Election 2020 -- Candidate Q&A: Sumter County Coroner
With an increase in homicides last year and this year's numbers already approaching last year's total, the Sumter County Coroner's Office has been busy.
This year's race features two people on the Democratic ticket, incumbent Coroner Robbie Baker, who is seeking his second four-year term, and challenger Isaac Johnson, a former Sumter school board member.
Baker was first elected in 2016 after he won the Democratic primary in a runoff against then-incumbent Harvin Bullock, who lost his seat after two terms. Johnson was the third candidate on that primary ballot.
Baker ran unopposed in the subsequent general election. The winner of June 9's Democratic primary will face no opposition in November.
A coroner's job involves responding to scenes where a person has died not in a hospital or nursing home, whether naturally or by foul play, informing family members and investigating the causes and circumstances of death.
The coroner's office sets up autopsies and is charged with determining if the manner of death resulted from homicidal, accidental, suicidal, natural or undetermined causes.
All Sumter County residents can vote for coroner.
Statewide partisan primaries will be held June 9. So far, Gov. Henry McMaster has said he does not plan to postpone voting because of COVID-19.
Any registered voter can vote in the primaries. South Carolina does not require voters to declare a party, so voters can choose any party's primary to vote in, but you can only vote in one.
Filing for November's nonpartisan races, which includes Sumter City Council, mayor and school board members, is scheduled for July.
Find more information at www.scvotes.org, including your polling location and your sample ballot.
Keep following The Sumter Item in print and online at www.TheItem.com/election2020 for all the local information on candidates and the voting process you need to know.
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Name: Robbie Baker
What are you running for? Sumter County coroner
Why are you running? Re-election (first elected in 2016)
Have you run for other political office before? Yes, for sheriff in 2004
How long have you lived in Sumter? Life-long resident of Sumter for 57 years
What experience do you have that makes you best fit for the seat? 35 years of law enforcement, homicide and fire death investigation
What challenges/concerns do you see in your district/community, and how do you intend to improve them? The violent deaths. Homicides are on the rise.
If changes necessitate funding, how would you want to move funding around or make it possible? Need funding for an additional deputy coroner. Would have to be approved by County Council, which is in charge of funding county services and positions.
What success have you seen that you want to continue/build on? The county has seen a reduced response time to scenes. Detailed and thorough investigations of deaths. Follow up with families. Digital fingerprint scanner on scene for unidentified decedents. Sumter has our own morgue now. Will be moving into a new building next month for our office to house everything under one roof.
What is your vision for Sumter? To grow our population and to improve upon our education system. To provide technical training for high school students to meet the demand of our local industry.
Are you actively involved in the community? American Legion
Why should people vote for you? Honesty, integrity, experience, compassion
Anything else about yourself you want to add? On scene, I try to treat everyone and their families as if they were my own family in worst time of their lives.
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Name: Isaac Johnson
What are you running for? Sumter County coroner
Why are you running? We need in Sumter and in the state and nation for people to be able to address the needs of their community and interpret issues related to the coronavirus. We need to encourage and help families who have experienced the death of loved ones by referring them to agencies.
Have you run for political office before? Served on the school board for Sumter School District 17 (before consolidation). Ran for coroner in 2016
How long have you lived in Sumter? All my life
Current job/profession: Pastor of Union Baptist Church in Salters. Also owns and manages rental properties.
What experience do you have that makes you best fit for the seat? I've worked with state agencies that deal with death. Directed the Lee County Department of Juvenile Justice
What challenges/concerns do you see in your district/community, and how do you intend to improve them? We need to help the families dealing with the coronavirus and financing funerals. There are ongoing issues related to the coronavirus and how it's affecting families. We haven't addressed the issues yet. We need to make it loud and clear the steps needed to be taken to save lives.
If changes necessitate funding, how would you want to move funding around or make it possible? The key issues are to develop relationships with County Council and administrators and make it known what's needed to look at funding of staff.
What success have you seen that you want to continue/build on? Richland County and Lexington County have developed large coroner's offices. I'd like to build on the office's relationships with funeral homes.
What is your vision for Sumter/Clarendon/Lee? Continue to be a beacon of hope and life for this segment of South Carolina and draw upon neighboring counties for opportunities. Improve quality of life, building on successes such as the golf course being improved, the HOPE Centers and community concerns being built. I want to be part of that vision. Roads have been improved. The city has done a lot with litter improvement.
Are you actively involved in the community? Served on the board for the S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice and State Parole Board.
Why should people vote for you? Vote to make the coroner's office accessible and an integral part of the Sumter community.