Elections
Keep It Green makes foray into District 6 GOP primary
A citizens group that has made its mark in land use issues is making its first foray in to electoral politics in the Republican Party primary for County Council District 6.
Keep It Green last week threw its support behind Bill Ringer, who is challenging Council Member Stella Mercado for a second term.
“It’s not a formal endorsement, but we support his candidacy,” said Duane Draper, who chairs the board of Keep It Green.
An email to supporters called Ringer “a refreshing change from ‘politics as usual.’ We believe he will be an outstanding and exceptionally well qualified County Council representative.”
Keep It Green started in 2019 in response to an effort to rezone the Litchfield Racquet Club for residential development.
“I have followed Keep It Green since it started its work in Litchfield Country Club,” said Ringer, who has lived in the neighborhood for 11 years. “I have support their efforts and applaud their success.”
While he wasn’t surprised he got the group’s support, he said he was still grateful.
Keep It Green was poised to have candidate for District 6 when Council Member Steve Goggans announced he wouldn’t seek a third term in 2022. Before filing opened, Mercado and Clint Elliott, who had announced plans to run for the vacant seat in District 1, wrote an opinion piece in the Coastal Observer supporting “the goal of no net residential density on the Waccamaw Neck.”
“Clint and Stella pretty much co-opted Keep It Green’s message,” Draper said.
They were unopposed in the GOP primary and the general election. Their votes on land use issues drew criticism that they would lead to increased residential density. That included the 2024 update of the land use element of the county’s comprehensive plan, which sparked an effort to form a town in the 29585 ZIP code that would deal primarily with land use issues.
Keep It Green was looking for candidates to challenge Mercado, Draper said, noting that a large percentage of its supporters live in District 6, which runs from Waverly Road to the southern end of Murrells Inlet, taking in all of Litchfield. They see Mercado “not representing them the way they thought they should be,” he said.
Ringer serves on the board of the Litchfield Country Club Property Owners Association and the Litchfield Beautification. “He’s got a great history in terms of his business experience,” Draper said.
Along with his work in sales for Springs Industries, Ringer served in the Army Reserve and was a leader of church missions in Fort Mill.
He was also part of the Pawleys Island Litchfield Municipal Study Group, which is working to get the state to hold a referendum on incorporation. He resigned to run for council.
That wasn’t included in Keep It Green’s email or Ringer’s announcement.
“He’s not a leader of the study group,” Draper said. “He will say quickly that he does support the residents having a choice.”
Mercado wasn’t surprised Ringer has the support of Keep It Green.
“Keep It Green and the study group, they’re all the same people,” she said. “If you’re for incorporation, that’s who you’d support.”
Mercado said she has worked to cut density, including cutting the maximum for multi-family developments from 16 units an acre to five, which followed approval of the updated land use plan.
“Like I said before: they’re talking about it, I’m doing it,” she said.
Keep It Green supporters “feel Clint and Stella went back on their promises,” Draper said.
He doesn’t think incorporation will be a factor, and said Ringer isn’t pushing it.
He doesn’t think party politics will feature in the race, either. It will focus on local issues.
“We’re completely apolitical,” Draper said of Keep It Green.
The group hasn’t supported political candidates in the past, but it has supported issues, he said. He expects that Ringer’s message will appeal to independent voters, who are eligible to vote in either party’s primary.
“We’re going to do whatever we can to help Bill Ringer get elected in the June 9 primary,” Draper said.
The District 6 candidates will be the featured speakers when the Waccamaw Neck GOP Club meets Monday. They will also answer questions from the audience. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the Waccamaw Library and is open to the public.
