Please be responsible citizens
To the folks who blew off fireworks on Judge Island on the afternoon of July 8: You should be ashamed of yourselves. You stopped your white SUV next to a utility pole, unloaded and exploded mortar-type fireworks, and then immediately left the area, leaving the burning embers unattended. Your actions created a brush fire that quickly spread across the brush on the side of the dirt road/dyke.
After you fled from the incident, your white SUV was seen speeding down the dirt road on Judge and Coosaw Islands, and then speeding down Sams Point Road in front of the firehouse. By the time the Lady’s Island-St. Helena Fire Department arrived on the scene, the fire had spread across a 25- to 30-yard distance. Our community is very fortunate that the fire did not spread to the nearby forested area.
It is understandable how you may have needed to get rid of leftover fireworks after holiday celebrations. However, disposing of fireworks in such an irresponsible manner is not a good idea. Hopefully the next time you need to dispose of fireworks, you will not leave a burning pile unattended and will have a water source available to address any fire that gets out of control.
Our community and the freedoms we enjoy as Americans are enhanced when we are responsible citizens.
— Peter Murphy
‘Congratulations,’ ‘thank you’ to Marie Smalls
The League of Women Voters of Beaufort would like to publicly extend its congratulations to Marie Smalls upon her recent retirement from Beaufort County after 43 years of service, [more than] 20 of those years as Director of Voter Registration and Elections.
During her years with the county, she served the public with the utmost dedication and professional integrity, working with an eight-member board appointed by the Governor.
At one point, she was elected president of the South Carolina Association of Registration and Elections (SCARE) and was recognized for her leadership and commitment there with their highest honor, the Moore Award. She was one of the first 500 people in the county to become nationally certified as an Elections/Registration Administrator and one of only two active members in South Carolina.
During her time of leadership, Smalls worked with the extremely difficult process of redistricting as well as the continuous addition of voting precincts, required as the county voter numbers increased to more than 138,000. She and her staff have seen the number of precincts grow to 135 in multiple polling places throughout the county and work with approximately 800 poll workers.
On more than one occasion in interviews, Smalls has said, “It’s not about me, or any one individual, it is about the voters of our great state and conducting elections with integrity, transparency, and instilling voter confidence in our voter registration process. It’s a tremendous responsibility. It is also imperative that we continue to fulfill our obligation to ensure that all qualified voters have an opportunity to participate in fair and free elections.”
Amen. Thank you Mrs. Smalls for your help to the League of Women Voters as we continue to work together to protect our voting integrity!
— The League of Women Voters, Beaufort area
