The Manning Times invited candidates in local and state races to participate in a question-and-answer feature addressing their backgrounds, qualifications, priorities and positions on issues affecting our communities.
Candidates seeking the same office received identical questions, allowing readers to compare their responses on the same topics. Questions were tailored to the responsibilities of each office, with some addressing recent developments covered by The Manning Times. The Q&As are organized by race, with candidates listed alphabetically by last name within each race.
Candidates were asked to limit their responses to approximately 100 to 150 words per question and were offered the option of participating through a phone or in-person interview. Candidates seeking the same office received identical response guidelines. Answers are published as submitted, with only minor edits for grammar, spelling, punctuation, clarity, space and AP style. Response lengths vary according to the information provided by each candidate.
All candidates were given the same deadline to participate, which was subsequently extended to 10 p.m. Oct. 19 to allow additional time for responses.
Roger Jowers (R)
Tell voters about yourself, including your background, professional experience, community involvement and what motivated you to seek or continue serving on Clarendon County Council. What experience would you bring to representing District 1?
I have been a resident of Clarendon County for over 35 years. Many of those years were spent working full time to pay the bills and provide for my family. After retiring, I was able to attend various board and council meetings, getting a better understanding of how my government worked. I will bring a common-sense approach with conservative values, along with better methods of getting public input and participation in where our tax dollars are spent. A clear understanding of how those dollars can be better used to provide the services needed without unnecessary services that can't be justified as being beneficial.
What values or principles led you to affiliate with your political party? Are there positions within your party's platform that you disagree with or would approach differently? If so, what are they, and how would you handle situations in which your party's position conflicts with what you believe is best for Clarendon County residents?
The answer is right there in the first three words of our Constitution: "We the People." That is why I am a member of our local Republican Party, not because they are perfect, but because the Republican Party aligns with my values of Americans first, pro-life, pro-law enforcement, transparency, accountability, and a desire to have open dialogue between government and all the citizens of this county. My party's values don't just benefit one party, but benefit everyone.
What do you consider the three most pressing needs facing District 1 residents, and what specific steps would you take as a council member to address them?
The needs of District 1 are the same needs in Districts 2 and 3, and they are making sure our citizens are protected and provided for. Our environment is protected. Our tax dollars are spent wisely. Our government is accountable to the citizens of Clarendon County. The departments within our government are communicating to ensure the needs of our county are met and solutions are found for any issues that may arise. Communication seems to be the underlying denominator to most of our inefficiencies in being a better government for the people and by the people.
Clarendon County Council approved a roughly $45.8 million budget for fiscal year 2026-27, including employee raises and a slight reduction in millage. What do you believe the county is spending too much or too little on, and what specific changes, if any, would you make to the budget or the process used to develop it?
I can't fairly judge the size of this budget before I ask if council sat down with each department that makes up this budget and evaluated the needs vs. wants of each, or was this budget managed by the administrator and the finance director? When I become a member of the Clarendon County Council, I will push to have council evaluate and question each department in an open and public setting. We seem to have a lot of job positions that have not been filled, either on purpose or by design, so that there is always excess money available. If these positions are not filled, does that mean they are not needed? If so, decrease the size of the government workforce to a number that accurately and honestly reflects what is needed. Then, the actual requests by departments would clearly show where the budget is actually going. Taxpayers should never be overcharged for county services.
County Council recently approved a six-month moratorium on most new data center and battery energy storage system applications, with exceptions for certain industrially zoned properties. What regulations or safeguards do you believe the county should establish before considering additional projects, and how would you weigh potential economic benefits against concerns about infrastructure, public safety and neighboring properties?
We have people in our county who have actually worked in data centers and are willing to share their knowledge and experience. They can advise what guardrails need to be in place to make sure that if the citizens of Clarendon County decide to allow these industries in our county, we will have knowledge of the proper protection for the citizens and the environment. This information will also help ensure that the electrical infrastructure would never be a burden on this county and the cost would be absorbed by the industry wanting to locate here. Council has to be willing to have that roundtable discussion with the people who have worked in this field and who are the best source of information to help guide their decisions on what policies and regulations need to be in place for these protections.
Clarendon County's law enforcement, fire rescue, emergency medical services and coroner's office serve residents across a large rural area. What do you see as the greatest challenges facing these services, and what steps would you support to improve response capabilities, staffing and access to emergency assistance throughout the county?
Once again, let's have that roundtable discussion with our law enforcement, fire and rescue, emergency medical service personnel, along with the community they serve, and find out if there are any inadequacies or problems that need to be addressed. If there are, let's address those problems and find solutions to resolve them.
County Council has moved forward with major facility projects and a vehicle replacement program intended to address aging county equipment. How would you determine which infrastructure, facility and equipment needs deserve priority, and how would you evaluate whether those investments are providing value to taxpayers?
Without knowing the exact projects and why prior decisions would be questioned, it would be inappropriate for me to make any judgmental response.
The Clarendon County Archives collection has been relocated temporarily while the county considers how to address the condition of its longtime facility. What do you believe should be the county's long-term responsibility for preserving the collection, maintaining public access and funding a permanent solution?
The county's long-term responsibility for preserving and maintaining the County Archives is an issue that can and must be resolved so that the archives are preserved and always available for public access. How this will be accomplished is a matter that will take much discussion and investigation to come to a solution that may not be exactly what everyone wants but, with compromise on all sides, brings peace and harmony that everyone can agree on.
County Council has faced questions about public access to financial information, the timing of development announcements and opportunities for residents to provide input before major decisions are made. What changes, if any, would you support to improve transparency, public participation and communication between council members and the communities they represent?
Transparency and public participation, or a better term, accountability, is what I have based my campaign on. Council must have all meetings in public, including a public meeting to completely explain each item on the agenda. Having a link attached to each item where there is an in-depth narrative explaining why the item is on the agenda, why it is important, and how it will affect, either adversely or positively, the residents of the county would be helpful. Each item should have a representative from the county department who would be able to fully explain and answer any questions from council or the public. To make this partnership work, county residents will have to show up and be a vital part of the process. Participation is the key.
Clarendon County has a history of closely contested elections, with residents holding differing political views. What steps have you taken, or would you take, to bring people together across party lines? What issues do you believe residents can find common ground on, regardless of political affiliation, and how would you work to build consensus around solutions?
The term representative knows no bias or affiliation but instead means being a voice for all. You are there to do a job for the citizens of Clarendon County, and that means working together whether you are Republican or Democrat.
