Thank you Benton for putting so much effort into keeping us informed through your newsletters. I didn't realize the annexation issue at Paris Mtn was on the last County Council meeting agenda. I wished I had known.
It completely befuddles me as to why Travelers Rest seems intent to go headlong into becoming another Greer, Simpsonville, Woodruff Rd area, Pelham Rd area, etc. (take your pick) of mindless suburban sprawl when they have all the ingredients to do something different and be a more "special" kind of place.
I always use the examples off HHI and Bluffton as to how development and growth can be done responsibly and beautifully actually increasing property values of residents.
Thanks so much for keeping us all informed! I really appreciate your diplomacy and the care you take to engage with all concerned parties on so many matters. You are exemplifying what it
means to be a leader. I am so very appreciative of your intentions and your transparency in the happenings in our county!
transparency is one of the top 3 most overused words in government history and is very rarely displayed or practiced at any level of town/city/county/state or federal government so im not expecting much from this council just like the previous ones. As for the agricultural part ...there are many facets of how the overdevelopment here is destroying the region and agriculture is key to most of the communities not only in upstate sc but all over the state...in my district alone(run by one of the worst council members in GCC history-Enis Fant) there have been 9 major warehouse projects approved and built in the past 3 years in just a 5-6 mile radius and im sure Mr Fant has made some profits off all of them....worst part is they come in and rip out acres and acres of wooded lands which not only devastates the ecological aspects of the area but causes a ripple effect in how it displaces lifelong residents/nature/animals but also gives the developers tax breaks for decades while decreasing the home values but increases their taxes(mine have increased over $140.00 a month in the past 4 years)...if you want to give us transparency bud why not give us an individual breakdown on what i mentioned and also show us any/all connections each council member has to every one of these projects....to me not one council member should be allowed to vote on any project that can either make them money/their donors money/their relatives money/their businesses money or their LLCs money(which should also be made public not obtained by a FOIA with a fee to us(taxpayers)...THATS TRANSPARENCY Sir....as for the rest of your newsletter...its nice on paper and format but i would rather see the results on how much is paid out to the studies prior to the development and other financial items tied to these projects through transparency!!!...until then the newsletters and issues are nice but i appreciate substance more!!!!...happy sunday/enjoy your day
I appreciate your passion on this, and I agree—there’s always room for more transparency in government. That said, transparency is often subjective. What one person sees as lacking, another may see as more than they’ve ever had before. While I know there’s more work to be done, I stand by the value of the information I put out. These newsletters aren’t just about discussion; they’re about making sure people have the facts in front of them, and for some, this is more transparency than they’ve seen from their government in a long time.
I hear your concerns about overdevelopment, tax breaks for developers, and the impacts on residents. That’s exactly why I’ve supported changes to our council’s rules—changes that directly address your concerns by increasing requirements for council members when it comes to recusals from county business. Holding elected officials accountable for their financial ties to development is a step in the right direction, and I will continue to push for that.
I understand wanting even more detailed financial breakdowns, and I’ll continue working to make that information easier to access. But I also believe that sharing what’s happening—whether it’s about development, financial decisions, or rule changes—matters. It keeps people informed, and informed citizens are the ones who hold government accountable.
I always appreciate your directness, and I’ll keep working to provide both the transparency and the substance that people deserve. Thanks for your thoughts, and I hope you have a great Sunday as well!
Thank you for your continued outreach and commitment to keep us informed. On another issue, I will be reaching out to your office to set up a meeting. I am a board member of the County Redevelopment Agency and Joe Smith, our executive director and I would like to meet with you and other new members as well, to update you on the agency’s work and progress. Thanks again for your staff’s great work. Look forward to meeting them, too.
Thank you Benton for putting so much effort into keeping us informed through your newsletters. I didn't realize the annexation issue at Paris Mtn was on the last County Council meeting agenda. I wished I had known.
It completely befuddles me as to why Travelers Rest seems intent to go headlong into becoming another Greer, Simpsonville, Woodruff Rd area, Pelham Rd area, etc. (take your pick) of mindless suburban sprawl when they have all the ingredients to do something different and be a more "special" kind of place.
I always use the examples off HHI and Bluffton as to how development and growth can be done responsibly and beautifully actually increasing property values of residents.
Thanks so much for keeping us all informed! I really appreciate your diplomacy and the care you take to engage with all concerned parties on so many matters. You are exemplifying what it
means to be a leader. I am so very appreciative of your intentions and your transparency in the happenings in our county!
transparency is one of the top 3 most overused words in government history and is very rarely displayed or practiced at any level of town/city/county/state or federal government so im not expecting much from this council just like the previous ones. As for the agricultural part ...there are many facets of how the overdevelopment here is destroying the region and agriculture is key to most of the communities not only in upstate sc but all over the state...in my district alone(run by one of the worst council members in GCC history-Enis Fant) there have been 9 major warehouse projects approved and built in the past 3 years in just a 5-6 mile radius and im sure Mr Fant has made some profits off all of them....worst part is they come in and rip out acres and acres of wooded lands which not only devastates the ecological aspects of the area but causes a ripple effect in how it displaces lifelong residents/nature/animals but also gives the developers tax breaks for decades while decreasing the home values but increases their taxes(mine have increased over $140.00 a month in the past 4 years)...if you want to give us transparency bud why not give us an individual breakdown on what i mentioned and also show us any/all connections each council member has to every one of these projects....to me not one council member should be allowed to vote on any project that can either make them money/their donors money/their relatives money/their businesses money or their LLCs money(which should also be made public not obtained by a FOIA with a fee to us(taxpayers)...THATS TRANSPARENCY Sir....as for the rest of your newsletter...its nice on paper and format but i would rather see the results on how much is paid out to the studies prior to the development and other financial items tied to these projects through transparency!!!...until then the newsletters and issues are nice but i appreciate substance more!!!!...happy sunday/enjoy your day
I appreciate your passion on this, and I agree—there’s always room for more transparency in government. That said, transparency is often subjective. What one person sees as lacking, another may see as more than they’ve ever had before. While I know there’s more work to be done, I stand by the value of the information I put out. These newsletters aren’t just about discussion; they’re about making sure people have the facts in front of them, and for some, this is more transparency than they’ve seen from their government in a long time.
I hear your concerns about overdevelopment, tax breaks for developers, and the impacts on residents. That’s exactly why I’ve supported changes to our council’s rules—changes that directly address your concerns by increasing requirements for council members when it comes to recusals from county business. Holding elected officials accountable for their financial ties to development is a step in the right direction, and I will continue to push for that.
I understand wanting even more detailed financial breakdowns, and I’ll continue working to make that information easier to access. But I also believe that sharing what’s happening—whether it’s about development, financial decisions, or rule changes—matters. It keeps people informed, and informed citizens are the ones who hold government accountable.
I always appreciate your directness, and I’ll keep working to provide both the transparency and the substance that people deserve. Thanks for your thoughts, and I hope you have a great Sunday as well!
Thank you for keeping us informex
Thank you for your continued outreach and commitment to keep us informed. On another issue, I will be reaching out to your office to set up a meeting. I am a board member of the County Redevelopment Agency and Joe Smith, our executive director and I would like to meet with you and other new members as well, to update you on the agency’s work and progress. Thanks again for your staff’s great work. Look forward to meeting them, too.
Please do and look forward to speaking with both of you!
Thank you so much! 🇺🇸🤗
Thank you for working to preserve as much of Greenville County as possible. It’s a lot of effort to keep developers.