“It’s an honor and a privilege for me to represent the citizens of the Lowcountry. I am a huge advocate for citizen legislative service, part-time service, because public service is service to others. It is not about what you get out of it yourself; it’s about being able to contribute to solutions and [making] sure that you are the voice of the people.” – Representative Weston Newton
William Weston J. Newton (“Weston”) was born in Greenville, South Carolina, received a B.A. from Washington & Lee University in 1989, and then graduated from the University of South Carolina Law School in 1993. Weston was a member of the Beaufort County Council from 1999-2012 and served as Chairman of the Beaufort County Council from 2003 to 2012, being the longest serving Chairman since 1888. Weston was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2012 for District 120, serving Beaufort and Jasper counties. He led the Legislative Oversight Committee from 2014 to 2022, and since 2022 Weston has served as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. He has been recognized for his commitment to improving local education and infrastructure.
Throughout his tenure, Weston has championed legislation to enhance public safety and keep our children safe, support economic development, and advance environmental conservation. Weston has also been active in promoting policies that benefit rural communities and has earned a reputation for his dedication to constituent services and effective governance. He has practiced law for over 25 years and is a partner with the Jones, Simpson & Newton, PA law firm in Bluffton, SC.
Industrial Site Readiness Development Fund
South Carolina is in constant competition with other states and countries to attract new industries. For companies to expand or relocate, time is money.
“We know that companies can go anywhere they want to, so if it takes a lot longer for an industry to get set up here, then they will go somewhere else.” – Representative Weston Newton
For that reason, the House and Senate approved the industrial site readiness budget for $80 million. The funding, also known as LocateSC, is a non-recurring allocation in the FY 2025–26 South Carolina budget and will be administered by the Department of Commerce.
Site-readiness means preparing industrial land to be market- and shovel-ready for new business investment. This process includes securing property control (purchase or option), completing environmental, geotechnical, wetlands, and historical due diligence, ensuring infrastructure – roads and utilities (water, sewer, electric, gas, and Internet) – are in place or planned, site clearing/grading, and developing master plans. LocateSC will provide grants to public entities (cities/counties) for site acquisition, due diligence, infrastructure, rezoning, and grading.
“Our state is committed to economic growth and business development in a major way, and the legislature will do whatever it takes to ensure we are ready for business and industry to move and expand here.” – Representative Weston Newton
Education and Workforce Development
“To come here, industry not only wants the ideal site, ready for action for their facility, but they [also] want a trained and highly skilled workforce. It takes collaboration and coordination [with state and local governments] … to make this happen. The SC Department of Commerce and the economic developers must coordinate and work together along with the educational entities, particularly our technical college system, to make sure that every agency or organization that is involved in workforce training is, quite frankly, firing on all cylinders.” – Representative Weston Newton
One project Weston is extremely proud of is the Technical College of the Lowcountry’s General Arthur E. Brown Workforce Training Center. There is some remaining funding needed for the center through Community Investment Project money that he will be working on during the next legislative session. The training center will offer new and expanded programs in manufacturing, automated systems, logistics, business and entrepreneurship, computer technology, and more. The center’s new programs will also align with ongoing initiatives by local organizations that are recruiting key sectors – aerospace and defense, headquarters and back office, green and alternative energies, and cybersecurity – to expand or locate here. Weston emphasizes that he will continue to support investments in community colleges and universities to ensure students have access to higher education and specialized training that align with the evolving job market.
Improving Infrastructure while Protecting our Natural Resources
“For the thirteen years that I was on county council, there wasn’t one planning retreat that we did not talk about economic development as being one of our primary goals. However, for many years, this part of the state wasn’t really looked upon as an economic engine for industry. We have retirees, the military, and tourism. We knew that we must diversify our economic development efforts while at the same time protecting our pristine environment. It is a balancing act.” – Representative Weston Newton
“We must not kill the goose with the golden egg.” However, Weston shared several challenges facing our explosive growth – expensive land, the permitting process, and, particularly, the roadways.
Weston has been an enormous advocate for our roadway and bridge infrastructure. He wants to ensure that we have the capacity and that our transportation infrastructure can safely and efficiently move people and goods.
“We have made great strides in the past several years on this front, starting with the Roads Bill in 2017. I was fortunate to be on an ad hoc committee in the House where I brought with me my knowledge and experience from my time on county council and what the possibilities were and where we needed to go as a state. We had to commit more money to our roadway system, and we’ve done that through adjustments in the motor fuel fee of the gas tax and an annual appropriation … We’ve [also] taken surplus dollars or non-recurring one-time money to add funds to the Department of Transportation so that they have [sufficient] money to be able to take advantage of federal match opportunities when others aren’t.” – Representative Weston Newton
He is proud that the I-95 widening project, which will expand the stretch of the interstate from the Georgia state line to Exit 8 in South Carolina from four to six lanes, will break ground later this summer.
In closing, Representative Weston Newton emphasized what an honor and privilege it is for him to serve the Lowcountry.
“I have lived virtually all over the state, including Greenville and Charleston, yet I wanted to be here. I think this is one of the most spectacular places in the world! I want my children to know that my generation at least [have] been good custodians of the land and protected this beautiful region. You know, I believe God only made so much of this majesty that we have to enjoy, and we must preserve it. I wake up every day energized and think about how wonderful this place is and how I can do my little part to keep it that way and make it better.” – Representative Weston Newton
