By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com

EASLEY — Crosswell firefighters rescued an 11-year-old Easley boy after he fell 30 feet down a well Sunday afternoon.
Crosswell fire chief Scott Smith said the call came in from Sandalwood Drive in Easley at 5:05 p.m. Sunday.
“An 11-year-old boy had fallen into the well and was in the water,” Smith said.
The boy had stepped on the wooden covering over the well, he said.
“He went straight through and down into the well,” Smith said.
Firefighters were on the scene several minutes after receiving the call.
The boy had managed to find a small ledge in the well to brace himself on, but he was still waist or chest-deep in the water, Smith said.
The boy was alert and was able to talk to rescuers, Smith said.
“He wasn’t complaining of any pain,” he said. “He complained of being a little cold, of a little numbness from being in the water.”
Firefighters began arranging their equipment, including air monitoring equipment, “so we knew what we were getting into,” Smith said.
Firefighters sent a single rescuer into the well to secure a rescue harness around the boy, then hoisted the two up, he said.
Rescuers had the boy out of the well just more than an hour after receiving the call, Smith said.
Pickens County EMS examined the boy and transported him to the Greenville Health System for further evaluation.
“He was in good spirits,” Smith said. “He was communicating with us the entire time, so we knew he was in good shape.”
It was a “textbook extraction,” Smith said.
“We were fortunate, and he was fortunate,” he said. “We’re grateful for the outcome. It could have been a lot worse. He said he couldn’t touch the bottom of the well. We don’t know how deep that well is.”
The Crosswell Fire Department had about 12 of its people on the scene, Smith said. The Easley Fire Department and Parker Fire District provided assistance.
“We called them as we were rolling,” Smith said.
Pickens County Emergency Management, Pickens County EMS and Pickens County Rescue were also at the scene.
Smith urged those who have wells on their properties to examine their coverings.
“Over time, wood deteriorates,” he said. “We do have them all over the county.”

COUNTY — Candidate filing has officially closed for this year’s election.
The Pickens County Republican primary is set for June 14, while the general election is set for Nov. 8.
Pickens County voters will be casting their ballots in many contested races at the local level this year, with most seats to be decided during the primary.
Pickens County sheriff Rick Clark has filed for re-election. He’ll face former assistant sheriff Tim Morgan, who he defeated in 2012 to replace longtime sheriff David Stone.
Several county council districts are up for election this year. Incumbent Councilman Randy Crenshaw is seeking another term representing District 3. He faces Jimmy Davis, Alex Saitta and Wes Hendricks.
In county council District 4, incumbent G. Neil Smith is seeking re-election. He faces a challenge from Roy Costner and Keith Culbreath.
County councilwoman Jennifer Willis is not seeking re-election for her District 5 seat. Mitch Bagwell, Chris Bowers, Robert Sams, Harley Staton and Jeff Willis will contend for that seat.
County council District 6 will also have a new representative, as incumbent councilman Tom Ponder is not seeking re-election. Carl Hudson is running unopposed. Daniel Lee had filed to run but has withdrawn.
The district 1 and 2 seats are not up for election this cycle.
Four people have filed for the State Senate District 2 seat. Don Joslyn, Allen Quinn and Rex Rice will battle to unseat incumbent Larry Martin.
Although State House of Representatives District 3 incumbent Gary Clary faces no opposition in the Republican primary, he will face Libertarian Travis McCurry in November.
Seeking re-election to his State House of Representatives District 4 seat, Rep. Davey Hiott will also have to wait until November for a challenge, as he’ll face Libertarian Joey Lum.
Rick Tate seeks to unseat incumbent Rep. Neal Collins for the State House of Representatives District 5 seat. Collins has filed for re-election.
Both U.S. Representative Jeff Duncan and U.S. Senator Tim Scott face opposition in this year’s race as well.
Democrat Hosea Cleveland of Seneca will run against Duncan for the District 3 seat in November.
Bill Bledsoe of Spartanburg, Thomas Dixon of North Charleston, Jim Hinkle of Bluffton and Rebel Michael Scarborough of Columbia have all filed to run against Scott, who is seeking re-election.
Senator Thomas Alexander is running unopposed. Rep. Joshua Putnam faces no opposition for his District 10.
County auditor Brent Suddeth, coroner Kandy Kelley, clerk of court Pat Welborn and treasurer Dale Looper are all running unopposed.

Special election scheduled to replace Dennis

By Jason Evans

Staff Reporter

jevans@thepccourier.com

SIX MILE — A special election has been set for June to fill the unexpired term of a Six Mile Town Council member who recently resigned.
According to county elections officials, Jeff Dennis submitted his resignation on March 28. Dennis’ resignation was effective March 31. In the letter to mayor Roy Stoddard, Dennis explained that his residence has changed and that he no longer lives in Six Mile town limits.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed serving on the council these past eight-plus years,” Dennis wrote
With his letter, Dennis included a partial reimbursement to the town for the costs of the election to replace him.
The special election will be held Tuesday, June 21. It is a non-partisan election. No party affiliation shall be placed on the ballot.
Filing for the election will open at noon on Friday, April 15, and close at noon on Monday, April 25. Candidates will file with the Six Mile Town Clerk at Town Hall, 106 S. Main St., during normal business hours. At the time of filing, each candidate must complete a Statement of Intention of Candidacy form and pay the filing fee of $15.
Registered voters who have lived in and been a resident of Six Mile for a period of not less than 30 days immediately preceding the election date may file as a candidate.
Candidates are required to file a Statement of Economic Interests and a Campaign Disclosure online with the State Ethics Commission at http://ethics.sc.gov.
A runoff election, if necessary, will be held Tuesday, July 5.
For more information, visit pickenselections.org, or call the elections office at (864) 898-5948 or the Six Mile Town Clerk at (864) 868-2653.

By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com

COUNTY — Pickens County Council met Monday night, but a familiar face in the crowd was missing.
Outspoken activist Weldon H. Clark Jr. passed away March 30 at age 75.
Clark was remembered during the meeting as a passionate defender of freedom who loved to help others.
During the public forum portion of the meeting, Dan Winchester spoke of Clark. The two worked closely together in the Pickens County Taxpayers Association.
“Weldon was an ever-present figure here, pretty much on the front row of all our meetings,” Winchester said. “He was one of my best friends. He was a great person.”
Clark was a “talented engineer,” especially in the field of gear trains, with many of his theories, experiments and papers still in use today, Winchester said.
Clark was a generous person who was helping relatives through medical school, he said.
He was a defender of rights, serving on the National Rifle Association’s Board of Directors for 13 years.
“He was a principled man,” Winchester said. “He was a tireless man. He defended the Second Amendment, and he was an unyielding lover of liberty.
“He leaves a great void in our county,” he continued. “I think we just can’t duplicate Weldon Clark. He was one of a kind.”
County councilman G. Neil Smith signed up to speak last during the public forum portion. He explained that Clark was the reason he did so. Clark often spoke during public comment periods of meetings.
“He always said, ‘Put me last,’” Smith said.
Clark often told county officials “what we did wrong,” Smith remembered.
“We said OK, if we’re doing those things wrong, we’re going to give you a seat at the table and then you can help us fix those wrongs,” he said.
He became “a solution to a lot of our problems,” Smith said.
Over time, Clark became a voice for the people and helped get the word out on issues, Smith said.
“They might not trust us — the politicians — but Weldon had criticized us enough, he had stature with them,” Smith said. “That ended up being something good for usm because he never pulled any punches. If he had any issues with any positions that we had, he would state them.”
Planning director Chris Brink shared personal comments on Clark, who was appointed to the Planning Commission in 2009.
“You will never find a truer champion for Pickens County than Mr. Clark,” Brink said. “It was a sure pleasure and joy having him on the planning commission.”
Clark never let political differences get in the way of doing a “true championship job on the commission,” Brink said.
“It’s going to be hard to fill his seat on the planning commission,” he said. “You’ll never find anybody that loved to participate in government, talk about government, talk about functions of government, more than he did.”
Clark was “a true planning commissioner,” Brink said. “Exactly what you wanted in a citizen planner.”
“He didn’t get paid for it, didn’t get any benefits for it,” he said. “He was here at every meeting that he could attend.”
Smith said he will make nominate a replacement for Clark on the commission at a later date. That nomination will then be taken up by council.
Private services were held for Clark on Monday in Augusta, Ga.