Kenneth Roper

Kenneth Roper is an American attorney and politician. He is the current County Administrator for Pickens County, South Carolina. Roper was Pickens County Attorney from 2004 to 2016. He served as municipal attorney for Six Mile, Norris, and Liberty. Roper was also a municipal judge for two terms in Liberty and one term in Norris. He has the distinction of presiding over the only jury trial ever held in Norris.. Roper served seven years as an assistant solicitor in the criminal courts of his home state.
Roper was born and raised in Pickens County. He lives in Sunset with his wife, Judge Karen Sanchez Roper. Mrs. Sanchez Roper serves as the resident family court judge for Pickens County.. She practiced law with her husband for over 15 years at the Roper Law Firm.
==Education==
Roper attended Forest Acres Elementary School and is a graduate of Liberty High School (1987). He attended Furman University, graduating with a B.A. in Political science in 1991. He earned a J.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1994.
==Law Career==
Roper is a member of the South Carolina Bar. He has served on the State Bar’s Pro Bono Committee and the Ethics Advisory Committee. An avid speaker, Roper has lectured on many topics. For example, he has held discourse on the South Carolina Home Rule Act. He has also spoken on Civility in the Practice of Law and Professionalism.
==Political Career==
Roper started his political career as County Attorney in 2004. He became Acting County Administrator in 2019 after his predecessor, Gerald Wilson, retired. The County Council later removed the “acting” tag from his title. Roper then became the Permanent Administrator. He spent another three years under an annual contract that rolled over. Then, in February 2023, the Pickens County Council voted 5-1 to extend his contract. According to Roper,
Councilman Alex Saitta was the only council member to vote “nay.” He said he thinks Roper is doing a good job but opposed the large pay raises built into the new contract. As a result, he voted no. Councilwoman Claiborne Linville defended the pay raise. She said it brings Roper’s salary further in line with other counties. It also shows how much the council values the good work Roper has been doing. “Pickens County is lucky to have Mr. Roper as our administrator,” says Linville.
==Duties as Administrator==
Roper is the Chief administrative officer of the county government. He has to carry out the County Council’s vision. He does so by following their policies, commands, and legislative actions. Roper is also in charge of running the county government on a day-to-day basis. Further, he has to direct and work with the county government’s operational agencies. He also has to manage its administrative activities. Roper oversees several divisions of the county government. The only exceptions are special districts and any departments run by elected officials.. Roper prepares annual operating and capital improvement budgets to submit to the council. Thus, he receives reports, statistics, and estimates from all county agencies and departments. He also manages the county’s spending. 
==Other Affiliations==
Roper is a 2021-22 Appalachian Leadership Institute Fellow. He was one of 40 fellows to complete the class, with delegates from Appalachia’s 13 states. Each fellow took part in an extensive, nine-month series of skill-building seminars. The seminars use case study analysis with regional experts and peer-to-peer learning.
Category:People from Pickens County, South Carolina
Category:Furman University alumni
Category:University of South Carolina alumni
Category:American lawyers
Category:Politicians
Category:Administrators