Town of Lexington Mayor Pro Tem Ron Williams has filed to run for a third full term on town council.

He joined council in April 2014, so his first term was not a full term, but he has since been re-elected twice and has lived in the town for over 20 years.

Williams told the Chronicle that his proudest accomplishments from this current term include opening Virginia Hylton Park and the Old Mill Pond Trail, but said he’s looking forward to upgrades for Corley Street Park, as well.

“I would ride by Corley Street Park and look at the condition of the parking lot, which was pretty bad because of the way it’s designed,” he said, “so I was able to get council to vote this year. We put money in the budget to get that parking lot paved.”

If he is re-elected for a third term, Williams said his priority would be traffic improvements.

“Martel Drive and Harmon Street down here need to be realigned,” he said. “We’re working on 378 and Sunset Split. We’ve been working on that for ten years, trying to get [the South Carolina Department of Transportation] to approve it. … Old Cherokee and Highway 6 at 378 are both going to be improved.”

Ensuring the Lexington Police Department is equipped with everything it needs is another goal Williams has, he said.

“I think we need to ensure our police department has the equipment that they need, the facilities that they need, the staffing that they need to keep us one of the safest towns in South Carolina.”

Williams serves the town through other positions, too, such as with Mission Lexington, getting anything done that needs to be done, he said, whether that be fundraising, maintenance or something else.

According to his biography on the Town of Lexington website, “Ron has been involved in community service most of his life and retirement gives him even more time to volunteer with some of his favorite organizations which include: Lexington Elementary School’s School Improvement Council; Habitat for Humanity Board’s Advisory Committee; Boy Scouts of America for the past 20 years; and as a member of Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church where he serves as Senior Warden.”

The town is growing fast, and housing developers want in on that. As for housing density, Williams said that different areas of the town have different density needs.

“I don’t like cookie-cutter, stacked on top of each other… that’s not what we want, especially in the town,” he said. “I’m not scared to push back on a developer. … I know what the town needs. We end up with great developments in the town.”

If he gets elected for a third term, Williams told the Chronicle he will again be all about continuing to serve the people of the town.

“It’s better to serve than to be served,” he said.