Gavin J. Smith

05/30/2026

I’m just going to say it: what the hell is your legislature — those people you elect each year to supposedly make life better for you, your family, your businesses — doing about this?

We have restaurants closing left and right because of liability insurance premiums. We have bars closing by the day because owners can’t afford to get keep the lights on due to sky-high insurance premiums. And much of it is because of the laws on the book in South Carolina that very clearly need desperate reform.

Perhaps the Governor should call a special session on this issue, too — and let’s finally deliver a solution and some relief to an industry that is visibly suffering all due to ineptitude of our leaders in Columbia.

These are moms and dads having to close their doors or being laid off. These are family businesses open for many years being forced to close. This is wrong and it’s time for the legislature to stop playing politics, serving their lobbyist friends, and actually DO SOMETHING!

The local bar will close indefinitely as it works to find new liquor liability insurance, something that has become increasingly challenging for bars and restaurants across the state. (Full story below.)

05/29/2026

I have a serious question: why has politics become so personal? So hateful? So okay with just tearing one another down regardless of the costs?

As we celebrate America 250, let us be reminded that the Founding Fathers had fierce disagreements about the future of this country — but they still sat down together, debated, listened to one another, and ultimately built something bigger than themselves.

May we also remember that Jesus sat with people from all walks of life, including people He disagreed with, and still treated them with dignity, compassion, and respect.

Perhaps this is a novel concept, but we don’t have to agree on every issue, y’all.

Honestly, I don’t know a single person I agree with 100% of the time — not even my husband or my own mom. And that’s okay. That. Is. America.

Somewhere along the way, we’ve lost the ability to simply have conversations. To hear each other out. To disagree without hatred or turning the other person into the enemy.

And honestly, thats bothered me a lot lately.

I think what politics today has divulged into is dangerous for a country founded on debate, freedom of thought, and differing opinions.

After all, as Lincoln warned, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

Let’s be the reason the house stands y’all. We can be better than this. I know we can.

05/27/2026

🚨 Serving on Town of Lexington, SC Town Council has shown me just how important local government is, and I believe it’s more important than ever for cities and towns to have a strong partner in the Governor’s Office.

For far too long, local communities across South Carolina have been expected to deal with traffic, aging infrastructure, public safety challenges, and rapid growth without enough support from the state.

It’s far past time we elect a Governor who understands that the best solutions to the issues we hear about every single day from our citizens come when state and local leaders work together — and who will make that partnership a priority.

That’s why I’m proud to support Attorney General Alan Wilson to be the next Governor of South Carolina.

I’ve spent a great deal of time talking with Alan over the last few months, and in each conversation he has committed to making local communities a priority in the Governor’s Office.

He understands that strong towns and cities are the foundation of a strong South Carolina, and I believe he’ll be a Governor who works every day to keep our state the greatest place to live, learn, worship, and raise a family.

I hope you’ll join me in supporting Alan Wilson for Governor on June 9th in the Republican Primary Election!

05/27/2026

🌙🌴 BY ORDER OF THE GOVERNOR, I’m incredibly proud to share that my coach, mentor, and dear friend, Coach Sheila Gordon, has received South Carolina’s highest civilian honor — the Order of the Palmetto.

When I learned she would be retiring from White Knoll High School after 24 years, I wanted to help honor her in a way that reflected the incredible impact she’s had on so many lives.

I immediately reached out to Senator Carlisle Kennedy to nominate her, and he immediately supported the effort and was all in on getting it done!

After months of working on this together, I was honored to stand alongside Senator Kennedy in the South Carolina State Senate chambers today as we presented Coach Gordon with the award, conferred by Governor Henry McMaster!

Coach Gordon has spent her life serving others. Her leadership and heart have shaped generations of students, athletes, and families across our community and state—and I can think of no one more deserving than she is.

Thank you to everyone who helped make today so special, including Councilwoman Beth Carrigg, School Board Member McKenzie Flashnick, the SC High School League, the SC Athletic Trainers Association, and the many former and current students who wrote or signed onto letters of support for her nomination.

Today was a very special moment for a very special lady — and I couldn’t be more proud of her.

Lastly, I’d like to share a special thanks to one of the best restaurants in Lexington, Ember Lexington, for generously providing dinner for Coach Gordon and her family to celebrate this evening.

Congratulations, Coach Gordon! 🤍

05/23/2026

🚧 Improving roads and transportation infrastructure remains one of the top priorities I hear about from citizens across the Town of Lexington, SC.

I’m proud to support continued investments in the infrastructure our community depends on every day, and am very grateful for the great work our transportation team is doing to make even more improvements across our Town.

Thank you to The Lexington County Chronicle for covering this important issue. You can read more by clicking the link in the comments below. ⬇️

05/23/2026

PLEASE SHARE: Chief Terrence Green would like to notify the community that the Lexington Police Department Traffic Unit, along with assistance from the Patrol Division, will be performing traffic enforcement saturation over the Memorial Day weekend.

Read more about this weekend's traffic enforcement saturation on our website...

https://www.lexsc.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/457

05/22/2026

Graduation is such a special milestone, and I was honored to help celebrate our community’s newest graduates this week. 🎓

When I first ran for Town of Lexington, SC Town Council, I talked a lot about supporting and encouraging young people in our community — and part of that means actually showing up for moments that matter.

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! We are proud of you and excited to see all that’s ahead for you, and I can’t wait to have some of you as my future students at the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina (looking at you, Lila! 👀) !

05/22/2026

💐 Over the last few days, I’ve attended graduations, celebrating our community’s newest high school graduates—watching proud families, hearing names called, and listening to speeches about reflection, family, and where life goes from here.

There’s something about those moments… they make you think a little deeper about your own people…

Last night was the first major family milestone since we lost our Mammaw—and I felt her absence in a way that caught me off guard.

My little cousin, Brayden, graduated from high school. It was such a proud moment… and honestly, a neat one for me, too. Sitting on stage, getting to shake his hand as he walked across, and remind him I’m proud of him—it meant a lot to be part of that moment.

But even in that, it didn’t feel quite complete. There was a space where Mammaw should have been—smiling, celebrating, soaking it all in the way she always did, and reminding you she’s “proud of you honey.” 💜

And you realize in moments like that… grief doesn’t always show up loudly. Sometimes it’s just the quiet awareness that someone you love isn’t there to witness what comes next. Isn’t there in the moments they always were…

Toward the end of the ceremony tonight, one of the final speakers talked about appreciating the people who helped you get where you are.

And sitting there, I just knew—I needed to go see my Mammaw on my way home.

So on my way home, I stopped. I took her flowers. And I stood there for a while… not really saying anything, just wanting to feel close to her again. Like maybe, for those few minutes, the distance didn’t feel quite so far.

Sure, I’ve learned how to keep moving forward. I think I’ve handled things well…

But these last few days… I sure have missed her… 😢

Because this is the part no one really explains—how life keeps unfolding, how moments keep coming, and how the people you wish were there don’t get to be part of them anymore.

And somehow, you’re left learning how to carry both things at once—the joy of what’s happening…and the ache of who’s missing…

Thanks for reading these posts and supporting me/us through this y’all. It means a lot to me and my family! 💜

05/21/2026

This morning, I was sitting on the porch with Bentley, and she just kept staring at me — that look dogs give you when it almost feels like they know something’s weighing on you.

At first, I laughed and thought it was cute. Which, let’s be real: she is cute. 😅

But the more I sat there, the more I realized she was probably picking up on something I hadn’t fully admitted to myself yet: the last few days have really bothered me.

Because lately, I’ve found myself asking a lot of questions about what politics, and especially local politics, is becoming.

I’ve sat back and watched friends tear friends down — all for the sake of… what, exactly? A seat? A title? A temporary political win?

I’ve watched candidates trash other candidates and even their families. Families, y’all… Since when did that become acceptable in local politics? Since when did we decide that spouses, children, and loved ones were fair game in campaigns that are supposed to be about SERVING our communities?

I’ve watched elected officials refuse to step up and support one another — even after having the nerve to ask for that same person’s support in their own election just a few years ago. That part is especially disappointing, but I can’t say I’m surprised.

And then there’s the dark money.

Every single election since I joined Council, outside money has shown up trying to influence our local races. Mailers. Ads. Anonymous organizations. Political games funded by people most voters have never even heard of.

I firmly believe the laws around this should change.

If a PAC, organization, or outside group is spending money to influence an election, the public deserves to know exactly where that money is coming from — with the same level of detail and transparency that candidates themselves are legally required to provide. No loopholes. No hiding behind vague organization names. No secret funding streams influencing local communities from the shadows.

But more than anything else, I keep coming back to one question:

Are we okay with this?
Are we okay with what this has all become?

Because I, for one, am not.

Politics was never supposed to make us hate one another.

Debate, disagreement, and finding common ground are part of the very foundation of this grand experiment we call America — the idea that you and I can see the world differently, argue passionately for what we believe in, and still stand side by side at the end of the day as Americans… and as friends.

I believe we can disagree without working to destroy one another.

I believe we can disagree without the eye rolls, the huffing and puffing, and the blatant disrespect toward people simply because they see things differently.

I believe we can campaign without losing sight of the fact that the person you’re attacking is someone’s husband or wife. Someone’s mother or father. Someone’s Mimi or Grandad.

Or in my case… someone’s son.

Local government, much less any other level of government, was never supposed to feel this ugly and hateful.

And I believe if we don’t start calling it out and drawing the line somewhere, I worry we’re going to wake up one day and realize we’ve lost far more than elections.

We’ll have lost our sense of community, too…