Chris Sullivan, Incumbent, Anderson County Council Dist. 1

All candidates for Anderson County Council were given multiple opportunities to share their positions unedited with voters in The Anderson Observer. Here are Anderson County Councilman Chris Sullivan, Dist. 1’s answers:

1. What are the three greatest challenges facing Anderson County in the next five years?

The most critical challenges facing Anderson County are our roads and managing growth. We must find ways to fund the construction and maintenance of the entire road system in Anderson County. We also must continue developing proper planning tools to manage future growth.

2. How would you work with council to meet these challenges?

Effective governance requires relationships, not just votes. I have spent my time on council building trust with colleagues across district lines. Working with county staff, our legislative

delegation, and state officials has been a cornerstone of my first term in office. I have already been pushing for state-level reform and will continue to advocate for solutions that benefit the residents of Anderson County. Beyond that, I believe communication in this County must improve. I have spoken with hundreds of voters over the past few months, and one thing is clear: social media has created a very toxic environment. I want to work toward more face-to-face conversations with people on both sides and collaborate with everyone's best interests in mind. I also want to work toward completing zoning in District 1 and all areas of the county that are interested in protecting their neighborhoods and communities. I have already started that process, and I believe a ground-up approach is the right way to protect our county.

3. Anderson County is one of only two counties in the state with two-year terms for council (the other is Edgefield). All the 44 other counties have staggered four-year terms to provide some continuity of government. Would you favor a shift for Anderson County to follow the lead of these 44 counties? Why or why not?

We need to have a serious conversation about the length of terms for County Council. I am not in any rush on this, but I would support reaching out to the other 44 of South Carolina's 46 counties to learn how changing to four-year staggered terms has helped or hurt them.

4. Land use and zoning continue to be a top concern. Four voting precincts have already petitioned for zoning. Three were approved and the fourth is in the process of approval. Would you encourage others to follow suit? What other measures would you take to improve quality development while protecting the rights of landowners?

I have had citizens in my district reach out about ensuring that all precincts in District 1 are zoned. We are actively working to accomplish this within the next year.
5. Impact fees have been largely rejected in Anderson County. Uses for this source of special funding includes roads, bridges, water and sewer systems, solid waste facilities, stormwater management, parks, and public safety (police, fire, EMS) facilities. These funds absolutely cannot be used for the repair, operation, or routine maintenance of existing facilities, nor can they be used to upgrade facilities unless the upgrade explicitly increases capacity to serve the new development. What role do you see impact fees playing in the county’s future and how would you weigh this revenue source against keeping new housing affordable? Impact fees are a source of great frustration for me. We need a way to ensure that developers are covering the costs we incur from increased usage of infrastructure. Unfortunately, the product the State Legislature has provided us is severely flawed. I have reached out to my State Representative, Blake Sanders, and he has assured me that he is working with the appropriate people in Columbia to improve the current impact fee structure so that it works better for our residents.
6. Do you favor tax incentives as a tool for economic development? One thing that does not seem to carry as much weight as it used to is that I am an eighth-generation Andersonian. I have seen the lows and highs of our local economy, and I know that interest from industrial customers will not last forever. Just over 15 years ago, our local economy was struggling, and the First Quality recruitment became one of the most competitive economic development courtships in the South. I am committed to using the tools our State Legislature has provided to attract quality companies that will bring lasting investment to our area.

7. Anderson County continues to grow at a record pace. How can council manage this growth without raising property taxes? I have spoken with multiple historians of Anderson County who have told me that no other council in Anderson has done as much to manage growth as we have this past term. Our mass grading ordinance, which also covers tree protection, is a major step forward. Increasing minimum lot sizes for land served by sewer is also a significant change. In partnership with CodeWright, we are developing innovative tools to discourage the high-density developments that residents want curtailed. We are exploring every option that will maintain our county's current service levels without added expense to property taxes.
8. What are your three favorite things about living and working in Anderson County? Anderson is my home. I have so many great memories and dear friends here that this is where I am most comfortable. I love that we have a beautiful lake for everyone to enjoy. I love getting off I-85 at Exit 11 and seeing the mountain ranges and farmland spread out before you. I think many people take our amazing location for granted. I love going to the original Skins on Hudgens Street — my dad taught me to parallel park there on a busy Saturday. I love our historic courthouse and the knowledge that we have 200 years of history to share about this place. I love that we call a Coke a Coke and a Pepsi a Pepsi — not a soda or a bottle of pop. I love so many things about Anderson. Our schools, our residents, our restaurants and how close Anderson is to so many things.
9. What three things are most challenging about living here? One of our greatest inherited challenges is sheer road mileage. For decades, what seemed like great ideas for constituents resulted in 1,550 miles of county roads, 1,300 miles of state roads, and another 300 miles of municipal roads. That accumulated mileage has become the number one headache for this Council.
10. What would be your three top priorities in funding in the county’s annual budget? We have to bring more money home from Columbia. I understand there is a no-new-taxes constituency, but Anderson County sends roughly $170 million each year to Columbia in the form of sales taxes, and another $40 million in state road sales tax. The question is whether anyone sees us getting back anywhere near that level of investment. Over $200 million is contributed by our citizens each year, and we are not fighting hard enough to bring that home. Impact fees would be a great resource if the State Legislature can fix the language and intent. Forcing counties to spend nearly $80,000 on a consultant's study just to determine what we can charge is unreasonable. Then requiring a full-time employee to track where the taxes are generated, draw the radius for allowable use, and spend it within a mandated time window is simply too complicated to manage well. We need a straightforward fee that fairly compensates the county for the infrastructure wear caused by development.
11. How would you describe your management style and how would this be reflected if elected to council? In my career I have been a county executive for a bank, a small business owner for 15 years, and now an elected official. One constant throughout has been my love of identifying people's strengths and passions and channeling them toward the greater good. I believe in being deeply engaged across all areas of the county and bringing the people responsible for various resources together. I am not interested in taking credit or publicly jabbing at others for personal gain. I want every corner of the county communicating and working together, using our best and brightest to create the community we all want.

12. Why did you decide to run for county council? I have a long history of service in our community. After decades of building relationships and friendships, I felt it was time to get to work. I have literally lived in District 1my entire life. I know people of all ages in this area and believe they deserve to be represented by someone who speaks in the same voice and shares the same values. I probably lose hours of sleep every night worrying about Anderson, South Carolina. Tackling our homelessness challenges, our roads, and our growth are all deeply important to me. It was time to take action, and I look forward to serving many more years on Council.
13. Do you or your family members have any business relationships with the county or other businesses or groups that could be a conflict if elected to council? My dad passed away in 1997. My mom passed away in 2013. I am an only child. My wife and two daughters are my life and my primary passion. I do not own a business in town and have no relatives who do. I am not a realtor and could not build a house if you spotted me the house and just needed the front door hung. No conflicts here.
14. How have you been involved in the community (include any charitable/nonprofit work, volunteer efforts, fire service, etc.) and why is this important to you? Where do I start? I have had the pleasure of serving on so many boards and commissions in this community. I believe every engaged citizen should go through Leadership Anderson — I was a member of Class 13. I have served on the United Way board, AIM, Imagine Anderson, the Anderson Area Touchdown Club, the Upstate Alliance, and Ten at the Top. I have worked with Meals on Wheels, CASA Soccer Club, Inspirabilities of Anderson, and the former Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission, to which I was appointed by William Floyd. I am likely forgetting another dozen, but those are the ones that come to mind right now.

15. Elected officials leave a legacy. If elected to council, how do you hope to be remembered? Serving during our 200th anniversary celebration is a truly meaningful moment for me. My father passed away at 52 when I was just 25. He would have done anything and everything to make Anderson a better place, and I credit my love of this community to him. He never met my wife or my two daughters, but I truly feel he is watching from above with a great sense of pride. He ran for Highway Commissioner twice in the 1980s — and here his son is, 40 years later, still trying to fix those same roads. I hope to be remembered as someone who was fair and kind. A good friend of mine once shared a quote that has stayed with me: "The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit." There are specific things we have accomplished this past term that will benefit Anderson County for generations to come.