Two long-time residents of Bamberg will face off with each other in the June 12, 2012 election, to fill the District 1 seat on Bamberg County Council presently occupied by Council Chairman Chris Wilson, who announced earlier that he would not run for reelection.

Gregory Paul Clark Sr. a native of St. George, and a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a B.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering, and who is currently Plant Superintendent, at the Okonite Company, in Orangeburg, said the key to our future is not cutting services or raising taxes. The key is to provide a county that will attract businesses that will employ our citizens.

“Our community has experienced many difficult challenges in the past years and has many more ahead,” Clark said. Clark noted that the County as with any business must balance revenues and expenditures. “This will not be an easy task, but must be accomplished to insure our future. We must work together to attract new business and keep our present businesses successful. If elected, I will work diligently to keep Bamberg County’s needs and future at the forefront of my agenda.”

Clark’s opponent in the June 12 election is Bamberg native Trent Kinard. Kinard is a veteran of the US Air Force and served in Desert Storm after attending South Carolina State University. Kinard currently serves as Sports Information Director at the University of South Carolina at Salkehatchie in Allendale, South Carolina.

Kinard said he was just as disappointed as everyone else about the closing of the Bamberg County Memorial Hospital, “I was saddened that the Council wasn’t able to keep the hospital open. It is sad to think I was born there, my mother worked there for years, my mother died there, and now it’s gone.“

If elected, Kinard stated that he will not accept a salary or the health benefits that come along with becoming a member of council.

“I want Bamberg County to thrive; I believe we will survive this economic recession that has affected not only Bamberg County but the entire nation. We have to look at ways to save money and not always rely on the citizens through higher taxes. I want to be a positive for Bamberg County and not another burden on the citizens,” said Kinard.