Allendale voters to choose new mayor in special election Tuesday

Allendale voters will decide Tuesday whether City Hall gets a service-first reset or a return to a familiar governing style, with the special mayoral race turning on trust, responsiveness and the basics of municipal work. The winner will replace former Allendale County Sheriff Tom Carter Jr., who resigned from the mayor’s office on Feb. 5.

The ballot is down to two names: Se’khu Hadjo Gentle and Larry Cohen. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Brandt Building on Barnwell Highway, and early voting runs through May 8.

Gentle’s pitch is built around the idea that Allendale needs a mayor who will do more than describe problems. He says the town has too often been defined by negative commentary and needs leadership focused on practical results, not public drama. He presents himself as someone who sees Allendale as a place that can be improved, not dismissed.

That message rests heavily on the work Gentle says he already does. He is the leader of the Yamassee Indian Tribe and is active in the community as a firefighter and volunteer. Gentle also said he has managed a tribal organization in a difficult setting where resources are limited and infrastructure still has to be built, experience he translates to municipal leadership through cooperation, financial creativity and hard decisions. He also points to emergency-response work as evidence that he can stay calm and act quickly under pressure.

His campaign has also reflected a broader civic argument. Gentle has previously said county governments have misunderstood the Yamassee Tribe and its role in the community, underscoring his view that local government should be more open to collaboration and less shaped by old assumptions.

Cohen enters the race with a different résumé. He previously served as mayor and resigned from the town council on April 1, saying he was leaving “pursuant to Town Ordinance for Mayoral Candidacy,” effective that same day. Election listings from the South Carolina Election Commission show Gentle and Cohen as the only candidates in the special general election for mayor.

The election comes at a time when Allendale County’s governing stakes are easy to measure. The county’s population was 8,039 in the 2020 Census and was estimated at 7,355 on July 1, 2025. Median household income was $32,328 in the 2024 American Community Survey, and the county’s employment rate was 39.9 percent. With 4,059 housing units, a median gross rent of $662 and 408.1 square miles of land, even small changes in local administration can affect how residents experience basic services.

Filing for the race opened March 20 and closed at noon on April 3, leaving a short runway between vacancy and election day. In a county where daily government can carry outsized weight, Tuesday’s vote will decide whether voters want continuity, or a mayor who says City Hall should be judged first by how well it serves.