Taft Matney Announces Mauldin City Council Candidacy

Taft Matney, a Mauldin public relations and governmental affairs consultant, declared himself a candidate for Mauldin City Council's seat 1 after filing his required paperwork Friday morning.

Speaking to family and friends, the married father of one said, “Mauldin is home. My heart is here. It’s where I grew up. It’s where I graduated high school, and it’s where I wanted to anchor my family as an adult,” adding, “I see Mauldin’s potential. As a city of roughly 23,000, we aren’t realizing it.”

The seat, which is elected at-large, currently is held by Patricia Gettys.

Matney said he will address several areas ranging from quality of life, city services, and economic issues and that he will discuss them as he takes his messages directly to city voters as his campaign unfolds.

“Mauldin doesn’t exist in a bubble. We have to compete for new business and new residents, and to do that, we need to foster an environment and create a look and feel that makes people want to stop in Mauldin, do business in Mauldin, and live in Mauldin,” he said. “This isn’t about Mauldin’s past. This is about Mauldin’s future.”