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.
Matt Chapman (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 2?
Raised in Sumter County and now living in Clarendon County, I am currently doing environmental consulting work through Process Consulting SC, LLC, which I started in 2007. The environmental field, industrial service work, store ownership, farming and ranching have made up my professional experience.
As a devout Christian, I spend time speaking and preaching at various churches. I am the current treasurer for the Gideons-Clarendon Camp, a deacon at Promise Land Ministries, past master of the Masonic Lodge, former chairman of the South Carolina Waterfowl Association-Sumter Chapter, board member for the South Carolina Sporting Dog Association, member of the board of directors for the South Carolina Foxhunters Association and former vice chairman for the Farm Service Agency-Clarendon.
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?
I am conservative by nature. The Bible is the rule and guide of my life, and from it I govern my beliefs and morals. No other man-made structure overrides that. My constituents' best interests will always take precedence over an affiliation's agenda.
What do you consider the three most pressing needs facing District 2 residents, and what specific steps would you take as a council member to address them?
Clarendon County covers more than 607 square miles, with only about 51 residents per square mile. Providing roads, drainage, water, sewer, broadband and emergency infrastructure is fundamental and requires careful planning. I want infrastructure projects prioritized transparently based on safety, condition and demonstrated need.
I want residents to be able to see how road projects are prioritized and where their money is being spent. We also need to plan before approving development. The average Clarendon County worker already has a commute of approximately 31 minutes, compared with about 26 minutes statewide. New development can create additional demands on roads, utilities and public safety. Those costs need to be understood before projects are approved rather than passed along to taxpayers afterward.
Clarendon County needs economic development that creates jobs and broadens our tax base. Clarendon County had 34,971 residents in the 2010 census and 31,144 in the 2020 census. The latest Census Bureau estimate places our 2025 population at 31,043. That means a loss of 3,900 residents since 2010, while South Carolina as a whole has been growing.
Our county's median household income is approximately $52,400, nearly $17,000 below the South Carolina median, and the average travel time to work is 31 minutes. We have to find a way to create more opportunities for our people at home.
We have also seen what meaningful economic development can look like. Homanit's new Alcolu manufacturing operation represents an announced investment of approximately $250 million and 300 new jobs. I want more investments that produce measurable benefits like jobs, wages and tax-base growth.
Economic development should work for Clarendon County and not the other way around.
Before supporting major incentives or developments, I want answers to basic questions: How many permanent jobs will be created? What will those jobs pay? How much will the project contribute to our tax base? What infrastructure will taxpayers have to provide? What is the long-term return for Clarendon County?
Clarendon County is being asked to make increasingly important decisions involving industrial development, solar farms, data centers and other large-scale land uses.
Agriculture and timberland are not simply open spaces waiting to be developed. They are businesses, family assets and part of Clarendon County's identity.
We can grow Clarendon County without giving away what makes Clarendon County worth calling home.
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?
That would require a deep dive into the budget numbers. I will not recklessly throw out numbers before I know the facts. I touched on some of this in Question 3.
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 recently seen significant public discussion surrounding a potential data center project and County Council's consideration of a temporary moratorium on data center development. These projects can bring investment, but they can also create significant demands involving electricity, water, roads and other infrastructure.
I support economic development, but every project must stand on its own merits.
Before approving large developments, council should know their projected water and power requirements, infrastructure costs, permanent job creation, tax benefits and effects on neighboring landowners and agricultural property.
Citizens should also receive meaningful notice and an opportunity to be heard before decisions are made that could permanently change their communities.
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?
I was a volunteer firefighter for nearly 10 years and an emergency response coordinator on different levels throughout my career. Communication is key to any emergency response. All emergency services need to be in contact with each other and pull the rope in the same direction. A look at how each department is notified and dispatched would be a good start to how they communicate and work together to provide a quick and efficient response in any emergency.
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?
All infrastructure and equipment have to be maintained. When looking at replacing either of these, doing the math will show you where the tipping point is between investing money in what you currently have versus replacement. Fortunately, there are programs and consultants available to show background data to help make these decisions.
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?
I have heard and seen some of the problems and temporary solutions concerning this issue. Preservation of history, historical documents and relics is important to me and for our community. We should probably put together a committee made up of stakeholders in this area and determine the best course of action on this issue.
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?
The County Council is a government entity and works for the people. Residents need to do their part by being involved and showing up for meetings. Transparency is something that I have campaigned on from the start. I value other people's opinions and welcome any valuable input that can be given.
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?
This has been a priority of mine not only in the political arena but in life itself. I believe there is common ground in respect, morals and caring for your neighbor as yourself. There is no need to judge a person based on their political affiliation but on their character and willingness to help bridge the divide. We are all God's people and have a moral responsibility to treat people equally.
