Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009

Mill hot topic for Georgetown mayor hopefuls

There will be a five-way race to determine who will fill the slot of mayor of the city of Georgetown after Mayor Lynn Wood Wilson was defeated in the democratic primary earlier this year.

The winner on Nov. 3 will have to tackle one of the biggest issues the city faces - the job losses created by the continued idling of the ArcelorMittal steel mill and its impact on the city's sewer and water revenues. The mill's indefinite shutdown effective July 10 has temporarily laid off more than 200 workers.

The mill likely will remain closed until 2011 when market conditions are expected to improve, said local Steelworkers Union President James Sanderson.

The mayoral candidates each have a proposed plan for addressing the steel mill revitalization or reopening and the need for more jobs.

Kizzie Lawson, 32, a petition candidate, said the steel mill has been a major employer; she would be willing to meet with the union, owners and legislators to see what can be done.

"I know that the steel industry is suffering in America due to foreign exports and other factors," said Lawson, a program assistant for the Father-to-Father Project. "This means this is going to take the federal government to begin to offer better incentives and keep industries in America."

She proposes bringing a historic theme park to Georgetown in order to grow the city's tourism industry.

Bob Sizemore, 65, also a petition candidate, ran earlier this year in the primaries as a petition candidate for City Council. Sizemore owns Research and Development Inc., a telecommunications consulting company.

"I believe a coalition should be formed to ask the question 'What can we do?'" said Sizemore, 65. "This is not just a city issue and needs to involve representatives from the employees, businesses, city, county and state."

To bring jobs to Georgetown, Sizemore recommends partnering with existing businesses and forming an economic development team to promote the city's assets.

Incumbent Georgetown City Councilman Jack Scoville, 58, an attorney, is the Democratic nominee on the November ballot.

"There is not a lot the city can do to help the steel mill to reopen. That would depend primarily on the international steel market. If the demand for steel goes up enough, the mill will re-open. If demand remains low, it will stay closed."

Scoville proposes creating an economic development director position for the city to work with the county's economic development department to help bring in new businesses. He also recommends creating a database of all available industries, so prospective businesses will know what is available.

If elected, mayoral Republican candidate James "Marty" Tennant, 54, said he would ask for a meeting with the CEO of ArcelorMittal or his management team to discuss the future of the mill.

"I would stress how important the mill is to Georgetown's economy and try to determine their future intentions," Tennant said. "If they plan to re-open the mill, I would encourage it to be done as soon as possible."

If they don't plan to reopen the mill, the company should work with the city to address alternative uses by other industries, or to redevelop the property in a way that could benefit the city, said Tennant, who owns PC Doctor and is a technology consultant.

Tennant suggests streamlining the process for businesses into a one-stop shop experience online for businesses for permitting, licenses and other requirements and keeping utility and other city fees down.

Although the county implemented impact fees, the city did not, and Tennant said this could be used as an incentive to help lure businesses.

Ron Charlton, 66, a write-in candidate, is the only other person in the mayoral race currently holding an elected public office.

"First, we need to know what ArcelorMittal's plans are," said Ron Charlton, 66, who is running as a write-in candidate. "I would have our people search state, county and the federal governments' programs to establish whether there are any grants, subsidies or incentives available to entice and enable the company to reopen and re-employ its workers, hopefully at a larger number than when it closed."

If the plant chooses not to reopen, Charlton proposes seeking alternatives for the site and implementing incentives to attract new businesses to that site.

Charlton, the owner of Southern Cable Communications, is currently a Georgetown County councilman.

If he is elected, it would mean a special election for his seat.