I’m not just a candidate, I’m a voter too! 
There are three open City Council seats, so I have the option to vote for not only myself but up to two others. We are now smack dab in the middle of campaigning with about a month until election day, so I figured I’d take time to do some research to see who I’d like to vote for.
Neighbors, I’m concerned. 
Not because I think the other candidates are bad, but because I really don’t know much of anything about most of them! There are three incumbents (current Council members seeking re-election) and, including me, four newcomers. 
I googled each candidate’s name plus the word Loris to try to find more info. I’ll share what I learned about each candidate from the first page of the search results.
The candidates, ordered alphabetically by last name:
Andrea Coleman (incumbent): The search results are some links to various government pages she’s listed on as well as a couple of news articles about filing for this election and past topics. I still know nothing about her platform or why she is seeking re-election.
Joshua Franklin (newcomer): There is a campaign website and campaign Facebook page. He also has a LinkedIn page. A few articles came up about this election, and there was a link where he had commented on a past Planning Commission post. He owns a coffee shop downtown. He is the only candidate (aside from the incumbents) who I have seen at any City Council or Planning Commission meetings. I do know about this candidate’s platform and views thanks to his website, social media posts, and I have first-hand knowledge based on conversations we’ve had and their public comments at meetings we’ve both attended.
Kelli Gerald (incumbent): A google search yields a personal Facebook page that has two public posts asking people to vote. There are also a couple of news articles for various past topics. No campaign social media, and no website. I have seen a couple of signs for her around town. I still know nothing about her platform or why she is seeking re-election.
Candice Grella (newcomer): I figured I should google myself too. The top hits are my campaign website and campaign Facebook page. My LinkedIn also shows up. There are articles about this election as well as an article about the community meeting I organized earlier this year regarding the Heritage Lakes annexation request. If I was a voter doing my research, I would know about my platform and why I’m running from those sources.
Lamar Jordan (newcomer): There are articles about filing for this election. He appears to own a day care center in Loris. There is no website or clear social media other than a couple of posts from others where he was tagged. I ended up on a “Digital Creator” Facebook page that he seems to be using to campaign, but it’s a bit confusing. There are posts about not competing in the election, new posts with photos of old events, posts about a book I guess he wrote, posts promoting the day care, and I guess he also does catering? There are also a bunch of videos of him buying people things if they say the campaign slogan, which, in my opinion, is ethically and probably legally questionable. He must have a lot of money and/or backers because he is giving out shirts and I’ve seen a bunch of his signs around town which are expensive! (I’ve spent close to $1,000 already, most of it from my own funds, and haven’t bought much at all!) I’m interested in reading the public campaign disclosure to see where the funding is coming from once it has been filed. I’m also VERY concerned because I immediately could tell that the more recent posts were being written by ChatGPT (see comments) which makes me leery of trusting ANYTHING on the page or from this candidate, unfortunately. I still don’t know why he’s running, and the only thing I can really tell about his platform is that he is big on community involvement, which I do appreciate, but I’ve never seen him at any Council or Planning Commission meetings.
Carroll D. Padgett (incumbent): He’s a lawyer. No social media, no website. There’s an article about requesting a forensic audit, which is cool. I still know nothing about his platform or why he’s seeking re-election though.
Marshall Russell (newcomer): This one was not a great result because both his first and last name are fairly common. A local business comes up, but it’s unclear if it’s his business or if it came up because the business shares the candidate’s name. There are some articles about this election as well as when he previously ran and lost. There’s a link to an Instagram, but I can’t click on any of the posts without logging in. There is a link to a court document from 2002 where he is listed as a defendant with the title Chief, Loris Police Department. I still don’t really know anything about his platform or why he’s running.
Needless to say, at this point I do not feel comfortable marking three names on the ballot.
Fellow candidates, if you’re reading this: 
DO BETTER!
The community deserves transparency. They deserve to know WHAT they’re voting for, not just your name. This isn’t a popularity contest, it’s EVERYONE’S future. This is important! The people who represent this city have the potential to make changes that impact future generations, good or bad, and it is OUR responsibility to make sure the community has the knowledge to make the decision that’s going to be the best for Loris. If you can’t even tell people what you stand for, how will you ever be able to properly represent them? Step up or sit down.
