Candidates tout the Courthouse Inn

The two men who aspire next week to fill an empty seat on the Walhalla City Council are not ready to administer final rites to an ambitious plan to develop the former courthouse into a boutique hotel—even though the project appears to be hopelessly stalled by a lack of construction money. To the contrary, candidate Lamar Bailes declared last night there are machinations underway in Walhalla and Greenville to try to save the project. Bailes was joined last night by his fellow opponent, Chris Grant, in making a case for the efforts by John Powell and Jim Carswell to build the Courthouse Inn in a way and style that will attract visitors to Walhalla. Baines and Grant took part last night in a chamber of commerce forum, held in advance of next Tuesday’s winner-take-all election to fill the council term of the late Kathy Rogers. The winner will move into a council seat for which three years remain.