FLORENCE, SC. – Florence County Deputy Treasurer Laurie Walsh Carpenter announced Tuesday that she will seek the office of Florence County Treasurer in 2016. The current treasurer, Dean Fowler, Jr., who has held the office for 16 years, has announced he will not seek reelection as treasurer. He is seeking election to the South Carolina Senate District 31.
Carpenter has worked in the treasurer’s office since 1988. She served as an accountant and was promoted to accounting manager before being promoted to deputy treasurer in 1999. She has served in that position for 17 years. She has worked for four county treasurers.
“The Florence County Treasurer’s Office has a huge responsibility to the people of the county and to the South Carolina State Statutes,” Carpenter said. “We have a great office and a dedicated staff. Our county tax dollars are collected and distributed according to the state laws that govern our office.”
“The treasurer’s office needs a leader that understands the accounting system, the internal controls, and the laws that govern the office to ensure the security of the funds we collect,” Carpenter said. “I have the experience that provides the knowledge and the understanding.” Carpenter is a lifelong resident of Florence County and is a graduate of South Florence High School. She attended Clemson University and is a graduate of Francis Marion University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. She is married to Kent Carpenter and they have one grown son, Logan. They are members of John Calvin Presbyterian Church. She is a member of IPTAY, the Francis Marion Alumni Association, and the Early American Pattern Glass Society.
