The 2023 Local Elections Show: Real Estate Stakes Across Greenville & The Upstate

Local ballots may look small, but their impact is anything but. In this episode of Selling Greenville, the conversation zeroes in on how city and county decisions ripple directly into home values, affordability, infrastructure, and day-to-day life across Greenville and the Upstate. Think of it as a civics class with a mortgage calculator in the front row (and a zoning map in the back pocket).

The 2023 Local Elections Show

2023 Local Elections shape what gets built, where it goes, and how fast communities grow. That’s the plain truth behind The 2023 Local Elections Show—a candid walk-through of what’s at stake, who’s deciding it, and why “local” is where policy hits property. The episode avoids endorsements, choosing instead to outline themes, tensions, and consequences so residents can do their own research (and voting) with eyes open (no yard sign required).

First, the broader backdrop (where federal headwinds meet front-porch realities)

Recorded just before October 1, the episode flags the looming possibility of a federal government shutdown and acknowledges how shutdowns can ripple through closings and government-backed loans, plus records and services that everyday buyers and sellers need. The stance is simple: shutdowns tend to hit middle- and lower-income households hardest (not exactly a budget-friendly twist).

Greenville County Council: When policy gets messy (and messier)

A recent Greenville County Council meeting gets described—bluntly—as a circus (complete with interruptions, out-of-turn remarks, and public accusations). Past the theatrics, a serious proposal triggered the visit: applying a de facto zoning effect to unzoned areas by requiring 1.5-acre lots for new homes using septic. The episode frames that as far beyond state health standards and a move that would push development toward luxury homes, crimp affordability, and drag home values in unintended ways.

Outcome so far: a planned second reading was delayed and pushed into October (policy cliffhanger, stay tuned).

Big picture: when councils lurch from 7–5 votes to 6–6 deadlocks (there are 12 members), one flipped seat can stall or swing key rules. The reminder is pointed—dysfunction at this level isn’t abstract; it shapes whether new homes can be built and at what price point (cue the “housing supply” chart in your head).

Grow or stagnate: the unavoidable fork in the road

Across conversations with multiple candidates in Greenville, Travellers Rest (TR), Mauldin, Easley, Simpsonville, and beyond, a shared point emerges: municipalities either grow or stagnate. Growth is not a buzzword; it includes real estate development—because people need places to live, and tax bases need roofs to fund services.

Of course, the speed of growth is contentious. Many fear “turning into Charlotte or Atlanta.” The episode’s answer: apples and oranges. The trajectory, scale, and development patterns of those cities don’t match what’s happening here. The better comparisons are smaller metros—yet even then, every city grows on its own terms (copy-paste urbanism rarely ends well).

Underneath the noise, housing affordability is the real friction. Candidates often invoke AMI (Area Median Income) and set-asides at 80%, 70%, or other AMI targets within new projects. The show supports adding deeply affordable and workforce units—think teachers, police, and firefighters—while warning against stonewalling market-rate housing. The logic: all housing adds supply, which relieves pressure (unless policy artificially inflates land requirements and chokes production). (Supply and demand still RSVP to every council meeting, even if uninvited.)

City of Greenville: Mayor’s race and the infrastructure drumbeat

Greenville’s mayoral contest stands out. Knox White, a long-time incumbent, faces a serious challenger, Michelle Shane. The episode points out she’s run a credible, well-backed campaign and previously collaborated with the current administration, sharing fingerprints on major moves over the last two decades. Translation: qualifications aren’t the issue; differentiation is.

Council races? Expect a chorus around infrastructure—especially sewer—and concerns about overdevelopment. Voters seem to give high marks to Greenville’s trajectory over decades, even as they press for sharper alignment between growth and pipes, roads, and services (form follows funding).

Simpsonville: Traffic, stormwater, and the parking paradox

In Simpsonville, two words dominate: traffic and stormwater (with downtown parking elbowing into the conversation). The show describes seeing stormwater issues firsthand—flood footage showing a backyard becoming a rushing, foot-deep river after heavy rain. While new construction gets blamed reflexively, the episode notes that older subdivisions—built under looser historic standards—often drive the current pain.

DOT has offered recommendations for improving flow; some implementation is in the works. But the host’s view is pragmatic: fix parking to unlock traffic improvements, not the other way around. (Parking is the Jenga block; pull the right piece, and congestion calms faster than a new left-turn lane.)

Travellers Rest (TR): Charm, the Swamp Rabbit Trail, and the price of saying “no”

TR is beloved for its compact main street and trail proximity. The show asks a hard question: if the town resists new homes near its most coveted assets, where do prices go? Answer: up. Way up. The sentiment is clear—protect the small-town feel, yes—but consider targeted residential options near the Swamp Rabbit Trail to support small businesses, widen access, and ease the price surge (cute is great; exclusive is not the brand).

(Also, there’s a Sunday brunch spot in downtown TR with a reasonable wait. The name remains… confidential. Competitive advantage must be preserved. 🥞)

Easley & Pickens: A full-blown NIMBY battleground

Here’s where things get fiery. Easley's and Picken's races are described as the most volatile in the Upstate. The episode details aggressive anti-development activism, with a local site publicly bashing sitting council members, photographing meetings, and painting anyone who has ever approved any project as “pro-development” (as if nuance were zoning-prohibited).

The critique offered is twofold:

1. Strategy misfire: running purely on anger and refusal to compromise risks alienating everyone needed to govern. Council is still a team sport.

2. Affordability blind spot: If the plan is to moratorium and stonewall until nothing gets built, prices climb, young households look elsewhere, and the city loses emerging talent. That’s not preservation; that’s a slow leak of opportunity (and tax base).

As for the “Realtors just want more closings” trope, the reply is curt: clients move either way. If Easley blocks supply and pushes prices higher, buyers shift to other upstate markets, and Easley loses the household, not the realtor. (Narratives should be inspected like foundations. If they crack under light pressure, don’t build on them.)

A word on AMI, set-asides, and consistency

One throughline in the episode: be consistent. If leaders demand affordability but then float proposals like 1.5-acre minimum lots with septic in unzoned areas, they’re working at cross-purposes. You can’t widen the on-ramp and install a speed bump every 10 feet (well, you can, but you won’t get where you say you’re going).

Why your one vote matters (seriously)

Local turnout is tiny. Some races swing on 75–80 votes. That’s not a metaphor; that’s a realistic winning margin cited from past cycles. For anyone who wonders if a single ballot counts, municipal elections are the loudest “yes.” These councils determine lot rules, buffers, sewer priorities, stormwater fixes, parking plans, and zoning rewrites—the gears that grind directly on property rights and monthly budgets.

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Bottom Line

Local elections aren’t background noise—they’re the mixing board for growth, affordability, and neighborhood quality. The episode’s message is not to back one name over another but to scrutinise ideas:

• Does a proposal increase options or choke them?

• Is “affordable housing” a headline and a plan, or just a talking point tethered to contradictory rules?

• Are candidates collaborators capable of compromise, or flamethrowers whose only tool is “no”?

From Greenville to Simpsonville, TR to Easley and Pickens, the stakes are the same: align growth with infrastructure, add homes across price points (including deeply affordable and workforce units), and avoid policies that look surgical but act like sledgehammers. Vote, because 80 ballots can redraw the map (and yes, sometimes the plat).

Ien Araneta

Journal & Podcast Editor | Selling Greenville