Council hearing to focus on district lines
By Bobby Bryant, Editor
Darlington County Council has scheduled a public hearing Jan. 4 on initial proposals for changes in all of the county’s council district lines to reflect population shifts in the 2020 Census. The hearing will be held at 6 p.m. at Hartsville Middle School, 1427 14th St., Hartsville. It will be the second public hearing on possible changes to district lines for both County Council and the Darlington County School Board, since they share the same voting district lines. At an earlier hearing, officials said it was unlikely the current district lines would have to change much. Census results showed that some districts have gained residents, some have lost residents and a few have stayed virtually the same. In council District 1 (Darlington, represented by Angie Stone Godbold), Census numbers found it grew by about 130 people. In District 2 (the Society Hill area, represented by Dannie Douglas), the Census reported a loss of about 639 people. In District 3 (Darlington, represented by Joyce Thomas), the Census found a drop of only 44 people. In District 4 (Lamar, represented by Chairman Bobby Hudson), the Census reported a decrease of about 245 people. In District 5 (the Swift Creek area, represented by Le Flowers), the Census found an additional 499 people. In District 6 (Hartsville, represented by Albert Davis), the Census reported a drop of about 495 people. In District 7 (Hartsville/Kelleytown, represented by Kirk Askins), the population grew by about 817 people. And in District 8 (Hartsville, represented by David Coker), the Census found 45 fewer people. During County Council’s regular meeting Dec. 6, council also passed a resolution honoring retired educator Italy Albert Greene on his 100th birthday. Greene was long associated with Darlington’s Mayo High School. He began working at Mayo in 1953 as a vocational agriculture instructor and established the school’s first Agriculture Department. He became Mayo’s principal in 1969 and retired from that post in 1983. Greene’s family plans a “drive-through” birthday party for Greene at 2 p.m. Dec. 25 at 2209 South Main St. in Florence. For more information on the event, call (843) 395-9705 or (843) 230-7231. (Face masks are required.)