Fall Advocacy Recap: Roads, Relationships and More 

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Roads will top the agenda of the 2026 South Carolina General Assembly session, according to state officials. 

South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) Secretary Justin Powell and S.C. Rep. Brandon Newton of Lancaster and Kershaw counties both emphasized the immediacy of addressing solutions to road improvements across the state during the SCAC Fall Advocacy Meeting on Oct. 14 in Columbia. 

House of Representatives Speaker Murrell Smith has formed an ad hoc committee on the modernization of SCDOT, which has 24 members. 

Newton said the House plans to tackle roads when it convenes in January. 

 

Justin Powell at the 2025 Fall Advocacy Meeting
S.C. Secretary of Transportation discusses future roads and bridges projects with county officials attending the Fall Advocacy Meeting. 

 “I would encourage you to start getting in that conversation now with your House members because it’s coming quickly,” Newton told the audience of more than 80 county officials. 

Newton along with Lancaster County Council Chairman Brian Carnes, Lancaster County Administrator Dennis Marstall, Sen. Mike Reichenbach of Florence and Florence County Administrator Kevin Yokim drove home the power of building relationships between county leaders and legislative delegations. 

“Communication is the hallmark of what makes our relationship good,” Reichenbach said. “What we agree on more than anything is the folks of Florence County don’t care about what your political affiliation is when they’ve got issues they need assistance with.” 

Yokim described how Reichenbach recently implemented an application process for the magistrate appointment process in Florence County. Magistrates are appointed by state senators across South Carolina, and this year Reichenbach convened a committee that included county officials, which conducted interviews and made a selection based on qualifications.  

 

Legislators and county leaders from Florence and Lancaster counties.
From left: Sen. Mike Reichenbach of Florence County, Florence County Administrator Kevin Yokim, Rep. Brandon Newtown of Lancaster and Kershaw counties, Lancaster County Council Chairman Brian Carnes and Lancaster County Administrator Dennis Marstall share how their counties have formed meaningful relationships to best serve constituents.  

Also at the meeting, SC House of Representatives Clerk Charles Reid spoke further on the art of growing delegation and county relationships. 
 
Roberta Braneck with the State Fiscal Accountability Authority gave an update on the SC Opioid Recovery Fund, and SCAC Policy Steering Committees shared reports on their work for the upcoming 2026 session. 

See all presentations and the Steering Committees’ reports online.  

See the event photo gallery.