4 recent headlines to know from Sumter government

Will Wheeler resigns, special election to come in June

Three days into the legislative session, S.C. District 50 House Rep. William Wheeler, a Democrat from Lee County, resigned from the position he has held since 2016. His resignation was made official on Jan. 17, and he confirmed later that his plans were to run for a 12th Circuit Court Judge seat, which by law requires he be out of the General Assembly for at least one year.

With Wheeler's vacancy comes the need to fill his seat, and two candidates have already filed for the job. Republican Bill Oden and Democrat Carl Whetsel both announced their intention to file for the seat early, and both have since made good on that promise.

Oden is the chairman of the Sumter County Republican Party and served in both the U.S. Air Force and the South Carolina State Guard, the former of which he spearheaded the formation of the first Cyber Unit for. Oden worked for Kershaw County School District from 1997-2016, retiring as the district's senior systems administrator. He is a resident of Sumter County.

Whetsel is retired from the U.S. Army and the S.C. Army National guard and served combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He also owned Whetsel Chiropractic Clinic for 33 years. He spent 10 years on Bishopville City Council and 10 years on the Lee County Board of Elections and Voter Registration. Most recently, Whetsel retired from the State Park Service, for which he worked as a ranger. Whetsel is a resident of Lee County.

The special election will take place on June 3, with an early voting period of April 9 to April 11. If a primary is needed, it will be on April 1, with an early voting period of March 17 to March 28.

City of Sumter OKs 1st reading of draft budget for more than $350k in federal funds

Since summer last year, the City of Sumter has been preparing to receive federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in the form of Community Development Block Grants, or CDBGs for short. At Sumter City Council's meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 4, the first reading was approved to adopt a budget for the expected $368,392 worth of CDBG money.

CDBG money goes toward community development, specifically to low- to moderate-income areas and residents. This includes a range of projects such as housing repair, youth services and demolitions.

Below is the proposed budget for CDBG money that passed first reading on Feb. 4. This budget is currently only a draft:

Administration - $73,678. This money would go toward salaries, benefits, vehicle maintenance and gas, conferences and office supplies.

Demolition - $30,000. Slum and blight in residential and commercial areas would be targeted with this money.

Sumter United Ministries - $44,900. SUM would use this money for materials needed to do minor housing rehabilitation for low- to moderate-income homeowners within city limits.

Housing Repair - $165,314. Six houses of low- to moderate-income homeowners would be rehabilitated with this money.

YMCA Youth Services - $2,500. This money would provide vouchers for low- to moderate-income youth to participate in activities.

Youth Employment - $49,000. During the summer 2025 program, 35 to 40 low- to moderate-income students would be hired with this money.

HYPE Program - $3,000. This program supplies low- to moderate-income students with supplies, mentoring and field trips.

This budget would run from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026.

Hotel with violent history approved for demolition

Sumter City Council members, with the exception of Anthony Gibson, who was absent, unanimously approved first reading of Resolution No. 978 to demolish Rodeway Inn at 220 N. Washington St. during its regularly scheduled council meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 4.

On Thursday, Feb. 13, the City of Sumter's Design Review Board approved the demolition, making it official.

The North Washington Street structure has a history of criminal activity, including fatal shootings. The most recent was on Jan. 27, when 28-year-old Raekwon Owens was killed and a 25-year-old Sumter woman was injured; a second woman was present during the shooting but was not injured. Two men, Tevon Guess and Melvin Belle, were arrested and charged with murder and two counts of attempted murder, according to Sumter Police Department. Belle was also charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, the department added.

Sumter County receives clean audit report

The annual audit report from Sumter County's 2023-24 fiscal year was presented at a Sumter County Council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 28, and according to Grant Davis of Mauldin and Jenkins CPAs and Advisors, Sumter County came up with a "clean report."

"We did not note any instances of noncompliance or internal control deficiencies to report to you all, and […] the county has received a clean opinion on its spending of federal awards specific to the Coronavirus state and local fiscal recovery funds," Davis said. "So, all in all, a clean report with nothing negative at all to report to you all, honestly a positive experience from our perspective."

Item Reporter Alaysha Maple contributed to this article.