Unanimous: Dan Tripp elected chair of Greenville County Council, Liz Seman vice chair

Amid calls for unity and respect, Greenville County Council unanimously elected a new chair and vice chair at an organizational meeting on Tuesday.

Returning Councilmember Dan Tripp of District 28 won the role of chair by a unanimous vote.

“Dan has the experience and the visionary leadership to not only unite this council but chart out the proper direction to help us prepare for the future of Greenville County,” said Councilmember Ennis Fant, of District 25, who nominated Tripp.

The council chair acts as the body’s leader and is tasked with setting the agenda for each meeting.

In remarks after the vote, Tripp framed his approach to the role with a Bible verse.

“’But whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister,’” he quoted, adding, “If that’s not the definition of servant leadership, I don’t know what is. And that’s my commitment to you — that I will be a servant rather than a command-and-control leader.”

Councilmember Liz Seman of District 24 was elected vice chair, also by a unanimous vote.

Greenville County Council members continue to stress need for unity

A recurring theme over the course of the meeting was unity. Tripp emphasized his aim of establishing respectful and service-driven collaboration after the dysfunction the council has experienced in recent years.

A fiery argument broke out in March 2022 among council members about a proposed tax break for United Community Bank. Before that, in November 2021, tensions flared over the decision to eliminate a tax break for a proposed development in downtown Greer.

“I know the last two years have been trying,” Tripp said. “The first thing we’ve got to do is bring peace to council. We’ve got to build trust in each other, and we’ve got to learn how to disagree agreeably. And if we can do that, I predict that’s going to help us set the priorities that are going to help us protect the taxpayers.”

Asked about their expectations for the new session, councilmembers expressed optimism for the future.

“The last two years were an aberration, I think,” said Butch Kirven of District 27, the longest-serving active councilmember.

While Kirven acknowledged debate and disagreement will remain given councilmembers’ differing political ideologies, he believes debate will be more productive than combative.

“It’s going to be a lot more respectful and considerate,” he said.

Following Tuesday’s organizational meeting, the council will convene for its first regular meeting of the year on Jan. 24, where members will consider adopting council rule changes, according to Tripp.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dan Tripp chair of Greenville County Council, Liz Seman vice chair