Hampton County Votes: Will Change Prevail?

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In the aftermath of the ‘Murdaugh Murders’ crime and corruption saga, citizens of Hampton County, South Carolina have been saddled with significant challenges which continue to prevent their close-knit community from truly being able to move forward.

As this media outlet recently reported, “allegations of fraud, millions of dollars in missing or misspent funds and a habitual failure to report required financial information to the public” have eroded public confidence in the integrity of local leaders.

Turmoil surrounding Hampton County’s finances began in early 2022 via a letter from a citizens’ group alleging that millions of dollars tied to the county’s Capital Projects Sales Tax (CPST) either went missing or had been misappropriated. The turmoil continued in April when it was announced that for the second year in a row, Hampton County had been sanctioned by the S.C. treasurer’s office for failing to submit a required independent audit report.

That followed the revelation that not one, but two S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) inquiries tied to the county finances were underway. The first is reportedly an investigation into former Hampton County administrator Rose Dobson-Elliott over allegations of fraud and breach of trust. In April 2023, interim county administrator Heather Simmons Jones filed a report with the sheriff’s office (.pdf) accusing Elliott of stealing funds from the county. Elliott left the Hampton County job in December 2023 to take a position in Jasper County as the director of engineering services. The second investigation followed a request from newly elected sheriff Anthony ‘Bubba’ Russell – who asked SLED to review discrepancies between the sheriff’s office’s purchase orders and its equipment inventory.

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After repeated demands from concerned taxpayers – and multiple delay – two forensic audits are finally in the works. The first draft audit report for the fiscal year ending in 2023 did little to bolster the citizen’s confidence in the local government as it revealed financial-control practices which ranged from broken to nonexistent.

The second audit came by way of the S.C. Senate – which backed the idea of a forensic audit of the troubled county as part of its annual budget process. The state budget – which was signed into law by S.C. governor Henry McMaster earlier this month – included a requirement for the state’s auditor and inspector general to hire an outside firm to audit the county as well as its school district.

In the meantime, two county council members – Noah Alexander and Camille Mixson Welch – have resigned prior to the end of their terms. Many frustrated residents believed Alexander and Welch were fighting for more transparency.

Upon her resignation, Welch released a statement on Facebook giving insight into her decision.

“This is to serve as my resignation from county council effective immediately,” she wrote. “I can not ensure meaningful and sound legislation, policy, budgetary decisions or oversight for the benefit of taxpayers without good, accurate, timely and specific information with which to cast informed votes. Thank you for the opportunity to serve.”

Two special elections have been scheduled in Hampton County to fill these two vacant seats — the first of which is scheduled for today (July 30, 2024). That race pits Maggie Knox (R) and Ronald ‘Breeze’ Winn (D) – both of whom secured their places on the ballot after winning special primary elections on May 28, 2024.

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FITSNews spoke with Knox at length regarding her decision to run. Having served as the legislative delegate for Hampton County since January of 2023, Knox found herself heavily involved in bringing federal and state funding to the financial beleaguered county. Most recently, she worked with state representative William ‘Bill‘ Hager to write the proviso for the forensic audit included in the state budget. Having hands-on experience with the county finances gave her the desire to find more substantive ways to get involved.

“I’ve kind of had my fingers in all these little places for a long time, been working behind the scenes, and I’m looking forward to helping in a different capacity,” Knox said.

Knox is the rare Hampton resident who isn’t originally from the community, but she says “I made a conscious effort to adopt this place – and it’s adopted me back, it really has.”

“I’ve been able to see what has worked in other places, and the pros and cons of implementing different policies,” she added.

Knox said community engagement on behalf of more transparency is what inspired her to become more involved. She also said she was concerned about the latest county budget proposal – which cut funding to critical community services such as law enforcement and emergency first responders.

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RELATED | IS MISMANAGEMENT PUTTING HAMPTON COUNTY SAFETY AT RISK?

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“I’m sorry, but you don’t cut the things that are going to keep people alive,” she said.

Knox’s opponent is no stranger to controversy. Winn previously served on county council in 2019 when a petition to remove him from office began following a statement he read on local public radio. According to the petition, Winn was “notorious for his series of letters and radio broadcasts that defame the character of various administrators and department leaders” and for his alleged “use racial slurs to address the citizens.”

Winn refused to resign – and served the remainder of his four-year term.

While Knox is promoting change on council, she added “I think it’s important to point out that I do not, in any way want to change the fundamental character of Hampton County.”

Indeed, that fundamental character is what Knox is hoping to restore to a county government which has clearly lost its way.

Polls in Hampton County are open until 7:00 p.m. EST today.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Jenn Wood is FITSNews’ incomparable research director. She’s also the producer of the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts and leading expert on all things Murdaugh/ South Carolina justice. A former private investigator with a criminal justice degree, evildoers beware, Jenn Wood is far from your average journalist! A deep dive researcher with a passion for truth and a heart for victims, this mom of two is pretty much a superhero in FITSNews country. Did we mention she’s married to a rocket scientist? (Lucky guy!) Got a story idea or a tip for Jenn? Email her at jenn@fitsnews.com.

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