LEXINGTON — The village of Lexington officially has a new mayor, and will welcome two new faces to its village council.
According to final, unofficial results from the Richland County Board of Elections, Keith Bacin, Aaron Hoptry and Wynn H. Kearns will serve on Lexington village council starting in 2024.
Bacin led with 28% of the vote, followed by Kearns with 27% of the vote, and Hoptry with 23% of the vote.
Charles L. Snyder IV came in fourth with 20% of the vote.
Kearns will retain his seat on Lexington’s legislative body. Bacin and Hoptry are newcomers to the village council.
Current council president Bob Jarvis also ran unopposed for mayor of Lexington, after current mayor Brian White decided not to seek a second term. Jarvis received 1,505 votes.
All three of Lexington’s proposed charter amendments also passed on Tuesday. The amendments now require things:
- That council members and the mayor remain a resident of the village during their entire term of office
- That new ordinances and resolutions must be published in two public places within the village for a period of at least 15 days after their adoption
- That the village must post new ordinances and resolutions on its website
Richland Source reached out to all three council candidates on Tuesday evening, but only made contact with Hoptry.
At age 32, Hoptry said this is his first time running for elected office.
“I want to thank the voters, and I look forward to keeping Lexington traditions alive and working towards a safer, growing community,” he said on Tuesday night.
According to previous coverage, Hoptry’s top priorities for the village are resident safety and transparency for elected officials.
Bacin, 64, said in previous coverage he has attended village council meetings consistently for the last five years, and feels “in-tune” enough to hold office.
He wants to help implement the Leverage Lexington 2035 Comprehensive Plan, and said part of that will include addressing the village’s zoning laws.
“We have a clear vision of where we want to go and how we want to do it,” he said. “We have to make sure that our laws and regulations go along with that.”
Bacin said he also wants to boost the number of businesses downtown, and improve the village’s infrastructure.
Kearns, 58, was appointed to the village council in 2003. He was elected to retain the seat later that year, and has served on council ever since.
According to previous coverage, beautification work in Lexington is a top priority for Kearns, especially in the central business district.
He also wants to finish the remote-read water meter project and complete the restructuring of the Lexington-Troy Township Union Cemetery management.
Kearns also plans to help integrate the new village leadership, which includes new mayor Bob Jarvis.