Hanahan mayor denies conflict-of-interest allegations over real estate

HANAHAN, S.C. (WCIV) — Hanahan Mayor Christie Rainwater denied conflict-of-interest allegations on Tuesday after a resident claimed the city steered real estate commission payments to a brokerage allegedly tied to the mayor and a council member.

Taylor Valley, who works for The Wrenn Group – a company currently in litigation with the city – said he has documents showing Hanahan “repeatedly routed” real estate commission payments to Carolina One Real Estate. Valley alleges the brokerage is associated with Rainwater and Councilman Michael Sally.

During public comment, Sally objected to the claims and called Valley to the front of City Hall, asking him to provide proof. Rainwater then called for a point of order.

Valley said he has a paper trail dating back to 2018 that he believes shows violations of South Carolina’s conflict-of-interest requirements.

“I am calling on the impacted members of this body to fully recuse when matters touch land transactions and commissions involving a company that you’re associated with,” Valley said. “I am asking the other folks on this council – the five of y’all – to do something about this.”

Valley urged the council to call a special meeting to review policies and procedures related to land transactions.

Rainwater responded by asking Valley to provide evidence that she or Sally personally profited from the deals.

Valley said records obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests did not show that evidence.

Rainwater then disclosed she is a 1099 contractor with Carolina One Real Estate and said she does not financially benefit from transactions in which she is not the listing agent.

“With the information you’re giving, as a 1099 in competition with every other realtor that’s not Christie Rainwater, I have not made $1,” she said.

During council comments, Councilwoman Amanda Colvin-Shea encouraged members of the public to review the documents Valley obtained.

Colvin-Shea was accused in August 2025 by Rainwater of supplying a developer currently suing the city with critical confidential information.

During the August city council meeting, the mayor said Colvin-Shea supposedly recorded executive sessions and then supplied them to a “developer, who is currently suing the city.”