Simple Civics: Greenville County

Latest Episodes:

Resolve to Get Involved: Serve on a Board or Commission Jan 18, 2022

Show notes

Serving on a board or commission that is appointed by your city or county is a meaningful way to serve in local government without running for office. Autumn Shearin, who works at Harvest Hope Food Bank, was looking for a way to make a difference in local government, and her appointment to the Thrive Upstate Board made perfect allows her to give a voice for people with disabilities and support the mission of this organization. Danny Varat, Deputy Director of A Child’s Haven, talks with Autumn about her motivation and experience applying and provides insights on the application process.

Boards & Commissions:

Greenville County: https://www.greenvillecounty.org/Council/boardscomm.aspx

City of Greenville: https://www.greenvillesc.gov/478/Boards-Commissions

City of Greer: https://www.cityofgreer.org/276/Boards-Commissions

City of Mauldin: https://cityofmauldin.org/city-accepting-applications-to-planning-commission/

City of Simpsonville: https://www.simpsonville.com/bc

City of Travelers Rest: https://travelersrestsc.com/government/boards-commissions/

Legislative delegation-appointed boards: https://www.greenvillecounty.org/legdel/documents/Boards%20and%20Commissions/Seat%20Availability.pdf?t=1642446778316

Produced by The Greenville Podcast Company.

Resolve to Get Involved: Run for Office, with Dr. Shaniece Criss Jan 11, 2022

Show notes

Dr. Shaniece Criss is busy as a health science faculty member at Furman University, a member of many community boards and initiatives, and a wonderful wife and mother. But she felt the calling to serve by running for elected office. In this episode, she shares her experience as a member of the Travelers Rest City Council and tips for how you can get involved by running for office or simply being more civically engaged.

Produced by The Greenville Podcast Company.

Resolve to Get Involved – Tell Your Story to Elected Officials Jan 04, 2022

Show notes

Tikeeta Wallace says, “I started going down (to County Council) and peeking in those meetings and I realized they were actually talking about my community. And when I realized that, I realized that if you’re going to be talking about my community and making choices on my community, if I can be here and speak, and I’m going to take every opportunity I can.”

Tikeeta joins us to discuss how she went from being unaware of how local government worked to helping lead her neighborhood’s implementation plan with County staff. She strongly believes that the barriers residents are experiencing that they might be embarrassed to discuss are actually helpful information for decision-makers to know to make our community better, and she encourages all residents to speak up and get involved.

Produced by The Greenville Podcast Company.

Get To Know Derek Lewis, Greenville County Schools Trustee Dec 28, 2021

Show notes

Derek Lewis is executive director of Greenville First Steps, and he is also a member of Greenville County Schools Board of Trustees, representing district 24. Derek shares how he became interested in serving on the school board, the role of the board, and how interconnected the roles of local governments are (it’s all about growth!). He’s interviewed by GP McLeer, another nonprofit leader (executive director of SC Arts Alliance) and elected official (Mayor of Fountain Inn).

Produced by The Greenville Podcast Company.

Property Taxes in Greenville County - An Overview With County Auditor Scott Case Dec 21, 2021

Show notes

This time of year, hundreds of thousands of Greenville County residents have property tax bills due January 15. And many of them like we have questions about what’s included, how the rates are determined, and where the funds go.

In this episode, Greenville County Auditor Scott Case gives us an overview of property taxes in Greenville County.

Greenville County Auditor - https://www.greenvillecounty.org/auditor/

How to apply for a homestead or other exemption - https://www.greenvillecounty.org/auditor/ExemptionsMain.aspx

Produced by The Greenville Podcast Company.

Neighborhood Associations – Getting Involved Right Where You Live Dec 14, 2021

Show notes

Is there something you’d like to see in your neighborhood? An addition you DON’T want to see? A neighborhood association is the best way to join with others to interact with government to make things happen. In today’s episode, Gina Norris Hinton, president of the new Slater-Marietta Neighborhood Association, is interviewed by Channing Banks with Greenville Dreams of United Way of Greenville County to cover how she got involved, what the association has worked on, and what she’s learned.

Greenville Dreams: https://www.unitedwaygc.org/greenville-dreams/

Gina Norris Hinton's Email: slater.marietta.sc@gmail.com

Produced by The Greenville Podcast Company.

Get to know GP McLeer, Mayor of Fountain Inn Dec 07, 2021

Show notes

GP McLeer is executive director of the South Carolina Arts Alliance, and he is also the youngest person to serve as Mayor of Fountain Inn. GP shares why he ran for office, what he’s excited about in Fountain Inn, and why he believes local government is important. He’s interviewed by Derek Lewis, another nonprofit leader (executive director of Greenville First Steps) and elected official (Greenville County Schools board of trustees).

Produced by The Greenville Podcast Company.

Greenville County Government – Who, What, and How to Get Involved Nov 30, 2021

Show notes

Even if you live in Travelers Rest, Greer, Greenville city, Mauldin, Simpsonville, or Fountain Inn, you are still one of the 525,000 people who are represented by Greenville County Council, and the decisions of the County government impact you. Learn more about our Greenville County government and how you can be part of its decision-making.

Featuring Bob Mihalic, Government Affairs Coordinator for Greenville County. Bob’s responsibilities include researching, coordinating, creating, and implementing Greenville County’s short and long term public policy goals as they relate to federal, state, and local legislation and serving as on-air spokesperson for the county while managing all public communications including extensive media relations involving public relations/events, FOIA, and general information requests.

Learn more about Greenville County Council members, look up your Greenville County Council member, see each week’s calendar, and more

Produced by The Greenville Podcast Company.

Local Redistricting – What Is It and Why It Matters Nov 23, 2021

Show notes

Redistricting happens just once every ten years, and at its core determines who can represent you – in congress, in the legislature, and on city and county councils. It’s the process of redrawing lines of various congressional, legislative, and council districts to determine which geographic areas are represented by whom. Lawson Wetli, president of the Greenville County League of Women Voters, joins us to describe what it means here in Greenville County.

You can find Lawson's full bio here: https://simplecivicsgreenvillecounty.org/local-redistricting-what-is-it-and-why-it-matters

Produced by The Greenville Podcast Company.

Why Local Government Matters Nov 16, 2021

Show notes

Most people are so much more focused on federal issues, like immigration, guns, and health care than they are on local government. But Bob Mihalic, Government Relations Coordinator for Greenville County, joins Katy Smith with Greenville Partnership for Philanthropy to discuss why he believes local government is so important and how easy it is to get involved.

Visit https://simplecivicsgreenvillecounty.org for more.

Produced by The Greenville Podcast Company.

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