2026 Spartanburg County Council District 5 Election

*CANDIDATES' VIEWS IN THE Q&AS LINKED BELOW DO NOT REFLECT THE VIEWS OF ONESPARTANBURG, INC. CANDIDATE RESPONSES ARE THE CANDIDATES' OWN WORDS, HAVING COME FROM EMAILED RESPONSES.*

REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE 

BETTY MONTGOMERY

Website: www.BettyMontgomery.com 

The Office You're Seeking: Spartanburg County Council District 5

Tell us about yourself, your involvement in our community, and what you are for.

• I have lived in Spartanburg County for over 50 years and know the county well. Walter and I raised our 4 wonderful children on a working cattle farm in Campobello and I now have 14 grandchildren that live in the area love to come visit the farm. I have a small warehousing business along with other interest in Spartanburg County. I have served on 4 college boards at different times, USC-Upstate, Converse, Wofford and presently Spartanburg Methodist. I have been on numerous boards in Spartanburg : Spartanburg Regional Hospital, The Spartanburg County Foundation, Red Cross, and many other organizations. I am have been involved in politics over the years on the sidelines and worked for Ross Perot for 4 years and lobbied against NAFTA, which fought having unlimited imports from other countries like India and China. I got involved with his campaign because he was the only one that talked about keeping manufacturing jobs in the USA. Spartanburg County’s rural communities deserve growth that strengthens our way of life, not projects that strain our land, water, roads, and power grid without clear benefits for the people who live here. I support economic development, good jobs, and new investment. However, it has to be the right kind of development, in the right place, with full transparency and community input from the beginning.

South Carolina’s Constitution sets a 10.5% property tax assessment on manufacturing property—well above the 4%–6% typical in competing Southeastern states. As a result, when companies meet qualifying investment and job criteria, tools like Fee in Lieu of Tax (FILOT) agreements are used to remain competitive and attract jobs and investment. FILOTs have been essential to attracting and retaining companies that have produced most of our community’s jobs. Do you support the use of FILOT agreements to offset this structural disadvantage? If yes, what specific criteria would you require to approve a FILOT? If not, what tools would you use to compete with lower-cost states and win jobs for the people of Spartanburg County? 

• FILOT has served Spartanburg County in the past. WE would not have BMW, Michelin, Dr. Pepper, Milo Tea, etc. if they had not had some incentive to locate here. We have to come up with a way to actively monitor FILOT to make sure that companies do what they say they will do and if not, we need to take away FILOT. We have to fix the system.

Spartanburg County voters approved a six-year, 1% penny sales tax in 2017 to replace outdated and inefficient facilities. Voters continued the measure another six years in 2023 to fund 577 road projects. Both measures delivered major projects with no debt, no interest, no property tax increases, and over 30% of revenue was and will be derived from visitors. Together, these measures reflect strong voter support for investing in growth infrastructure—differentiating Spartanburg from neighboring counties who have been unable to pass similar initiatives. Did you support the 2017 and 2023 referendums? If yes, why? If not, what specific alternative funding mechanism would you have used to deliver the same scale of projects without raising property taxes or taking on debt—and would it generate comparable visitor-funded revenue? 

• We needed to upgrade our roads and it was a fare way to spread the burden of the penny sales tax to people outside our county that use our roads.

Given rising costs across the board, current residents and newcomers are finding it more difficult to afford housing. People want to live close to their place of employment, and companies want to locate in areas where housing is financially obtainable for their employees. What steps would you take to ensure housing is obtainable for current residents and newcomers? 

• When I am elected to County Council I will study this issue in greater detail. There is a lot of moving parts that are involved in this issue and I need to understand a lot more before I make a statement. I will promise to study this issue and do what is best for my district.

Limiting economic development moves more of the tax burden to residents while also reducing job opportunities and the potential for higher wages. At the same time, economic growth must be managed with a focus on quality over quantity – a strategy that has seen some success with recent life science announcements, small business growth, and record per capita income. Would you work to continue high-quality job creation over low-impact growth? If not, how would you prevent increased tax burdens and declining opportunity for residents?

• I support economic development, good jobs, and new investment. However, it has to be the right kind of development, in the right place, with full transparency and community input from the beginning. I realize we would not be able to have all the infrastructure we need with the property tax rate we pay on property if we did not have businesses paying the taxes to go along with what we pay. I am against raising property taxes.

OneSpartanburg Vision Plan 2.0 data indicated small business growth and creation below the national average. One goal of the Spartanburg County Vision Plan is to “strengthen the small and local business impact on the economy.” In 2023, the County and OneSpartanburg, Inc. partnered to create Power Up Spartanburg – a new initiative designed to make Spartanburg the best place in America to start or grow a small business. Since inception, the initiative has engaged 2,672 small businesses leading to measurable small business growth across the county. Would you support the continuation of Power Up Spartanburg? If so, why? If not, what specific plan would you implement to strengthen and grow small businesses across Spartanburg County? 

• New businesses come and then others close so we have to have new businesses starting up. I am for new job creation and will work hard to have the right businesses come to Spartanburg County.

With the loss of public tournaments at the Upward Sports facility and its $15M annual impact, would you support investing in a new sports tourism facility (that would be available for residents’ use) if most of the funding is generated by visitors? If not, what is your alternative plan to replace this economic impact?

• We need responsible planning, infrastructure first so that our residents have the infrastructure they need: police, firemen, schools, roads, etc. I would have to study this issue more to learn more about our housing needs. I have written for the newspaper for about 20 years and I always study what I am writing about. When elected to County Council I will do my homework to learn about issues so that I can make a good informed decision that is right for the people of my district.

 

 

DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE 

GARRETT GIBSON

*Not on ballots until November's General Election

Website: WWW.garrettgibsonforSC.com 

The Office You're Seeking: County Council District 5

Tell us about yourself, your involvement in our community, and what you are for.

• I’m a public school teacher, small business owner, and father who’s committed to serving Spartanburg. Through my work in education and the arts, I’ve seen the challenges people face along with the strength of this community. That’s what finally pushed me to step up. I’m for working families. Strong schools, reliable infrastructure, affordable housing, and transparent leadership that puts people ahead of special interests. I believe Spartanburg can and should be a place where if you work hard, you can build a stable life.

South Carolina’s Constitution sets a 10.5% property tax assessment on manufacturing property—well above the 4%–6% typical in competing Southeastern states. As a result, when companies meet qualifying investment and job criteria, tools like Fee in Lieu of Tax (FILOT) agreements are used to remain competitive and attract jobs and investment. FILOTs have been essential to attracting and retaining companies that have produced most of our community’s jobs. Do you support the use of FILOT agreements to offset this structural disadvantage? If yes, what specific criteria would you require to approve a FILOT? If not, what tools would you use to compete with lower-cost states and win jobs for the people of Spartanburg County? 

• I support bringing good jobs to Spartanburg, but not blank checks for corporations. FILOT agreements should only be used when they deliver living-wage jobs, local hiring, transparency, and accountability when companies don’t follow through. I won’t support any deal that shifts the tax burden onto working families.

Spartanburg County voters approved a six-year, 1% penny sales tax in 2017 to replace outdated and inefficient facilities. Voters continued the measure another six years in 2023 to fund 577 road projects. Both measures delivered major projects with no debt, no interest, no property tax increases, and over 30% of revenue was and will be derived from visitors. Together, these measures reflect strong voter support for investing in growth infrastructure—differentiating Spartanburg from neighboring counties who have been unable to pass similar initiatives. Did you support the 2017 and 2023 referendums? If yes, why? If not, what specific alternative funding mechanism would you have used to deliver the same scale of projects without raising property taxes or taking on debt—and would it generate comparable visitor-funded revenue? 

• Yes, I supported them, because investing in infrastructure matters. That being said, sales taxes hit working families the hardest. Going forward, corporations should pay their fair share, and investments should prioritize residents.

Given rising costs across the board, current residents and newcomers are finding it more difficult to afford housing. People want to live close to their place of employment, and companies want to locate in areas where housing is financially obtainable for their employees. What steps would you take to ensure housing is obtainable for current residents and newcomers? 

• Housing shouldn’t be treated like a commodity for out-of-state investors. I would focus on limiting large-scale corporate home-buying, giving first-time buyers a fair shot, and discouraging properties from being held vacant. At the same time, we need to build more affordable housing and make sure public incentives actually benefit residents.

Limiting economic development moves more of the tax burden to residents while also reducing job opportunities and the potential for higher wages. At the same time, economic growth must be managed with a focus on quality over quantity – a strategy that has seen some success with recent life science announcements, small business growth, and record per capita income. Would you work to continue high-quality job creation over low-impact growth? If not, how would you prevent increased tax burdens and declining opportunity for residents?

• Yes, I support high-quality job growth, as long as it means more than just numbers. I’m more concerned with jobs that pay well, hire locally, and contribute fairly. If “growth” comes at the cost of low wages and strained infrastructure, I can’t support that.

OneSpartanburg Vision Plan 2.0 data indicated small business growth and creation below the national average. One goal of the Spartanburg County Vision Plan is to “strengthen the small and local business impact on the economy.” In 2023, the County and OneSpartanburg, Inc. partnered to create Power Up Spartanburg – a new initiative designed to make Spartanburg the best place in America to start or grow a small business. Since inception, the initiative has engaged 2,672 small businesses leading to measurable small business growth across the county. Would you support the continuation of Power Up Spartanburg? If so, why? If not, what specific plan would you implement to strengthen and grow small businesses across Spartanburg County? 

• I support small businesses, because they’re the backbone of our economy. But we need to focus on helping them actually succeed, which means access to funding, real support, and keeping local dollars local so that we don’t watch the same building turn over multiple businesses in just a few years.

With the loss of public tournaments at the Upward Sports facility and its $15M annual impact, would you support investing in a new sports tourism facility (that would be available for residents’ use) if most of the funding is generated by visitors? If not, what is your alternative plan to replace this economic impact?

• I’m open to it if it truly benefits Spartanburg residents. But that means clear returns, no hidden costs, fair-paying jobs, and guaranteed community access. We shouldn’t be relying on these big projects alone, though. Supporting local businesses and events matters just as much. If we invest, it should be because it works for working people, not just because it looks like growth.