FOREST ACRES, S.C. — After 28 years the Mayor of Forest Acres is retiring.
Mayor Frank Brunson announced Wednesday night he is leaving the top job in Forest Acres after almost three decades.
He has been at the helm in Forest Acres through the 2015 thousand year flood, the passing of police officer Greg Alia, and most recently the plans to redevelop the Richland Mall.
In the letter that he sent to city council he said that he, "I want you to know I have been honored and truly privileged to have had the support of this community for 28 years. I hope I have fulfilled the vision you had for your city when you first elected me—one that includes a safe place to call home and raise your families. It is a vision of a small city with a healthy blend of residential and commercial growth and with strong and stable finances thanks to decades of conservative and thoughtful spending. It is a city that prides itself in offering top notch police and concierge sanitation services that reflect the collective ownership we all take in our streets. It is a city that has maintained the character of its neighborhoods and its people. "
He goes on to call the decision "bittersweet".
Brunson is married to his wife Jo Ann and has two daughters and is an active grandfather and said that because his daughters and grandchildren live in the area it weighed heavily into his decision to retire, he says.
No word yet on his last day in office.