South Congaree’s mayor was stripped of her role as the presiding officer for town meetings after a council vote on Tuesday, May 19.

Cindy Campbell will continue to serve as the town’s mayor until 2029, and her commitment to the town “is stronger than ever,” she wrote in a Facebook post earlier this week. Mayor Pro Tem Kitty Spires will now preside over meetings for a period of one year.

Robert’s Rules of Order, a set of guidelines many governing bodies follow in the United States, details the role of a presiding officer; they open meetings, determine if enough members are present to form a quorum, detail orders of business, declare who has the floor throughout the meeting and finally, the presiding officer “states and puts to vote motions that come before the body,” according to the Municipal Association of South Carolina. Traditionally, mayors act as presiding officers. 

According to Campbell’s post, the decision to remove her from this role came after she made a comment about the competency of town staff during an executive session. 

“This action is obviously politically motivated and aimed at silencing me,” Campbell’s post read. “I expressed my expectation that we had hired capable individuals.”

The other members of the town council removed her from this role “to preserve professionalism, dispel ongoing misinformation, maintain orderly public meetings, support town employees in carrying out their duties without undue interference, and ensure that Council meetings remain focused on conducting official town business in an effective and respectful manner,” according to a statement from the members.

Specific examples of these issues are not publicly available as they were discussed during executive session, according to town spokesperson Ashley Hunter.

The vote to curtail the mayor’s role came soon after the council exited executive session during the May 19 meeting. Councilmember Brian Jackson called for the vote and Dwayne Prosser seconded the motion.

After Campbell asked if there was to be any discussion, silence followed. After she asked for an explanation, Spires said the reason for the vote was interference with town processes and with the administrative staff.

“To my knowledge no one has expressed any concerns or grievances regarding the mayor presiding over the council meetings,” Campbell said before the vote.

First elected as mayor of South Congaree in July 2020, Campbell also serves on the Joint Municipal Water and Sewer Commission and the Advisory Board of the Greater Cayce-West Columbia Chamber of Commerce. 

Another change among town leadership happened earlier this month when South Congaree confirmed that its police chief was no longer employed with the town after a short stint in the role.

Carl "CJ" Quinlan was appointed as the town’s chief of police during a special called meeting in January 2026. The vote to appoint Quinlan at the time was unanimous among town council.

South Congaree is located in Lexington County near the towns of Pine Ridge and Springdale, and has a population of just over 2,000, according to the most recent Census data. 

The next South Congaree Town Council meeting is scheduled for June 16 at 6 p.m., in the courtroom at South Congaree Town Hall, located at 119 West Berry Rd.