Meet the candidates for the Lyman Town Council special election

On Feb. 10, Lyman voters will get to choose between two candidates to fill the vacant seat on Lyman Town Council.

The special election was set following the Nov. 4 General Election, when then-council member David Petty was elected to the mayoral seat. Petty’s term had not expired, meaning that an election had to be scheduled to fill the vacancy.

The two candidates running for the non-partisan seat are Rick Hellams and Greg Wood, both former members of council. Wood’s time in office spanned from 2016-2021, and Hellams’ from 2016-2025. 

GreerNews.com conducted interviews with both candidates, asking questions from a standardized list. Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity. Candidates with a public campaign website have had those sites linked at the bottom of their comments.

Here are the responses, in alphabetical order by the candidate’s last name.

Rick Hellams

GreerNews: Why are you running for Town Council, and what would you bring to the position?

I grew up picking peaches and we were poor, so I see a different side of government. Most people up there don’t have to worry about their power bill or their water bill, [but] I see those people. I understand how people have to worry about those things sometimes. I have empathy for people, [and] I think it’s a wonderful thing. [On council], you can’t dismiss someone. I want to hear that person and give them the complete undivided attention that you would give to someone of a higher importance.

I have never been afraid to go against the grain when it comes to voting. I will vote no when everyone else votes yes on something, and I will vote yes when everyone else votes no on something. And I actually work. I don’t just sit up there and make decisions. I get my gloves on, and I go out and work for the citizens. I’ve really sweated for the town. 

What are your top priorities, if elected?

My top priority is to get the town cleaned up. Sometimes, you have to step up and clean your own house. I don’t care if it is a state road — we live in Lyman, let’s get that road cleaned up. Don’t rely on the state to clean it up. [I] want to move past all this red tape, not to break any rules, but to go ahead and fix problems that we know as a town we can fix for the people. 

I [also] don’t want to build any more new houses until we sit back and reassess what property we have left. We have given our beautiful land away to these fly-by-night contractors who come in, build, and they’re gone the next day. The contractors come in and build as much as they can in the smallest place they can to make the most money they can. I think that we should investigate these builders that come in.

How do you foresee Lyman changing over the next few years, and what role do you think the Town Council plays in that?

There’s going to be a lot more retail, and I do believe that zoning is going to play an important part in the way Lyman will set its businesses up. I think that the town administration is really going to have to renew its blueprint on zoning and regulations for businesses and housing. And I think that they could do that with the right people in the right places.

How do you plan to communicate with your constituents, if elected?

Most everybody in Lyman knows my door is always open. It always has been. I can’t even wash my car outside without people stopping and talking. Most everybody knows my phone number, and if they don’t know it, they get it from someone. I don’t have any family; I don't have any children, and I’m not married. Lyman is my family — the good and the bad, the ugly and the beautiful. So they can always find me, and if they need me, I’ll go search for them.

Do you have any final thoughts you would like voters to know?

I care for them. I’m not a rich person, but I do have the capacity to care for someone. I've eaten steak and bologna, and I like them both. I can sit down with you and we can eat a bologna sandwich, or we can eat a steak. It doesn’t matter to me.

Public campaign website: www.rickhellams.com

Greg Wood

GreerNews: Why are you running for Town Council, and what would you bring to the position?

I’ve been on council before, and previous to that, I was the chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission. I’ve really enjoyed being involved with the town of Lyman. I recently retired as assistant superintendent for Spartanburg District Five [Schools]. I was assistant superintendent for 17 years, a principal for 12 years before that, and an assistant principal and coach before that. So, I’ve been working with the public my whole career in one way or another. 

As part of my assistant superintendent duties, I was a liaison to the local municipalities, so I feel like I’ve got a lot of background there. We dealt with a lot of the same things that towns deal with. And of course, I know the folks that are [currently] on council. I know the former mayor and the current mayor, and would just like to be a part and serve in this way.

What are your top priorities, if elected?

My top priorities, similar to most people running for council in the Spartanburg County area, would be managing the growth and responding to growth. I think those are very important. The second thing that comes to mind would be dealing with aging infrastructure. That’s something that all of us in the Upstate are having to deal with, and we need to try to be as proactive on that as we can. 

The third thing would be to be a contributing part of the council and all of us work together. And the fourth thing would be for Lyman to work well with Duncan, Wellford and other municipalities. We’re all growing, and I think it’s best for all of us to try to work together and be proactive as we deal with this growth.

How do you foresee Lyman changing over the next few years, and what role do you think the Town Council plays in that?

In Lyman, we’ve already gotten so many new residential developments and so much industrial growth. I see that continuing. It can’t last forever, because we’re going to run out of property, so we’ve got to manage that to the best benefit of our residents. I think we need to welcome new industries, but we also need to take pride in those that have been here a long time, and support them too. Council’s role is to be aware of what’s taking place and try to research and plan so that we can best meet the needs of our residents.

How do you plan to communicate with your constituents, if elected?

Communication is really important for the group as a whole. We as council members have to be available in the community. I live here in the community. I’ll answer calls and emails. Customer service is important, whether it’s from the seat of a council person or from one of the employees of the town of Lyman. It is a very important part of what we do, and part of customer service is responding and then following up if necessary.

Do you have any final thoughts you would like voters to know?

I would like to be a part of the council. I’d like to work with the folks that are there, communicate well and just provide the leadership to help our community as we move forward.