FLORENCE, S.C. – For the two Republicans on the Florence City Council, cooperation is the name of the game.
Florence City Councilmen Bryan Braddock and William Schofield spoke Monday at the weekly Rotary Club of Florence meeting at Victor’s.
Braddock, who represents Council District 3 (south and southwest Florence), spoke about the cooperation between council members. Schofield, who represents Council District 1 (north and northwest Florence), spoke about cooperation with other entities, including the Florence County Council, Duke Energy and the Florence One Schools board.
Braddock said that over the six months that he’s been on the council, what he’s been most encouraged about is the level of cooperation and passion within the council.
“You can’t escape the obvious: me and William sit on a council with five Democrats, and you would think if you looked at national politics that that would put us in a position where we wouldn’t have much influence and we wouldn’t have much contributions,” Braddock said. “I would like to thank my other council members who have really brought us in and welcomed us and gave us voice.”
He added that especially over the past few meetings the council has put politics aside in the spirit of cooperation.
“We’ve all given each other a voice,” Braddock said. “Sometimes that is heated and passionate, which is what you want in a community leader.”
Braddock said the council has found common ground on infrastructure and crime.
“It’s real easy to come together on those kinds of things,” Braddock said. “If we can find common ground there, then we can transition to some of the bigger issues.”
Braddock listed economic development and growing the city’s 25- to 35-year-old population as bigger issues.
“The city and the county working together is of the utmost importance,” Schofield said. “For us to come back together again to work is so vital to our community.”
He used an example of the county and the city coming together to provide LED lighting in the city and at the major interstate interchanges in the county as an example of the city, county and Duke Energy working together.
Schofield later added the school district as another entity the city needs to work with.
Article by Matthew Christian of Florence Morning News.
