WINNSBORO – Billy Smith is going out like Ted Williams. Since his election four years ago, the departing Fairfield County Council chairman has set a new standard for Fairfield County government from bringing parliamentary procedures to meetings to getting things done. Smith, his council and administration have challenged a major utility over a failed nuclear […]
FC animal abusers rarely jailed
July 26, 2018 By
WINNSBORO – Chances are good you won’t go to jail for abusing animals in Fairfield County. Time after time, persons charged with animal abuse-related offenses were allowed to plea for reduced punishment and received probation. Even felony charges were typically plea-bargained to misdemeanors. Many times, charges were dropped altogether, according to court documents. In some […]
Council sweetens Taylor’s contract
July 12, 2018 By
WINNSBORO – Fairfield County’s administrator and clerk to council are getting raises. Following a lengthy executive session that included six discussion items, Fairfield County Council voted unanimously to extend County Administrator Jason Taylor’s contract for another year. The council also voted to increase the period of compensation in the event of termination without cause to […]
Chairman contests response to proposed ordinance
June 14, 2018 By
WINNSBORO – Fairfield County is shooing any notion that it’s trying to coax the Town of Winnsboro into adopting the tougher animal control laws that the County is considering. But that’s the perception Winnsboro Town Council expressed during its June 5 meeting. Mayor Roger Gaddy called the county’s proposed ordinance “cumbersome,” and he and other […]
Gilbert, Brandenburg seek District 7 seat
June 7, 2018 By
WINNSBORO – As County Council Chairman Billy Smith has announced that he will not seek re-election to his council seat representing District 7, two candidates have announced their intentions to run for that seat. Clarence Gilbert sent a letter to The Voice this week declaring his intentions to seek Smith’s seat. A Fairfield native, Gilbert, […]
Smith: ‘I won’t seek reelection’
June 7, 2018 By
Council chair ushered in meeting order, efficiency WINNSBORO – Fairfield County Council Chairman Billy Smith told The Voice on Tuesday that he will not see re-election to his council seat representing District 7. His term ends Dec. 31. “My wife has accepted an associate professor position at Louisiana State University, so we’ll be moving to […]
Letter: I am Running for District 7
June 7, 2018 By
To the Citizens of District 7 of Fairfield County: I, Clarence Gilbert, would like to formally announce my candidacy for the District 7 seat on Fairfield County Council. With the current Council Chairman and District 7 representative, Mr. Billy Smith, not running for re-election, I feel that now is the time to step forward and […]
FMH CEO takes unpaid leave
May 24, 2018 By
Smith: Council Close to Making Offer on FMH Campus WINNSBORO – After a relatively short, uneventful meeting Tuesday evening, the Fairfield Memorial Hospital board came out of executive session and voted unanimously to give an unpaid, one month leave of absence, beginning in June, to the hospital’s CEO Susie Doscher. There was no other explanation […]
County grants full Chamber funding
May 17, 2018 By
WINNSBORO— In a span of two weeks, the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce went from facing an inactive status to being fully funded. Fairfield County Council voted unanimously Monday night to appropriate $87,507 to the Chamber, satisfying the group’s annual funding request, but with some caveats. The Chamber had to provide the county with a […]
FMH employees air concerns about leadership
May 17, 2018 By
WINNSBORO—At Monday’s meeting, council members listened intently as the director of Fairfield Memorial Hospital’s Rehabilitation Center openly criticized hospital leadership during public input. “We question and don’t quite understand decisions made by administration, such as finances, priorities at this stage of the game and treatment of employees,” Laura Willingham, the hospital’s rehabilitation director, said. “Of […]
