Mayor advocates for Simpsonville residents in Columbia

Mayor Shewmaker joins American Flood Coalition in calling attention to storm water issues

Simpsonville, S.C. — Mayor Paul Shewmaker joined the American Flood Coalition in Columbia in February to advocate on behalf of Simpsonville City Council for Simpsonville residents regarding storm water flooding.

Originally planning to only support his counterparts from other municipalities as they spoke on behalf of AFC in the South Carolina State House, Mayor Shewmaker found himself on Feb. 28 to be the one speaking to Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey when officials from other cities were unable to attend. Mayor Shewmaker also spoke to television reporters from ABC Columbia affiliate WOLO-TV and others.

"As a mayor with a just cause and an invitation, I was going to be joined by a few other dedicated elected officials, including City of Conway Mayor Barbara Blain-Bellamy," Mayor Shewmaker wrote in a Mayor's Message entry a couple of days later. "She is an amazing person, amazing mayor, and a perfect spokesperson for the AFC. With all those high-powered folks there, I had a simple plan: stand in the back and be a cheerleader, but plans changed."

Storm water flooding has become a concern for both property owners and city officials in the Golden Strip and throughout Greenville County. Carolinas Director at American Flood Coalition Tony McEwan met Mayor Shewmaker in Columbia.

"We appreciate Mayor Shewmaker and the City of Simpsonville for taking a statewide leadership role in advocating for better flood resilience policy and resources in South Carolina," McEwan said after the visit. "We believe that this effort will ultimately save City of Simpsonville taxpayers' money in the long term. For every $1 invested through resilience, $6 in taxpayer resources is saved on the backend of flooding disasters."

PHOTOS:

(ABOVE) Mayor Paul Shewmaker, fifth from the right, Carolinas Director at American Flood Coalition Tony McEwan, first row, and the AFC meet with Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, fifth from the left | American Flood Coalition

Mayor Paul Shewmaker joined the American Flood Coalition in the South Carolina State House on Feb. 28 to advocate for Simpsonville residents on the issue of storm water flooding | American Flood Coalition

Mayor Paul Shewmaker, second across from speaker, sits through a presentation by the S.C. Office of Resilience, which is tasked with addressing issues like storm water flooding | American Flood Coalition