{"id":4397,"date":"2026-08-07T09:38:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T09:38:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=4397"},"modified":"2026-08-07T09:38:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T09:38:19","slug":"vote-on-town-attorney-could-set-up-new-clash-between-chapin-mayor-town-council-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=4397","title":{"rendered":"Vote on town attorney could set up new clash between Chapin mayor, town council"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Changes to the town of Chapin\u2019s operations pushed through by the town council Thursday night could land the town in court against its own mayor.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=4396\">SC\u2019s Fry and Graham PAC trade jabs in U.S. Senate race. What\u2019s true?<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Mayor Bill Mitchell said during a specially-called council meeting he would go to court to seek a declaratory judgment that council\u2019s attempt to control the hiring of a new attorney violates his legal power as a \u201cstrong mayor\u201d to manage town affairs.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI take the position that you are breaking state law,\u201d Mitchell told his four council colleagues. \u201cI\u2019ll go to court and a judge can decide. Then you\u2019ll want to hire your own attorney, and the town will end up paying for both of them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The threat didn\u2019t stop the council from adopting an ordinance that vests the power to hire, remove, fund and direct the town attorney in Chapin Town Council. It passed 4-1, with Mitchell voting against.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Thursday\u2019s vote was the latest turn in  the first nine months as mayor for Mitchell. He argued he\u2019s saved the town money and managed the town more efficiently since he eliminated the position of town administrator \u2014 the official who had overseen town staff \u2014 and took on the responsibility himself as a \u201cfull-time mayor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>But council members said Mitchell had shut them out of decision-making and left them without outside legal advice on the town\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis ordinance is just to make it clear that the attorney works for the council, not just for you,\u201d Councilwoman Ainslee Bost told the mayor. \u201cWe want to be able to hire attorneys and talke to them so that we know what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Under questioning from council members Thursday, Mitchell said he had hired at least three separate attorneys during his stint as mayor so far. One he said he fired after she failed to show up for an executive session meeting with council members, and another resigned when she disagreed with Mitchell over a hiring decision \u2014 she told him the town needed a certified public accountant as finance director, but he ultimately hired a master\u2019s in accounting \u201cat a fraction of the cost,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s a brilliant attorney, but I\u2019m the mayor and I made the decision,\u201d he said, justifying the decision by saying, \u201cI was on that hall by myself for seven weeks, and one missed payment could shut down the town.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The statement points to another complaint of council members. Several other town staff have left since Mitchell was elected mayor of the town of 2,000 last November, including one town clerk who accused him in a police report of assaulting her. After an investigation by the S.C. Law Enforcement Division, no charges were brought.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Council members voted Thursday to shift the power to create any town offices or departments to the town council by another 4-1 vote.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Councilman Warren Burritt told Mitchell he didn\u2019t believe he should be hiring any attorney without input and approval from council, and that such a move by the mayor may waive any legal responsibility of the town to pay them. Mitchell said he believed he has the authority to enter into contracts with outside counsel as long as he stays within the town budget. He suggested the town would be better off consulting attorneys as needed or reaching out to the attorney general\u2019s office for legal opinions rather than hiring an attorney full-time.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=4395\">Vote on town attorney could set up new clash between Chapin mayor, town council<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe would be a broker for specialized attorneys, and we can do that without a town attorney,\u201d Mitchell said.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Mitchell was granted expanded authority to make hiring and firing decisions for key town positions \u2014 although not the town attorney \u2014 in January, when the council voted 3-2 in favor of the move. Newly-elected members Burritt and Bost voted with Mitchell at that time in favor of enhancing the mayor\u2019s power.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>When asked by his colleagues Thursday, Mitchell said the town currently has contracted attorneys, David Black of Columbia and Bubba Samuels of Buford, Ga. He estimated he has spent $17,500 on attorneys so far this year.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was almost a million dollars a year before, and they didn\u2019t win a single case,\u201d Mitchell said.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The town council members appeared to find out in that moment exactly who the town\u2019s attorneys are.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought you fired him,\u201d Councilwoman Vicki Shealy said when Black\u2019s name was mentioned.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Only last week, Chapin Town Council took the first steps to rolling back Mitchell\u2019s powers, especially creating a buffer between the mayor and the town attorney by designating two other council members to act as liaisons between the mayor and the council.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The four council members besides the mayor are moving quickly after at July 21 vote on Mitchell\u2019s nine-month tenure as mayor. Chapin Town Council voted 4-1 that it had no confidence in Mitchell\u2019s leadership and members called on the mayor to resign. Again the only dissenting vote on the measure was Mitchell\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The town attorney is seen as a key post as the town eyes a legal showdown with Lexington County over the proposed construction of 600 new homes on county-owned property just outside the town limits. Mitchell has refused to connect the development to the town\u2019s sewer system, arguing it would put too much of a strain on Chapin\u2019s wastewater treatment plant. Lexington County has vowed to enforce a 2015 agreement with the town to provide sewer service to the property.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>But Mitchell said proudly Thursday that no lawsuits have been filed against the town during his tenure.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=4393\">Flash flooding hits parts of Columbia, traps vehicle as heavy rain pelts Midlands<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think they\u2019re a little afraid to cross me,\u201d Mitchell said.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chapin council voted to control hiring and directing the town attorney, prompting Mayor Bill Mitchell to threaten a court challenge over strong-mayor powers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4394,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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