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Mayor John McMeekin and Councilman Demetrious Chatman have similar visions for the Fairfield County town, but differ in their approach.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — In Winnsboro Tuesday, residents will have an opportunity to cast their vote for mayor.

Incumbent John McMeekin said he’s not quite finished with his list of priorities, meanwhile challenger Demetrius Chatman laid out why he should be the next person to hold the title of mayor.

Mayor McMeekin described why he’s seeking reelection.

"I wanted to run one more time. There are some projects I want to complete which affect the town and the county. The wastewater treatment plant is one of the most important projects for the town, the town of Ridgeway and for Fairfield County,” he said.

Councilman Demetrius Chatman shared his vision.

“Right now, I serve as the district three councilmember. So, one thing about it, I see how the money goes in, I see how it goes out, I see how it’s allocated (among) departments, and I just say we need to get it to where it needs to be so we can get growth,” he explained.

For McMeekin, this election is about experience.

“I began service for the Town of Winnsboro when I was 23 years old. I served as chairman of the zoning board for 24 years. I’ve just put in a lot of time in here, done a lot of things and more than just that, so I’d like to finish up my tenure with something positive for the town,” McMeekin explained.

Chatman said the town needs change.

“Well I’ve been on city council since 2019. I ran in 2019 and I see the change Winnsboro needs. In the last 20 years it has just gone down. You’ve got Scout (Motors) coming in. You’ve got developers coming. We’ve got industry that wants to come in. We need to be in a position where we can grow. And now this is our time,” Chatman said.

Mayor McMeekin wants to specifically focus on younger residents.

“An important goal is to retain our young people. By 2004, we were up to 20,429 and now we’re back down to almost 20,000 again. So, we need to enhance the quality of life to keep the young people here. To have something for families. We want to have an environment which is conducive to families moving in,” the mayor said.

Councilman Chatman hopes to revitalize Winnsboro’s downtown.

“Ever since Scout Motors decided they were going to Blythewood, developers have been knocking down our doors, because Fairfield County and Winnsboro have tons of land. We actually need to fix what we have now, which is 3.25 miles. We need to fix the 3.25 miles and expand. But we need to make sure that for everyone in the town, the growth happens within and then grows out,” he said.

Polls will be open in Winnsboro Tuesday from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.

Voters will also have the chance to choose who will fill two town council seats.