COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Town of Lexington has made history after electing its first-ever female mayor, Hazel Livingston.
Running unopposed, Livingston secured an overwhelming 92% of the vote in the election held on Tuesday.
“I’m excited, I’m very excited,” said Livingston.
Hazel Livingston is no stranger to making history. With an impressive 25-year tenure in local governance, she currently holds the record as the longest-serving member of the town council. Livingston has served as Mayor Pro-tem since 2004.
Her extensive experience, she believes, uniquely qualifies her to address key issues facing one of the fastest-growing areas in the Midlands, such as development, transparency, and traffic.
"I hope that they know how the money is being used, they know what projects we're looking to do, they feel like they have an engagement with it, and I hope they feel welcome at their town hall," Livingston said.
She added that communication will extend to the town council, which is adding two new members.
“The first thing I plan on doing is once I get a little bit of rest, plan on sending all of my council members an email and asking them to give me a list of what they would like to see us accomplish next year,” said Livingston. “I want to be a team builder and to be inclusive with them, all of them even when we disagree to make sure I’m bringing their opinion to the table and letting it be heard.
A staunch advocate for preserving natural spaces in the town, Livingston is committed to continuing her efforts to maintain green areas, ensuring that Lexington remains an attractive place to live and visit.
"The main thing we gotta do is put the most protections we can in for big development like that. Everybody knows that I firmly believe that we can't make everything concrete. We've got to preserve some green space for the future," Livingston emphasized.
While addressing the town's challenges, Livingston humorously acknowledged that traffic is a significant concern that she plans to address.
"Traffic," she chuckled, "traffic is just going to be a challenge over here."
However, she pointed to improvements being made at 30 intersections across the town and added she will work to bring in state and federal resources to help address traffic issues and needed road repairs.
Beyond her commitment to serving the community, Hazel Livingston hopes her election inspires young women and men to consider running for local offices.
"It's very rewarding to help someone and to be able to love on them and do things for them," she added.
Hazel Livingston is set to be officially sworn in as Mayor on December 4th.
The town’s first female administrator will be sworn in on November 20th.