A Lexington County Council candidate reportedly received a questionable $5,000 campaign donation.

The Republican Party and the donor say it was legal.

The State newspaper’s report suggested it wasn’t.

According to The State’s article last Saturday:

• The donation to Glen Conwell came through the S.C. Republican Party. Con-well is running against council man Ned Tolar.

• This concealed the donor’s identity and raised the maximum amount given from $1,000 to $5,000.

• Conwell said the donation was from Lou Wood Kennedy, Nephron Pharmaceuticals CEO. Mrs. Kennedy has confirmed this to the Chronicle and said her donation was legal.

Tolar, who is facing Con-well and Charles Crouch in the June 12 primary, said he thinks Nephron’s support of his opponent has something to do with his scrutinizing tax exemptions such as the one Nephron receives.

“It’s no surprise that one of the recipients of these exemptions is now funding an opponent against me,” Tolar said in an emailed statement to the newspaper.

“However, I still believe that complete transparency for tax exemptions is the right thing to do and I still plan to push for it.”

• Lexington County gave Nephron a tax break in the form of a fee-in-lieu of property taxes in 2012, meeting minutes show. This is a common. legal economic development practice to attract large manufacturers.

The county and the state offer fees-in-lieu to lower property taxes for those prepared to invest millions of dollars and hire hundreds of employees here.