BLYTHEWOOD – A report presented at the Nov. 24, 2025, town council meeting regarding the cost of funding Town events during the 2025-26 fiscal year, prompted Councilman Donald Brock to question an item on the list that was provided to council members by the Town’s Marketing Director Jordan Langland.
“Thank you, Jordan, for pointing out the fact that $20,000 from last year’s Juneteenth event funding walked away, and it can’t be accounted for, and yet you’re going to ask for another $25,000 for Juneteenth?” Councilman Donald Brock asked. “You’re not getting my vote on that.”
According to the report presented by Langland, 80 percent ($20,000) of the $25,000 allocated for the Juneteenth event was paid out to UniversalCMG World Entertainment on March 27, 2025.
“I am not sure where that money is now,” Langland wrote in the report. After the meeting, Langland told The Voice that the check for $20,000 was cashed on May 1, 2025.
Langland also noted in her report that she is not sure if $25,000 is an appropriate amount for an estimated crowd of 200 people. Council spent approximately $35,000 for a crowd of approximately 12,000 people at the 2024 July fireworks event in Doko Park.
According to the UniversalCMG World Entertainment website, the company is an American record label founded in 1991 by Edward Straiter of Blythewood. The site states that the company has offices worldwide, under Straiter Enterprise Inc BOA, including in Los Angeles, Bronx NY, Chicago, Atlanta, Dubai, Las Vegas, and Beijing.
The Voice left two phone messages for Straiter for comment on the issue over the past two weeks, but he has not yet responded.
In November, 2024, Griffin officially authorized – in an email to the Manor director – a price reduction for Straiter for a reservation at the Manor for a Straiter Family Thanksgiving Day Dinner. According to the Manor fee schedule, a reservation on a Thursday would cost $2,200. In an email that The Voice obtained, Griffin ordered the Manor director to reduce the fee for the Straiter Family Thanksgiving Day Dinner to $500. Straiter told The Voice that the reduction was in appreciation of all that he has done for the Town.
“I donated $3,000 in raffle gifts at each of the Town’s Christmas parties at The Farm.” Straighter said.
A month later, Griffin hired Straiter’s company, Universal CMG World Entertainment, to provide the band and a Santa for the Town’s 2024 Christmas party at a cost of $4,450. That same month, Griffin hired UniversalCMG World Entertainment to provide a Santa, at a cost of $1,750, for a children’s Christmas party the mayor hosted at the Manor. Council members said at the time that Griffin did not share with them his plans or the costs prior to these events.
“We didn’t know about these costs until we saw the bills,” Councilman Rich McKenrick told The Voice.
Other costs for the 2024-25 town sponsored events presented in Langland’s report included $8,369.82 requested by Griffin for a hospitality tent at the July 4, 2024, fireworks event for state legislators, town staff, and Richland County council members.
Staff recommendations for fiscal year 2025-26:
Movies in the Park $15,000*
Juneteenth $25,000*
July 4th fireworks $55,000*
Purple Heart Day $4,500
Christmas Tree Lighting $1,500
Christmas Parade $10,000 ($8,500 funded)
Veteran’s Day $6,000 ($5,500 funded)
Shred Day $1,600
$118,600
*not funded, per council
Council voted 4-1 at the Nov. 24 meeting to include a discussion about future event funding in their strategic planning session in January, 2026.