---
title: "Clemson council candidates press traffic, parking at forum"
url: https://www.hereclemson.com/2026/10/05/clemson-city-council-candidates-traffic-forum/
date: 2026-10-05T12:50:24-04:00
modified: 2026-10-05T12:50:24-04:00
author: "Sabrina Ball"
categories: ["Politics"]
site: "HERE Clemson"
attribution: "HERE Clemson"
---

# Clemson council candidates press traffic, parking at forum

*Source: [HERE Clemson](https://www.hereclemson.com/2026/10/05/clemson-city-council-candidates-traffic-forum/) — October 5, 2026 by Sabrina Ball*

Five candidates are running for three Clemson City Council seats on the Nov. 3 municipal ballot, and a League of Women Voters forum last week put traffic and parking at the center of the debate.

Filing closed Aug. 3 with Scott Allison, Joe Burgett, Nanda Edgerton, Fran McGuire and incumbent Alesia Smith on the ballot. The Pickens County Board of Voter Registration and Elections is conducting the nonpartisan race. Winners will serve four-year terms from January 2027 through December 2031. Seats now held by Smith, Lillian Scott and John Fulmer are up; the mayor and three other council members are not on this cycle.

Four of the five candidates appeared Thursday at Clemson United Methodist Church. The League of Women Voters of Oconee and Pickens Counties organized the event. Audience and league questions focused on traffic congestion, downtown and campus parking, how Clemson should engage the S.C. Department of Transportation, and how university parking choices affect city streets.

Candidates also touched on growth, student housing location and long-range transportation planning, including regional study work with the Anderson area. The forum was one of several public introductions ahead of the November election.

Registered voters will decide the three seats on Nov. 3.