By Greg Oliver
Courtesy The Journal
goliver@upstatetoday.com

CENTRAL — Longtime Central Mayor Mac Martin’s 16-year tenure officially came to an end Monday night as he ceded the seat to Andrew Beckner less than five minutes into the regularly scheduled town council meeting and departed council chambers amid handshakes and other well wishes.

Beckner defeated Martin and Rosa Grayden in a three-way election in November and officially took to the podium after being sworn in by town clerk Susan Brewer. Newly elected Councilman L.C. Hayes also took his council seat following the swearing-in ceremony, which also included incumbents Paige Bowers and Ken Dill, both elected to their fourth term on council in November.

“I’m glad the first meeting is out of the way, for sure,” Beckner said after the meeting. “It’s a big learning curve, but I’ve had a lot of wonderful people help out. I’m just excited to work with them.”

Becker said before taking office that one of his campaign goals was to give Central residents a voice and ensuring they are engaged in what is taking place in the town. Beckner, who works in communication and organizational leadership at Anderson University, wants to improve those areas in Central.

Hayes, a local businessman, said he is excited about getting started with his service on council.

“I’m ready to get to work for the town of Central and the people of Central,” Hayes said. “That’s why I’m here.”

Serving as the council representative on the tourism and economic development committee, Hayes said Central “is on the cusp of massive growth.”

“I want to make sure we’re prepared with our infrastructure and also that we foster small business growth and opportunities that are centrally and economically diverse,” Hayes said. “That’s what’s unique about Central — that we’re very socioeconomically diverse — so we want to retain that as we grow.”

Councilwoman Lynne O’Dell Chapman nominated Councilman Joe Moss as mayor pro tem, and council unanimously approved her nomination.

A group of local volunteers wanted the roads in the community to be a little cleaner entering the new year. The group picked up 18 large bags of trash on various roads throughout the city of Pickens on a very chilly Saturday morning Jan. 8. It was 28 degrees when they started. The project was organized by the Active Pickens Partnership, a group made up of various local organizations for the improvement of the community. Participating in the project from the partnership were members from Boy Scout Troop 51, Cub Scout Pack 51, Smith Chapel, Pickens Presbyterian Church and Grace United Methodist Church. The partnership will be hosting other community projects throughout the year.

By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com

COLUMBIA — With COVID-19’s omicron variant hitting Pickens County hard, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) has reported monumental case numbers over the past week.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the county rose by 4,425 last week, when the county’s number of confirmed cases reached 30,566 as of Monday. That rise represents an increase of more than 1,800 percent over the number of cases confirmed in the county in a one-week period leading up to Christmas last month, when there were 232 cases reported in the seven

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