FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – The race for Florence mayor is heating up as the South Carolina statewide primaries approach.

That’s particularly so for the three democratic candidates, who are going head-to-head in the June 9th primary.

Teresa Myers Ervin, George D. Jebaily and Barry McFadden will all be on the democratic ticket.

Bryan Braddock is the only republican running to be Florence mayor in 2020.

Current mayor- Stephen Wukela- announced in 2019 that he will not seek a fourth term.

News13 spoke with all four mayoral candidates Monday.

“We have to focus on the needs of the citizens,” Councilmember Myers Ervin said. “And that’s always to make sure they have a livable environment as well as livable wages and a good educational system and healthcare.”

She was elected to city council in 2010 and has been a registered nurse for nearly four decades. Myers Ervin has also been a licensed realtor since 2005 and has engrossed herself in many local organizations and efforts.

“Nurses, our medical professionals, we are some of the most unselfish people and I believe COVID-19 has shown the abilities of nurses,” she said. “And that is what I bring to the City of Florence. Healing and bridging the gaps that have separated us.”

Mayor Wukela wrote a letter endorsing Councilmember Myers Ervin last week.

Meanwhile, one of her fellow councilmembers is also looking to be the next mayor.

“The real goal is to see growth all over the City of Florence,” Councilmember Jebaily said. “One of the things I’m most proud of is the work we’ve done to improve our neighborhoods.”

Elected in 2014, Jebaily currently serves as an at-large member of city council. But his work for the city spans much further back- he’s been a major player in downtown revitalization efforts since 1995. He’s involved in many other aspects of the community, like serving as Chairman of the SC Pecan Festival and a board member of the PDRTA.

He said he doesn’t want Florence to be a ‘brain drain.’

“We don’t want our children to grow up here, educate here, then leave and go make some other city a great place to be,” he said. His goal, he said, is to “help move us forward to help raise the bar. To help create the passion and drive to take us forward to the next level  and keep us moving in the right direction.”

You will also see Barry McFadden’s name on the democratic ticket in Tuesday’s primary.

“I want to continue to unify the City of Florence, make sure that every community, every neighborhood is being treated fair and with dignity,” Reverend McFadden said. “And that everybody has a voice and every voice is important.”

McFadden is the pastor of St. Michael United Methodist Church in Kingstree and is the Dean of Students at Hemingway High School.

In addition to furthering revitalization outside downtown’s boundaries, McFadden says he wants to see improvements made to the city’s infrastructure.

“Roads, bridges and also the deteriorating of buildings, of old homes and communities,” he mentioned. “First thing with roads, we want to make sure our roads our safe enough that we can have the overflow of traffic in the city.”

Braddock- the only republican in the race, is the Executive Director at the House of Hope of the Pee Dee and says his goals as potential mayor are based on his personal experience.

He says he had to leave the city after graduation from Francis Marion University to find work, and to find help in battling a drug addiction.

“I had to leave the state to get help,” he remembered. “There weren’t the resources here to help me to get over my addiction. And I think drug addiction is causing a lot of problems in our city. Crime, domestic violence, economic issues, because of addition. Those are two main points I want to address. Economic opportunities and the struggle with addiction in our local area.”

For a complete local election guide, head here.

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