everyone. I’m going to be fair with everyone, and I just want to get our little town back where it needs to be, hopefully,” she said.

Dukes resigned from his position on the Branchville Town Council. His four-year term would have also expired in November of 2023.

The next regular election in both municipalities is scheduled for Nov. 7.

Baker said he is ready to serve.

“I’ll do the best I can do is all I can tell anybody. I don’t promise nobody nothing. When you do something like that, you do it for everybody, not just for one person,” Baker said.

He also served as the town’s assistant fire chief, a fireman and as a member of its rescue squad.

“I was on the rescue squad when it was there originally. I mean, I’ve been in town … 57 years,” Baker said.

He thinks he is equipped to make good decisions in the town’s best interest.

“I’m retired out the military, and I was in operations and a little bit of everything in the military. I’ve been a first sergeant, a sergeant major and a few things. So, you know, I’m ready for it. If I can be in operations with over 1,000 soldiers and seeing that they got taken care of, I can take care of this little town,” he said.

Baker continued, “I can work with anybody. Like I said, I don’t promise nobody nothing. So many of them get out there when they run for stuff, saying, ‘Oh, I can do this, and I can do that.’ You can’t do nothing unless the other five go along with you.”

Votes cast in each election will be certified at 10 a.m. Thursday, March 30, at the Orangeburg County Voter Registration and Election Office, 1475 Amelia St. in Orangeburg.