LETTER: Calvin Hastie would do an outstanding job as mayor

Posted

I am happy to see that my friend Calvin Hastie has filed to run for mayor of Sumter.

Calvin is a quality individual with deep roots in the Sumter community. He graduated from Lincoln High School, went to S.C. State on an athletic scholarship and went on to have a distinguished military career, retiring from the Army after 20 years as a lieutenant colonel with special recognitions including the Airborne Badge, the Ranger Badge and the Army Commendation Medal. He also instructed at West Point and served on the staffs of Gens. Schwarzkopf at Fort Benning and Powell at the Pentagon. After his Army years, Calvin went to law school and then worked as a corporate attorney for 10 years before returning to Sumter to work. He now has his own law firm in Sumter.

I came to know him after he was elected to Sumter City Council in 2010. Working with him on council, I came to see that he is the best kind of leader, one who leads through the example he sets. He is a family man. He is a man of strong faith, demonstrated by his leadership in his church. While on city council, Calvin has devoted many hours to strengthening neighborhoods with an eye toward the concept that we are "One Sumter" so that we progress best by working together as a community.

I believe that Calvin Hastie's character, his lifetime of accomplishment and his proven record of service to Sumter all demonstrate that he would do an outstanding job as mayor.

I plan to vote for him and respectfully endorse his candidacy.

WALTER G. NEWMAN

Sumter