Pinewood mayor, council members complete governance continuing education courses

Pinewood's town mayor and all four council members recently completed continuing education classes through the Municipal Association of South Carolina.

Mayor Sarah Mathis and council members Leonard Houser and Jackie Spann graduated from the Advanced Municipal Elected Officials Institute of Government, and Council members Betty Jones and Gary Nesbitt graduated from the Municipal Elected Officials Institute of Government. They received their certificates during the Municipal Association of South Carolina's Hometown Legislative Action Day.

The MEO Institute, established in 1986, is a program of the MASC that gives municipal officers a strong foundation in the operation of local government. Participants learn about the role of elected officials and administrative staff and the relationships municipal officers have with other local governments and the state and federal government.

To complete the program, Jones and Nesbitt participated in two day-long sessions and three morning sessions.

"For more than 30 years, the association has encouraged local elected officials to participate in the institute, whether they are newly elected or have served for a while," said Urica Floyd, staff associate for distance learning at the MASC. "This institute gives elected leaders with diverse personal and professional backgrounds an understanding and overview of the details of running a local government."

Officials participate in more than 25 hours of classroom work to graduate from the institute. Highlights of topics covered include the Freedom of Information Act, ethics and accountability, budgeting, planning and zoning, human resources and economic development.

The Advanced Municipal Elected Officials Institute was established in 2014 to offer those who have graduated from the MEO Institute an option for more continuing education, which Mathis, Houser and Spann completed.

"This advanced institute gives mayors and council members an opportunity to explore topics of interest to cities and towns in greater depth," Floyd said.

This program includes at least four to six courses, with topics including public safety, budgeting, utilities, advocacy, economic development and governance.