MCCOLL — A special election has been called in March, 2025 to replace former McColl Mayor George Garner, who died in a traffic collision earlier this month.
This is the second special election scheduled for the town as ballots are set to be cast on January 14, 2025 to fill former town council member Jody Stubbs’ seat, who resigned back in September. Early voting for the council seat election will begin Dec. 30.
According to officials with the Marlboro County Board of Voter Registration and Elections, the deadline for mayoral candidates to file has not yet been determined, but the election itself is scheduled for March 4.
The special election comes on the heels of a whirlwind chain of events beginning with the resignation of the town’s police chief and entire staff of officers.
Garner died just a few days later.
In the meantime, Mayor Pro-Tem Brian Blue has stepped into the interim mayor role and the town’s safety is being ensured by the Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office.
Town officials are currently in the process of searching for replacements for the police chief and department and on Monday, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said he’s “pretty pleased” McColl appears to be making great progress toward hiring a police chief and officers in the wake of the entire department resigning three weeks ago.
Blue said three people have applied for the police chief’s position so far and they’ve also received applications for officers.
Reach Kasie Strickland at 864-855-0355.