BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood Town Council voted 4-1 Tuesday night to pass the first of two votes that are required to pass an ordinance calling for a referendum on the question of a change in the town’s form of government.
The 4-1/2 hour meeting was marked throughout by the continued crippling dysfunction of a divided council and unruly outbursts from several members of the audience. Mayor Sloan Griffin’s supporters heckled council members throughout the meeting, but no one was gaveled.
The main attraction of the night turned out to be the donnybrook that ensued during the discussion and vote on the referendum which, if passed, will change the form of Blythewood’s government from mayor-council, in which the mayor oversees the day-to-day functions of the government, to a council-manager form of government, which is a system where an elected town council (including the mayor) is responsible for policymaking and budget approval, while a professional town manager, hired by the council and mayor, handles the administration.
The bickering that you see is about us trying to hold this mayor accountable.
— Andrea Fripp, Councilwoman
Hours before that, at the beginning of the meeting, the council’s dysfunction was showcased during approval of the minutes. Minutes from 12 different council meetings were submitted in the agenda to council for approval by the clerk to council, who is hired by council but overseen by Griffin. The minutes, dating as far back as February, 2025, had not been submitted to council for approval until last month when, because of errors and missing minutes, they were deferred until Tuesday night for approval.
Community Speaks Out
During the public hearing for the referendum, five members of the audience spoke out against the referendum and two spoke in favor of it.
“The United States has a president,” said speaker Kent Boone who said he was opposed to the change in government. “The state has a governor, and this town has a mayor. We believe in the unitary executive principal and the executive. This theory that you will have a council-administrator form of government, you need to look at the history of where it started,” Boone said. “It was part of the progressive movement.”
Huffman Brown said he would vote against the referendum. “My suggestion for this council is that you all find a moderator that can help you all better communicate with one another. If you change this form of government, then you’re going to be shielded by persons who are not elected, but who are making these decisions. There ought to be a single person making decisions for the town.”
Cindy Merritt said she supports not changing the form of government. “That’s not going to help one bit. It’s been going on since this panel was elected. It’s not going to change anything,” she said before asking Griffin about his opinion of the change in government.
Griffin said he thinks everybody’s been lied to about the real truth behind changing the form of government.
“Communications go both ways,” Griffin said. “There’s plenty of residents out here that have called me. You have called me numerous times,” Griffin said to Merritt. “It’s a lot, and that’s the best way I can put it. Do your research, find out exactly and ask those tough questions. That’s a problem when men and ladies can’t conversate with their differences. So that’s where we’re at. That’s my opnion.”
Geraldo Jurado spoke in favor of changing the form of government. “It still gives the mayor the authority and responsibility to do his duties. It prevents corruption, waste, fraud, and abuse we see when you got too much power in the hands of one person,” he said. “We have to have that balance of power – checks and balances. It prevents one person from having all the power. It gives our elected council members more of a say-so on critical issues, contracts, and expenses.”
Edwin Sanchez placed blame for council’s current dysfunction on Griffin. “As a leader, if you communicate up front, many of the problems that occurred tonight, could have been avoided with advance notice and advanced information,” Sanchez said, “While a strong mayor can work in some places, it doesn’t here. A lot of the questions asked by council members seem reasonable, Mr. Mayor, if you had provided that information up front. If there is dysfunction in this group and this body of government that represents us, the buck stops with you,” he said pointing to Griffin.
The referendum, if it passes, must be held within 90 days after the day council votes to pass the referendum ordinance. According to Interim Town Administrator Ed Driggers, that would put the vote at Aug. 6, 2025.
Council Says Why
Following the public hearing, council members had their say about the referendum prior to the vote.
Griffin said it would be a waste of the town’s money to hold it before the Nov. elections.
“So what’s the rush that you got to do it then and spend $15,000?” Griffin asked.
“It’s an important issue, sir,” Brock said. “Four people [on council] feel like we are in the dark,” he said.
“So you lied to the people in your press conference,” Griffin said.
“We have told you countless times that there is a breakdown in communication from you to this body,” Brock said.
Councilwoman Andrea Fripp spoke up.
“This strong mayor form of government allows for one person to have a chokehold on town hall. Under this form of government, this mayor threw himself an $18,000 Christmas party, and it was paid for by you, the taxpayers. Council had no involvement with the cost or the invitation list,” she said.
Fripp also talked about the generous bonuses and gifts Griffin bestows on the staff without council’s knowledge or budget approval.
“And those bonuses all said, ‘from the mayor,'” she said.
“Without council knowing, this mayor hired Ms. [Tiffany] Cooks, knowing that she was under a SLED investigation for allegedly stealing money from Williamsburg County where she was manager. Yet, he was so determined to bring her to Blythewood to report directly to him, that he issued an executive order. Council had to take legal action to stop him, and the judge ruled in our favor,” Fripp said. “His friend was later indicted on over 25 counts.
“Then this mayor asked us to use your tax dollars to pay his legal fees to the tune of thousands of dollars after he told you in the news that there was nothing for you to worry about,” Fripp said. “Yet you’re led to believe that he’s concerned about the cost of a special election.
“Be mindful of those who call this a coup, a cabal, or even make this racial. This has been a one-man show. The bickering that you see, that you all complain about, it’s about us trying to hold this mayor accountable,” Fripp said.
Fripp explained that under the council-manager form of government, an administrator, who is accountable to the entire council, including the mayor, would run the day-to-day operations.
“It would be a more fair and equitable governing body, and at the end of the day, this mayor, pass or fail, will still be the mayor. He will still be the CEO,” she said.
Councilman Rich McKenrick told the audience that once the mayor was elected there was a shift from transparency, which he (Griffin) campaigned on.
“He used the slogan, ‘Town Hall is open for business,’ but it’s not open for business for council members when it comes to information,” McKenrick said.
“On Tuesday, May 20, after receiving the agenda for tonight,” McKenrick said. “I emailed the mayor, saying, “Mr. Mayor, will you please provide the information/competitive pricing on the items to be discussed on the agenda? The longer we have to review those, the better.”
“My email was not answered,” McKenrick said. “In good conscience, I cannot approve spending $100,000 on HVAC equipment without the proper information.”
McKenrick addressed Griffin’s secretiveness concerning the management of town hall, saying he (McKenrick) requested information concerning two different compensation adjustments given to an employee over a couple-month period. He said the employee is one who was hired by council. Council hires the clerk to court, the administrator, and the town attorney.
“[The mayor] said he had nothing to do with the individual’s [compensation]. We were discussing what was done by prior administrators,” McKenrick said. “I called both administrators. One said he had absolutely nothing to do with it, that those compensation adjustments were made prior to his hiring. The administrator who was employed by the town [at that time] told me he had nothing to do with it. He was operating under the mayor’s direction.
“So I was lied to,” McKenrick said.
McKenrick also said that the mayor instructed him that council members would have to submit Freedom of Information Requests to obtain town hall documents such as emails.
“When council members requested information on how many times the Manor has been rented, what for, and how many times it was donated to an organization, we couldn’t get it,” McKenrick said. “What we got was a hodgepodge of entries in an antiquated financial system that we cannot match up. Ed Driggers can’t match up. But what we do see is our mayor donating this facility on his own accord for a banquet…a $4,500 rental fee forfeited by the Town.
“Sloan Griffin is very good at being the mayor who is the up-front face for Blythewood. He represents Blythewood very well when you’re at a ribbon-cutting ceremony, meeting people, explaining what Blythewood is all about,” McKenrick said.
“What he is not good at is the day-to-day financial operations of this town,” he said. “That should come from a duly qualified person sitting in a manager’s seat.”
Councilwoman Erica Page said she anticipated something completely different when she was elected.
“I really wanted to do good for our community,” she said. “This form of government prevents the staff from engaging or providing us information because there is a fear of retaliation.”
Page, too, questioned Griffin’s ability to manage town hall and do his job as a member of the Central Midlands Council of Governments.
“Mr. Mayor, when’s the last time you went to one of the COG meetings?” Page asked. Griffin avoided answering, but Page persisted. “When was the last time you went to one?”
Griffin paused, then answered. “It was earlier this year,” he said. “I tuned in on Zoom.”
“When you’re not able to attend, are you looking at Mayor Pro Tem Brock? Or the administrator [to attend]?” she said. “Has that been the case?
“No,” Griffin answered.
“That’s why I’m frustrated and why you have the team you have,” she said, adding that Griffin was under-utilizing the interim administrator who she deemed offers a wealth of knowledge.
“I tried not to make this a public thing, but today,” she said, “I am speaking up.”
Council voted 4-1 in favor of the referendum ordinance, with Griffin voting against. The meeting ended at about 10:30 p.m.
Another meeting will be held at 6 p.m., Thursday, May 29, for council to discuss the budget and park safety.
Related: Blythewood public hearing for referendum for change of gov set for May 27; BW Council holds press conference, first vote on referendum to change form of government
