Robbie Coward resigned from the Dillon County Council as the councilman for District Six on Monday and has accepted a position as the Dillon County Deputy Administrator.
The position pays $52,000.
Dillon County Administrator Rodney Berry said he interviewed several people before selecting Coward for the position. Candidates interviewed for the job included Coward, Anitra Clark-Jones, Jennifer Foster, Buck Graham, Daniel M. Scarlett, Marcus A. McGirt, and Tenise S. Lampley.
“We are at an exciting but critical juncture in chartering Dillon County’s future,” said Dillon County Administrator Rodney Berry. “Our economic development activity has escalated exponentially all due to the realization of the inland port. Economic development is the means in which a county thrives or suffers. It is our primary way of increasing revenue to the county so that we can increase pay for employees, provide better services, and support our education system.”
“It is my intent to dedicate much of my time in this area,” Berry said. “Not only is it vitally important but we have invested too much not to make it top priority. I have hired an assistant administrator to conduct day-to-day operations under my supervision. It is far from a unique situation,” said Berry, who noted that several counties in the state have deputy administrators.
“It is not a technical position but one that requires hands -on knowledge of county operations. Robbie Coward has demonstrated these attributes as I have watched him on council,” said Berry.
“Most will agree that our demographics will increase over the next decade largely due to industrial growth,” said Berry. “Greer, home of the first Inland Port has been a good case study. Increased demographics bolsters the probability of chain retail stores and restaurants locating amongst us. So with all these exciting prospects , the facts remains that additional services will be needed to support the growth. My desire is to be futuristic and focused in making Dillon County fertile for sustainable growth.”
Berry said he will continue to have an open door policy and has never turned anyone away. He said he is happy to speak personally with anyone who has questions about county operations.”
A special election will be held to fill the Dillon County Council District Six seat. The date has not yet been announced.
