Mertis Nance Barnett is making history not only as the first African-American town councilwoman, but also as the first African-American woman to lead the Town of Lake View as mayor pro-tem.
The resignation of Dennis Townsend, the former mayor, who successfully ran for Dillon County Council put Barnett in the position to take over the duties as mayor until a new mayor is elected.

Barnett was born on May 7, 1956 in Lake View, South Carolina. She is the third child born to Richard and Cleopatra Nance.
She moved to New York at an early age because her parents were seeking better opportunities. During life travels, she found herself graduating from Lake View High School, attending Benedict College, graduating from Florence-Darlington Technical College and Coker College, getting married and having children (Tamara, Tywanna, Gregory, and Richard).
She is a member of Union AME Church and serves on the following committees: Pastor’s Aid President, Senior Choir, Church Sexton and videographer (Facebook®, Zoom).
She has been employed by the Dillon County Library Systems as the Lake View Branch Manager for 20 plus years.
In 2015, she saw a need for more of a diverse representation on the Lake View Town Council, so she decided to run for a seat and won! She became the first African-American Town Councilwoman. She was re-elected in 2019. She feels it is very important to serve her community to the best of her ability by sharing information about town politics and creating equal opportunities for the town’s occupants to voice their questions, opinions, concerns, and suggestions. She believes if you talk the talk, you must also walk the walk. God continues to bless her and after surviving COVID-19 she knows more than ever that God has special plans for her life.