Bob Walker has announced that he will seek election to the District 5 seat on Spartanburg County Council in 2014.

Council District 5 is situated on the Northwest side of Spartanburg County and includes the communities of Campobello, Duncan, Gramling, Holly Springs, Inman, Landrum, Lyman, Motlow, Wellford and the surrounding areas.

Walker was a member of the Spartanburg County District One School Board (1983-91) and a state representative for S.C. House District 38 (1992-2008). He has been active in the Republican party on the local, county and state levels since 1990. Walker currently serves as the Republican Committeeman for the Landrum precinct and is a member of the Spartanburg County GOP executive committee.

The incumbent, Dale Culbreth, has a term of service ending on Jan. 1, 2015. Culbreth has been chairman of the personnel and finance committee. He also has served on committees for public safety and judiciary; public works, buildings and grounds, and public health and human services.

Walker said in a statement that he is running for county council to help make District 5 and all of Spartanburg County a better place to live and work.

“Spartanburg County Council needs to focus on our economy and education system so we can match high-tech jobs with the people of our district who are looking for work,” Walker said.

He also said he would undertake initiatives to make county government more transparent, promote term limits for members of county council and work to improve public safety in the county.

“We must protect our tax dollars and eliminate waste,” Walker said.

Culbreth has focused on his dedication and hard work for constituents in his district. He has a reputation as an anti-tax advocate.

After Culbreth secured the Republican nomination in June, he was unopposed in the 2010 general election because no Democrat, independent, petition or write-in candidate filed for the seat.

A retired U.S. Air Force captain and pilot during the Vietnam War era, Walker is presently a member of the Inman American Legion. He also serves Lions Club International on the local, state and national level  and presently serves on Spartanburg County’s Transportation Committee, is a member of the Spartanburg Downtown Airport Advisory Board and is a member of the Spartanburg Home Builders Association.

Walker is the owner of Landrum Professional Consultants in Landrum, where he was born and raised.