Napier says he may seek Council seat

Former County Council member Phil Napier. (Aiken Standard file photo)

Former County Council member Phil Napier said Tuesday he is considering throwing his hat in the ring for his former seat.

The District 5 seat will be vacated in November when Council member Eddie Butler resigns because he is moving out of the district.

Napier, the GVW fire chief, served on County Council from 1999-2002. He lost his seat to Butler during the 2002 Republican primary.

He said he will make his decision by Monday, the day that filing for the election closes. One of the key motivators in his consideration of running is representation from within the Graniteville-Vaucluse-Warrenville area.

"There's really nobody there for the people to contact when someone has a problem," he said.

Napier praised Butler and the rest of the current council for representing the county as a whole, something he said he would do as well.

"When I was on County Council, I represented the whole county, not just one corner of the world," he said.

Economic development continues to be a top priority for elected leaders, Napier said. The GVW area in particular has been hit hard, with the closing of the former Avondale plants.

"We need jobs. We've got the vacant buildings. That's something that's got to be dealt with," he said.

Napier's service on Council and as GVW chief has been tumultuous at times, including a public feud with Sheriff Michael Hunt in late 2005 regarding the response to the Graniteville train disaster in January of that year. In the late 1990s, Napier was in the thick of numerous contentious debates regarding Sage Mill and GVW fire districts.

The volunteer chief and hardware store owner said he acknowledged that his previous term on council had not been perfect.

"I'd be man enough to say I made some mistakes. But I've learned a lot from those mistakes. My only intent, if I decide to run, is to serve the people. There is no personal agenda," he said.

Napier said several factors will influence his final decision, including the personal impact of being a politician.

"It's sad, but when you're in politics, your family suffers any blunts. And it's really unfair, but that's the way it is," he said.

Three other candidates have said they will seek the seat as well: former Augusta commissioner Andy Cheek; former County Council and School Board member Larry Murphy; and political newcomer Barry Baggott.