From staff reports
Republican David Bartholomew and Democrat Marilyn Harris have run an amazingly clean campaign for the Beaufort County Council District 2 seat. When answering questions in public, they often admit their answers are quite similar, and always civil.
“We’re both civil,” Bartholomew said recently at an Old Commons Neighborhood Association meeting. “In so many of these things, especially with the this political environment we have today, there’s a lot of mudslinging. We haven’t done that. I think we’re both in it for the right reason, I think we’re both trying to get out and help the community and approach these problems in our own way.”
An attorney with Schiller & Hamilton Law Firm, Bartholomew touts engaged responsible growth and environmental protection and transparency in county government. He touts flexible zoning codes and already established state and federal programs to assist in building affordable housing, and he hopes to push developers to promote green spaces in their developments. He wants to manage growth to stay ahead of infrastructure.
“The comprehensive plan predicts that we will have an additional 44,000 residents by 2030,” he said. “The most important thing for me in managing the growth is to stay ahead of the infrastructure needs of the county. We need to take a proactive approach and address the issues now.”
Harris supports responsible growth, transparency and revisiting the Lady’s Island Plan, as well as better cooperation between the Lady’s Island community, the City and the County. Like her opponent, she is open to exploring a third bridge to Lady’s Island,
Harris’ strong point is her experience and leadership. She came to Beaufort in 2015 and has spent much of her time since working in the community, serving on the Boards of Directors of several local non-profits including the United Way of the Lowcountry, Second Helpings, SCORE and the Boys and Girls Club.
Before coming to Beaufort, Harris retired after more than 35 years in Federal Public Service, including senior leadership positions with the Department of the Army, the White House, the United States House of Representatives, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In 2019, she was elected to a three-year term on the Board of the Directors of the Dataw Island Club. She has been adjunct faculty at The Technical College of the Lowcountry as well as a substitute teacher in Beaufort County Schools. She has served as the facilitator for the Lowcountry Affordable Housing Coalition and as Beaufort County’s Program Coordinator for the COSY and COSA Programs.
