LITTLE MOUNTAIN, S.C. (WIS) - A pair of Little Mountain locals will join the town council in January after successful write-in campaigns prompted in part by a WIS story that revealed no one had filed for the two open seats.
The small Newberry County town is home to fewer than 400 people.
Of 74 total votes in November’s election, Andrew “Lane” Attaway and Hannah Huffstetler received 17 and 15 votes, respectively.
The initial election plot twist story on October 22 circulated quickly among the close-knit community, prompting conversations online and around town in the lead-up to the election.
Attaway and Huffstetler grew up as friends and had considered serving before. They say the WIS report was just the push they needed.
Each one wants to give back to the community that raised them.
“I just want to leave it better than when I found it, if that’s even possible to be completely honest,” Huffstetler said. “I really just want to preserve that small-town atmosphere, preserve that heart.”
Huffstetler and Attaway used social media to ask neighbors to write in their names for the council positions in the small town.
“If I hadn’t seen the story, I probably would not have put my name out there and probably wouldn’t have decided to go ahead and take that leap forward and do something that’s a little bit outside my comfort zone,” Huffstetler said.
Support poured in.
Attaway said the response showed how much residents cared about local government.
“It made you see how many people in the community were concerned with the fact that nobody was running for the seat, and that really people just wanted somebody they could stand behind for that,” he said.
Both new council members said the situation reflects not apathy in Little Mountain, but a lack of awareness.
“They care about the town deeply, but there’s not much of a publicity with everything that goes on,” Attaway said.
Attaway and Huffstetler, who grew up attending the same church, represent a younger generation ready to lead.
“Everybody knows everybody around here, and in my opinion, that’s what speaks to the town, and that’s the community that I’d love to keep around,” Attaway said.
Huffstetler, who lives between her parents and grandparents, said keeping Little Mountain’s small town spirit is paramount.
“When you can walk down the street and know everyone who lives next to you and feel safe in your community, that’s definitely something that’s valued,” she said.
They hope to balance growth while protecting the town’s charm.
Both say boosting civic engagement and improving the transparency and accessibility of town government will be among their top priorities.
Huffstetler, a mother of a four-year-old, said she hopes to expand the use of Reunion Park to increase opportunities for family-friendly events.
Mayor Jana Jayroe, who ran for re-election unopposed, said their victories send a strong message that “grassroots democracy works the best.”
She has known the two for years, and added that young families’ voices are needed in local government.
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