Government

Johnny Cribb Sworn in as New Berkeley County Supervisor

U.S. Senator Tim Scott swears in Johnny Cribb as Berkeley County’s newest supervisor. (Via Berkeley County Government)

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C.–Five months after he defeated Bill Peagler in the June primary, former Hanahan administrator Johnny Cribb was sworn in as Berkeley County’s newest supervisor Wednesday before a large audience inside council chambers.

“I haven’t had a whole lot of jobs. My first day on the job in Mount Pleasant and my first day on the job in Hanahan not this many people showed up on my first day of work,” he joked. “My commitment is we are going to work really hard to serve the residents of Berkeley County.”

U.S. Senator Tim Scott issued Cribb the oath of office.  After being sworn in, Cribb then addressed the audience. He admitted that he was hesitant to enter the county supervisor race in the beginning.

“Whenever I decided to run, I prayed for it for about a year. I was the last guy that was going to run for politics, but I believe the Lord put it on my heart,” stated Cribb.

During his time on the campaign trail, Cribb stated that he knocked on a lot of residents’ doors and learned a great deal about the key issues that mattered to people the most in the county.

“I heard about a lot of things. Roads, traffic conditions are priorities 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Everything else falls behind it. You hear it over and over. There are a lot of things that are important to the folks in Berkeley County. I’ve also heard flooding and public safety. I heard about the animal shelter quite a bit and Cypress Gardens quite a bit. Here’s the thing about Berkeley County. Everybody in this room falls, all of these things fall somewhere on your priority list.”

According to Cribb, with the help of the community and council, every issue can be addressed one step at a time.

“I want everybody to know that we can work on all of those things. The simplest thing we can do is make one small decision at a time,” stated Cribb. “I’m beyond excited to work with our county council, and what we are going to do as a staff is we are going to work within the mission and vision of county council. That’s who has been elected to represent all the folks. The administrative office is going to provide that connection between the staff and the feedback that the residents are giving county council so we are all pulling in the same direction. We are not going to spin our wheels on something that doesn’t have the support of council.”

[PRIOR STORY: Johnny Cribb Defeats Bill Peagler in Berkeley County Supervisor Race]

Accomplishing what’s best for Berkeley County starts with surrounding yourself with the right people, according to Cribb.

“When a job opens, you have a tremendous opportunity to find the right person.  It’s all about hiring the best fit for the job, that time, that mission and that position,” stated Cribb.

Along with a promise to do what’s right, Cribb also made a promise to be fiscally responsible.

“It’s the key to everything. Some people spend their money one way, and they spend the public’s money a totally different way,” stated Cribb. “What we have to do is spend the public’s money every bit as fiscally responsible as we would spend our money at home. There’s no way we’ll be able to address [county issues] if every individual, every department doesn’t buy into that concept.”

In a day and age where the trust and approval in politicians is an all-time low, Cribb vowed to serve the county with complete humbleness.

“At a debate, I was asked, ‘What do you want to be?’ I thought about this and said, ‘I want to humbly serve Berkeley County.’ I was told at the end, ‘That’s a big job. You can’t do that job by humbly serving.’ ‘I’m thinking that the Savior of my life 2,000 years ago was a humble servant, so I think it’ll work in Berkeley County,’” stated Cribb.

While Berkeley County remains one of the fastest growing counties in the county, Cribb reminded folks that there is but one Berkeley County and everyone must all work together for the greater good of the area.

“There is but ONE Berkeley County. I’ve heard about north and south and east and west. I’ve heard all about the challenges. An issue is an issue. No matter where it originates from. Everybody and every issue will receive the same response. They are all just as important,” stated Cribb.

Cribb ended his address to the audience by quoting 1 Peter 4:10 from the Bible.

“It says each one of us has been given a gift. Use it to serve others. Everybody here has a gift of some kind. What we need is everybody to help.”

Nikki Gaskins Campbell
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