Emotional Grayson, Defiant Reaves Speak At Greenville Forum

Joy Grayson, a former prosecutor who is now running for the Area 17 seat on the Greenville School Board of Trustees, drew some of the strongest responses of the night Monday during a candidate forum at McAllister Square in Greenville. 

Another Voice with Jason and Eric, a local radio show on Spin-FM 103.3, in conjunction with the League of Women Voters of Greenville County, held the event, which included input from roughly a dozen candidates in Greenville County. 

While many of the speakers seemed to stick to predictable talking points, a visibly emotional Grayson held back tears as she spoke about what public education in Greenville County means to her. 

Grayson is running against Sunny Weigand of Travelers Rest and Paul Fallavollita of Greenville for the District 17 seat, which represents northeastern portions of Greenville County, including the Travelers Rest area, Tigerville, Blue Ridge, part of Taylors and Paris Mountain. Tommie Reece, who is running for the South Carolina Senate, is vacating the seat. Of the three running for the seat, Grayson is the only candidate with her own children attending schools in the district. 

Grayson decried what she said was movement to gut public education in favor of funneling more money to private schools. 

"I believe there's a movement afoot in Greenville County to to diverty money - public tax payer dollars - to private eduction," Grayson said. "I believe we have school choice in Greenville County." 

Meanwhile, it was a write-in candidate for Greenville County Sheriff, Dem. Dexter Reaves, who showed the most aggression during the forum, calling out longtime Sheriff Steve Loftis for his role in creating a department culture that has led to higher turnover, and consequently fewer deputies patrolling the community.

"Right now the Sheriff's Office is short by at least 50 deputies to patrol the county," Reaves said. 

He said that this past summer, a shooting on the south side of town on Augusta Road exemplified the shortage. 

"Deputies had to come from the Eastside of town, which is like the Taylors-Greer area to assist with that crime. We have this issue with the shortage of man power because of the turnover rate. The Sheriff's Office has the highest turnover rate it has ever had in its history. No experienced officer wants to come work for the Greenville County Sheriff's Office." 

Still, most of the speakers kept a positive tone during the event. Rep. Garry Smith, a Republican who is running unopposed, still chose to speak, taking his brief allotment of time to tout South Carolina's economic progress, saying that for the second year in a row, the state is expected to see a roughly three-percent increase in gross domestic product. 

He said typically, the Palmetto State is the first state to go into a national recession, and the last one to find its way out. 

"But the last two recessions, that hasn't been the case. That doesn't just happen by accident," Smith said.