The Alarm Bell is sounding to share verified information found regarding Fred Layman’s time working for the Town of Blythewood and The Windermere Club. This post reflects observations based on verifiable records we have access to and is intended to encourage transparency and accountability.
Reinforcing accountability:
Fred Layman has dedicated nearly a decade of service to the Town of Blythewood. For eight of those years he served as the general manager of The Windermere Club. Earning a reputation for integrity and commitment to the community. Layman has volunteered countless hours and funded multiple summer camp scholarships to promote tennis, golf, and soccer. Most recently, while on medical leave for cancer treatments, he organized a free camp for both adults and juniors and a pickleball program to introduce the new Blythewood Pickleball courts. Layman invested in all the t-shirts, drinks, prizes, promotion, and teaching professionals without the service of a sponsor: Richland County Park and Recreation supplied the courts.
After evaluating the available evidence and Layman’s history in all the communities he has lived in, there is no support for claims that he received personal benefits from any town program. Instead, we find that he was the primary event coordinator for the best tree lighting and Christmas Parade the town of Blythewood has had in years. At that time, Layman had been employed for only a few months, and no other Director of Operations was assigned to these initiatives, probably because he was the only one qualified. Layman’s marketing strategies also generated $300K in revenue for the Manor in a few short months, and he actually has less COMP time than previous directors despite having a much larger agenda. The record points to a fiduciary responsibility, stewardship, and a concern that certain political elements have sought to undermine his contributions. The discussion around a relatively small, fully accounted-for sum of money has contributed to significant controversy, now including defamation lawsuits and false imprisonment lawsuits, and points toward a discrediting campaign to change the narrative about what the mayor has done.
Context: When this was written, the Cheer Coach was not available to respond to questions about the number of events she reported and the payments she made to the Town. Layman has reported and does have precise figures, dates, and payments related to the cheer program, and they were offered to the town on multiple occasions, including by sending Michelle Layman to drop off the documentation.
History Context: Fred Layman had no equity stake in either the Windermere Club or the Town of Blythewood. Yet in 2023, he paid $18,350 in club expenses to keep the club operating. Those funds covered staff wages, the moving costs, and salaries of the tennis professional, who would not have joined the Windermere Club without Fred’s financial assistance.
Layman also allowed the club to defer payment to him for 12 of the 24 pay periods in 2023, amounting to roughly $36,000. He did this to ensure his staff would remain paid and had to resign to get some of it back.
From January 1, 2024, to May 31, 2024, Layman incurred an additional $8,648.26 in Windermere Club expenses. Obviously, this is not the history of someone who would misappropriate funds from a small revenue Cheerleading program.
After the initial review, it indicates that the opposing allegations are unsubstantiated. Defamation actions are being pursued as needed, with additional measures anticipated.
The Alarm Bell will publish records that demonstrate Layman’s commitment to the staff and members of the Town of Blythewood and The Windermere Club. We have audited 2023 and 2024 to date and will publish 2018 through 2022 in the coming weeks. Layman has consistently asserted that he invests in his employer—not only by contributing 110% of his business acumen, but also by providing evidence of personal funds directed to both the Town and the Windermere Club. With Doko Manor averaging around $30,000 in monthly revenue, it seems unlikely anyone would jeopardize their job for a few hundred dollars a month. It seems more feasible that the systems in place for an after-hours sports program were being rebuilt and vetted. By all accounts, these records, like every other sports program, are reconciled at the end of the fiscal year to account for cancellations.
Over the course of a year, Layman received more directives than any previous director of operations. The orders came from multiple town officials, including town administrators, the town attorney, the mayor pro tempore, the town council, the mayor, and the South Carolina Ethics Committee. Some directives must remain confidential, but it’s clear that Layman actively addressed issues in the town’s collection and booking systems, particularly relating to the payment-processing setup. As the Director of Operations for Doko Manor, his role included designing and developing a front-end software system to handle 24/7 fund collection and event booking. The public job description granted him independent authority to ensure facility self-sufficiency, generate revenue from new sources, negotiate rates, process payments across various financial platforms, draft contracts and receipts, and transition away from cash-only transactions. This job description changed dramatically after the Mayor was being investigated.
Early on, Layman pursued changes to the cash-payment policy, leveraging his extensive experience with Stripe, Cash App, Venmo, and PayPal to implement more reliable payment methods. Historically, cash payments were encouraged to reduce credit card fees for customers. Still, Layman aimed to adopt systems with a track record of reliability instead of keeping thousands in cash in the manager’s drawer. The Doko Manor software had repeatedly demonstrated reliability issues. The cheer coach even pointed these out. Layman maintains meticulous records of funds delivered for every event and program he booked. The town possesses video footage of cheer events and attendance dates. If a genuine inquiry were made, investigators could cross-reference the videos with event dates. Regarding the cheer coach, there is no documentation showing attendance beyond 20 visits totaling $4,200 over ten months. If cash payments were involved, corresponding video evidence should exist; presently, the documented attendance dates align with the $4,200 figure already accounted for, with no additional evidence of other visits.
Next steps: The Alarm bell intends to compile and share all relevant records for review by concerned stakeholders and, if appropriate, pursue formal avenues for accountability.
Layman meets with the ethics committee.
