A Life of Service: Barbara Blain-Bellamy

I have heard a lot of wonderful comments about Mayor Barbara Blain-Bellamy – and when I finally met her, I understood why she is so admired by her beloved City of Conway and our entire community. The day we chatted, Barbara had been running errands with her husband of five years, Bobby Bellamy. “Although acquainted since our teen years, I didn’t care much for Bobby until I was a senior citizen. I performed a legal service for Bobby, by then my established client, and did not attach a fee. He invited me out to dinner, I thought, in gratitude.” Laughing, this vivacious woman continued her story. “I went, and the rest is a very nice story!”

Barbara started her career as a social worker and worked in her field for 25 years. “In my youth, I was told I could only be a nurse or a teacher, because I was a black woman, but I wanted to do something different.” This would be the theme of Barbara’s life – her strong will and intelligence have led her to pursue three different careers. “I had a remarkable 25 years learning how difficult it is for people to pull themselves up by their bootstraps – I was always happy if I could pull one of the straps for them. It was through this work that I became interested in becoming a lawyer.”

“People who couldn’t afford an attorney were sort of thrown to the wolves,” Barbara told me, remembering her social work days. “At 46, I was the least likely candidate to go back to a professional school. I was working as a social worker, was a member of the Conway City Council and was helping raise my two nephews in a single adult home. I had just divorced and committed to a new mortgage – and drove a less than dependable car. But, I was compelled to go to law school.”

And this determined woman did indeed become an attorney, finishing law school in record time and passing the bar exam on her first try. “I was motivated to get back home; I had a mortgage and bills that others were helping me with,” Barbara remembered. “I started practicing law in the summer of 2001 and practiced full time until 2014. I married Bobby in 2015 and he convinced me I didn’t have to work full time. I had worked year around since I was 14 years old, and work had become the heart of my being, but I did take him up on his offer.”

Barbara’s career in politics started before she became a lawyer. She was at the end of an 18 year marriage and felt she had no real identity or purpose. “I had no interest in politics or local government, but after I moved from the outskirts of town into the city, I read in the newspaper that three seats were coming open on City Council.” After spending time with then Conway City Administrator, Adam Blume, and the current mayor, Greg Martin, Barbara threw her hat into the ring – and won her first election. “Once I jumped in, I knew it was exactly where I belonged.”

Barbara attributes that first victory to her father. “People in Conway in 1992 didn’t ask about party affiliation or platform – they wanted to know who I was. It was my great honor to say I am Jobe Blain’s oldest daughter.” Continuing, this proud daughter shared her dad’s amazing legacy. “My father, after a long military career, became Horry County’s first black police officer. He went through the trials and fire of being the forerunner, a pioneer, and slowly developed friendships and mutual respect with his colleagues. He was so admired, and that gave me credit I didn’t earn. It is a testament to the fact that parents impact the lives of their children, and future generations, negatively or positively, more than they know.”

Barbara’s father had a huge impact on the way she lives her life and she continued, saying, “Daddy’s lessons were fundamental; say hello to everyone, whether or not they say hello, hold the door open for people, even if they don’t say thank you.” Her voice broke a little as Barbara shared a little of the prejudice her hero encountered in his life. “When Daddy joined the police force, he wasn’t the most welcomed kid on the block. But, slowly, one after another of his colleagues realized the caliber of man he was, and he became one of them.”

Born in 1952, Barbara herself experienced the Jim Crow south. “I graduated from a still-segregated high school, but a number of things happened to shape my life.” Barbara’s father moved his family several times while he served his country. “We went to Fallon, Nevada, when I was seven years old, where there were no Jim Crow laws. I was my elementary school’s first black child.” The other children were friendly, and curious about this little brown girl. One of young Barbara’s most pivotal moments happened in Fallon, when she was cast in the school play. “I remember standing in a line with the other girls, and a teacher was putting lipstick and rouge on every child. I just knew she wouldn’t use that same lipstick on me and then on the white child next to me, even though I didn’t have the words to explain it. I became more and more anxious the closer she got to me.” Tightly closing her eyes, Barbara waited to be passed over by the teacher. “Then I felt the brush of the rouge and the tube of lipstick on my lips. I was transformed by that moment. It occurred to me that everyone saw the difference in me, but not everyone felt that difference mattered.” Barbara told me that since that day, she has been comfortable with everyone – whether they are like her or completely different.

After her marriage to Bobby, and some well deserved relaxation, Barbara was ready for the next challenge. Her political career had included serving on City Council and two stints as Mayor Pro Tempore, and she felt serving as Conway’s mayor was the next logical step. “It’s a huge responsibility and hard to do if you’re working a 40 hour a week job, especially as an attorney.” During her career, Barbara had seen how government works from the inside and knew she was capable of leading her beloved city. Barbara began her bid for the office of mayor; taking the risk that she would lose both the election and her seat on City Council. Reaching out to hundreds of friends and supporters, Barbara put together what turned out to be a very successful campaign. She was sworn in as mayor of Conway on January 4, 2016.

Today, Mayor Barbara Blain-Bellamy proudly serves her hometown in a time of tremendous growth and change – and is the first African-American to hold this office. “I’ve seen Conway move from maybe six square miles to approximately 30 square miles today – and a population of 28,000 people. And, this all occurred in a relatively short period of time.”

“Conway is my home,” Barbara said. “Even during the Jim Crow years, I was given the best possible treatment.

If I walked into a department store where black people weren’t allowed to use the dressing rooms, the sales people would apologize to me. Even our dentist, who was required to have a “colored” entrance, would apologize to me for the way things were then.”

Many of Barbara’s high school and college classmates took an exodus north after graduation for a better living and a place to raise their families where they were more accepted. “I never left. There was never a need. In Conway, we take care of each other. I seriously can’t imagine living anywhere else. I’ve traveled extensively around the country and abroad, and I will always be proud to be from Conway. I love New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Rome, but I love Conway more.”

“A lot of our growth is retirees,” Barbara said as we began talking about Conway’s future. “We also have many young families moving here – even though we haven’t quite kept up with the higher level jobs, people can work from anywhere these days.” Conway is also the home of Coastal Carolina University and is becoming a desirable location for millennials. “Our city is becoming more attractive to the needs and wants of younger people,” said the mayor. “We have a brewery, food trucks and entertainment for people who enjoy night life. Downtown Conway is a wonderful place to live. “

Mayor Blain-Bellamy gives a lot of credit for Conway’s positive growth to her staff. “I’m so proud to work with bright and creative people who think outside of the box. We had an ugly little corner lot on Main and 4th Avenue, and our staff came up with a plan to make it a beautiful gathering place – that formerly non-descript lot is now the magnificent Kingston Park, arguably, the backdrop for more photos than anywhere else in the Greater Grand Strand.”

“I want people to know I don’t give up easily,” Barbara told me as we came to the end of our chat. And age is only a number for this determined woman, who first learned to swim at age 61. “You don’t have to be who you always were. We have a responsibility to continue to learn, to grow and to seek knowledge. That’s what life is all about. I’ve learned never to say never!”