On December 4, 2023, Hazel Livingston was officially sworn in as Lexington’s first female Mayor. Having entered the Town Council in 1998 and served as Mayor Pro-Tem since 2004, she comes with years of experience serving the town of Lexington.
During her time on Town Council, and as Mayor Pro-Tem, the list of improvements to the town has grown long and impressive. Livingston was instrumental in developing Lexington’s Sign Ordinance, then took the lead in the redevelopment of several town parks. Most impressive is the renovation of Virginia Hylton Park. Additional improvements in town include the Pat Jeffcoat Serenity Park and The Palmetto Collegiate Institute, built in 1881 as a Lexington public school, now a lovely venue for parties and wedding receptions. The Beautification Foundation that hosts the annual Wine Walk came from another of Livingston and her committee’s plans, the proceeds of which fund many of the beautification projects in the Town of Lexington.
Livingston knows how to bring people together, one of the most essential qualities of an effective leader. As Mayor Pro Tem, she was instrumental in holding the first joint town and county council meeting to keep communication open and encourage people to work together. She says, “I’m excited; I feel like I’ve got a great team with a lot of excellent qualities. They come with different backgrounds and a lot of different ideas. One of the things I want to do is jump in right off the bat and ask them to list their five priorities for this next year.”
“A definite priority will be better communication with our citizens. We’re researching the best way to go about that right now,” she adds. Providing information to various generational groups includes different communication tools, whether they be through texting, email, special apps, or even QR codes. It may entail all of them–as well as restoring the town’s former information network, Channel Two. Livingston is interested in reviewing the landscaping tree ordinance to continue the beautification of our town and its future sustainability. Ideally, she would like to preserve viable green space in our community, not create an urban concrete jungle devoid of its natural landscapes or open spaces.
As one of the fastest-growing communities in the Midlands, Lexington’s traffic congestion is an ongoing issue. Again, communication is key. Livingston believes that it is not hard to get people on board with town projects, even if they disagree with you when they know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. Livingston has been in South Carolina for 30 years, in Lexington for 26 of them. She says that the town and people of Lexington instantly reminded her of her hometown of Fitzgerald, Georgia. “It gave me the feeling that I was home,” she explains. As a young person, Livingston says she was more reserved and less vocal than she is today. During a recent 40th high school reunion, she learned that she was their only elected official. In fact, her friends and classmates told her she was the last person they expected to be doing what she is doing now.
Adversity played an unexpected part in Livingston’s trajectory. She lost her husband at an early age, leaving her with two young daughters to raise alone. She chose to raise her daughters to be strong women, the best and most lasting gift she could have given them. In the process, she evolved into a stronger, more vocal person. She recognized that she aspired to serve in some manner. She says, “I had a passion for serving people, not for politics in general. I didn’t know what it was going to look like–maybe becoming a psychiatrist, a counselor, or even working with young children that had adversities.” Once she became a Lexington resident, she knew she wanted to engage in town policy.
Livingston enjoys cooking and antiquing. She calls herself a “beach girl,” as she and her husband David enjoy searching for sharks’ teeth to add to their collection. Both enjoy gardening. The Livingstons own Green Earth Services, which also keeps her busy. The couple attends Watershed Fellowship in Lexington, and their blended family includes four daughters and four sons-in-law. There are ten grandchildren between them. “We have a family of twenty on Christmas morning,” she says with love. When asked about plans for the future, Livingston says, “Let’s talk about this next year first. Life changes so quickly.” Hazel Livingston speaks from experience.
Kimberly Campbell describes the friend she has known for 29 years. Livingston, often accompanied by Campbell, shops for gifts for the elderly and stockpiles them in her garage. She says, “On Tuesdays, Dollar General has penny day, where you can buy certain things like socks and gloves for a penny.” A gentleman once approached Livingston, asking, “Hazel, are you up to penny shopping again?” To Kimberly, he added, “You know Hazel; she’s always giving back.” The gentleman gave her twenty dollars with the words, “You give so much; let me give some more!
Some of her grandchildren come to the house at Christmas to join in making bags of necessity items. Afterward, she and her grandchildren visit the retirement homes with their gifts. When Kimberly’s beloved father passed away, she arrived home to find freshly cut garden flowers on her front porch. Sometime later, she learned that Livingston was the benefactor. Livingston told her, “I know you’re hurting, but he’s got wings. You’ll see him again.”
Livingston keeps a list of people who have lost loved ones. She leaves an arrangement anonymously without asking
for praise because she just wants them to know they’re loved. Campbell adds one more thing: “She is not afraid to tell me what I do wrong. She shoots straight, and I like that!”
Hazel Livingston is a strong leader who aspires to serve the town she loves. She is a woman of strength, persistence, and deeply held core principles. We are fortunate to have her on Lexington’s leadership team.