Forums across northern Beaufort County give voters several chances to hear directly from those seeking local office
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
Voters in northern Beaufort County will have several opportunities in the coming weeks to hear directly from candidates seeking local office ahead of the Nov. 3 General Election.
Candidate forums scheduled throughout September and October will feature candidates for Beaufort City Council, the Beaufort County Board of Education, Beaufort County Council and the S.C. House of Representatives.
The first forum will be held Thursday, Sept. 17, when the Old Commons Neighborhood Association hosts its “Meet the Beaufort City Council Candidates Night.”
The forum will run from 6 to 7:15 p.m. at the Wesley United Methodist Church Education Building in the 800 block of Duke Street in Beaufort. A brief Old Commons Neighborhood Association meeting will follow from 7:15 to 7:30 p.m.
Four candidates are seeking two seats on Beaufort City Council: incumbent Josh Scallate, Thad Lane, Jared Madison and Grady Woods. The City Council election is nonpartisan.
The four candidates will have another opportunity to make their case to voters Tuesday, Sept. 29, during a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters Beaufort Area.
The forum will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Grace Chapel A.M.E. Church, 10 Holly Hall Road on Lady’s Island. Candidates will answer prepared questions from the League as well as questions from the audience. Campaign buttons, signs, clothing and literature will not be permitted in the forum room.
The Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce will host a City Council candidate forum Tuesday, Oct. 6, at the USCB Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret Street in Beaufort.
The event is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m., with Beaufort City Council candidates scheduled to take the stage at 6 p.m.
School board candidates will have an opportunity to answer questions Tuesday, Oct. 13, when the League of Women Voters hosts a forum for candidates in Districts 2, 3, 4 and 5.
That forum will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Grace Chapel A.M.E. Church. Candidates will face prepared questions from the organization and questions submitted by members of the audience.
Nine candidates are seeking four northern Beaufort County school board seats in November.
Genie Brainerd and Christopher Dantzler are running for the District 2 seat. Cynthia Gregory-Smalls, incumbent William Smith and Willie Turral are seeking the District 3 seat. Dee Matthews and Angela Stephens are running in District 4, while incumbent Victor Ney and Gwyneth Saunders are seeking the District 5 seat.
The Old Commons Neighborhood Association will turn its attention to county and state races Thursday, Oct. 15, with an ice cream social and “Meet the Candidates Night” for candidates in Beaufort County Council District 2 and S.C. House District 124.
Incumbent David Bartholomew is seeking another term representing County Council District 2, while incumbent Shannon Erickson and challenger Shauna Bishop are seeking the S.C. House District 124 seat.
The ice cream social will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the candidate forum at 6:30 p.m. Beaufort City Council candidates have also been invited to attend to mingle with attendees.
The event will run until 8 p.m. at the Wesley United Methodist Church Education Building.
The Northwest Quadrant Neighborhood Association will round out the currently scheduled forums Thursday, Oct. 22, with a candidate forum from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Charles Lind Brown Center, 1710 Greene Street in Beaufort.
The forums come as voters prepare for the Nov. 3 General Election. Early voting begins Monday, Oct. 19, and continues through Saturday, Oct. 31. The League of Women Voters is encouraging residents to use VOTE411 to make sure their voter registration information is current and to find information about candidates, voting and relocated polling places.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.