Who's Running for Irmo Town Council?: Harvey Hoots

Irmo-Seven Oaks Patch is asking candidates several questions to help you make an informed decision about the candidate you want to vote for. Each candidate has the opportunity to answer the same questions.

Here is the lineup of candidates, with the letter "I" noting the incumbents.

For mayor:

• I-Kathy Condom (term ends Nov. 30)

• Suzanne C. Gooch

• I-Hardison “Hardy” King (term ends 2013)

• I-Barry A. Walker Sr. (term ends 2013)

For council seats:

• I-Harvey Hoots (term ends Nov. 30)

• Sarah Watson

• Paul E. Younginer

is not seeking another term and will retire at the end of November.

Today's candidate profile is on Harvey Hoots.

Name: Harvey Hoots

Age: 62

Occupation: Program coordinator, SC Chempack point of contact, S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control

Years on Council (if any): Elected to council in 1990

Prior Experience (any governing board): Appointed to several boards in relation to work at DHEC in bioterrorism and homeland security

Family: Wife, Susan K. Hoots; two children, Lisa and Harvey Christopher

Education: Clemson University

Patch: What’s your vision for Irmo? Why are you running or why should people vote for you?

Hoots: "I’m a common sense conservative. Everything I do is for the future of Irmo. What induced me to run in 1990 and what I’m most proud of at this point in time has been the conservative nature."

Patch: What issues do you see Irmo facing in the next 5 years?

Hoots: "The growth of the town through annexation. All of our annexation has been what I refer to as friendly annexation. We don’t go out hunting people down to annex them. We present our case and they asked to be annexed and we taken it under consideration if it’s good for the town. The growth is something we’re always looking at 5 (or) 10 years down the road. I think during that whole time we have to look at our spending versus our revenue. I do not want to be in office or to leave office in a worse shape than I found it. I think the financially condition of the time is a major concern."

Patch: What’s your stance on the Okra Strut Festival?

Hoots: "I’m very supportive of the Okra Strut Festival. I think it is a namesake of the town and I work to protect it just like it was a child. It’s very good for the citizenry to be able to say my town gives back to me, (it's) some entertainment without applying a price tag,  (and) that me and my family can enjoy something in my town without having to make a trip and something I can look forward to each year. It’s a nationally recognized festival. It has been recognized by Southern Living and many other national publications, so I’m very supportive of the Okra Strut."

"The Okra Strut has done an awful lot for the town. The Okra Strut gave the town the first $40,000 to buy the land (for the Irmo Town Park). The Okra Strut paid $30,000 for the gazebo that’s in the park. After the park was developed, the Okra Strut is responsible for paying all of the signs that says ‘Welcome to the Town of Irmo” through every avenue that comes into town. The Okra Strut has contributed thousands of dollars toward beautification within the town. I know some oppose it, but I have fought for it for 20 years and I will continue to fight for it."

Patch: What are your thoughts about having chickens in your backyard?

Hoots: "It’s nothing new. Personally, I oppose it on several issues. I’m not sure, from a health standpoint that it would be easy for us to regulate. The major issue that I have is that the Town of Irmo is a bedroom community and it is composed of a lot of subdivisions, not just rural land that somebody decided to build a house on. It’s subdivisions with streets and covenants. When you bought into a subdivision, you had to agree to those covenants. The covenants are a contract and those covenants clearly state ‘no’ to any non-domesticated animals. With that said, how can the town pass an ordinance that circumvents a contract between the neighbors of that subdivision. I have asked the town attorney to investigate that and have been able to produce the covenants to many of the subdivisions. When we make a town ordinance it has to fit everybody. I can’t say you can do something and you can’t. Not with an ordinance. An ordinance has to cover everyone. Even if I just had one neighborhood, that had recorded covenants that’s recorded in the courthouse that said you can’t do that, how can I do an ordinance that said the contract you signed 15 years ago when you bought your house doesn’t mean anything today. The covenants were put there to protect property values."

Patch: What are your thoughts on Irmo growth (zoning, annexation, etc.) ?

Hoots: (See second question about issues the town faces in the next 5 years.

Patch: What’s your stance on financial spending? Conservative or liberal?

Hoots: "In 1990, we had taxes of 47.1 mills and they had escalated very rapidly to that point. That caused me to run and at that point all of my efforts have been in trying to reduce those taxes. In 2005, I and the mayor at that point led the fight to eliminate property taxes, the millage for Irmo town residents. We eliminated taxes that year and we have maintained zero millage since 2005. I think we’ve done that through conservative efforts. Also during that time in 1990, when I went on council, the town was in debt and we owe no one today and have not for many years.

"Other things that I’m proud of is that we’ve built a new courthouse in my tenure, we have built a town park, we have built a new police station. All state-of-the-art, and they’re totally paid for. We borrowed no money. And we owed no money. And we still have zero millage. And that’s what I want to continue."

"I know that people like to spend money and all, but I want to make sure that we do not go backwards especially with the economic environment that we’re in right now. Our citizens need to be able to count on not having taxes go up in these times."

Patch: Anything else you want to add?

Hoots: "I’m always available (to the public). I have protected their interest to the best of my ability for the last 20 years and I pledge to continue to do that for the next four years if they see to reelect me to office."