Water Festival or not, city debate carries on
By Lolita Huckaby
BEAUFORT
So what in the world could have kept several dozen citizens away from Motown Monday night to instead, sit before the Municipal Planning Commission (MPC) for almost two hours?
It didn’t appear to be the air-conditioned comfort. Nope, it was more a love for the town’s historic character and a desire to protect it.
On the agenda was a recommendation to eliminate Historic Beaufort Foundation’s responsibility to recommend to the City Council one of the five members of the Historic Review Board. It’s a discussion the City Council has been having at least for the past two months as it reviews and updates the city’s development code.
The council has made it clear, during its work sessions, that it favors the idea of elimination, that it’s only fair to other entities such as the Chamber of Commerce, which says it’d like to have its own appointment to the review board.
The MPC, after hearing from at least a dozen folks, agreed they didn’t think it was such a hot idea and voted almost unanimously to tell the City Council. Only the MPC chairwoman voted against the recommendation because she felt the council ought to guarantee a seat for HBF, not just accept a recommendation from the organization.
The commissioners couldn’t make up their mind on another proposed change, doing away with their own board, a six-member planning group which represents not just the city but the town of Port Royal and the County. The Council, led by Mayor Stephen Murray and backed by new City Planning Director Curt Freese, think it’s a good idea to do away with the MPC as well as the Design Review Board, another citizens panel, to consolidate review power in their own planning commission.
The MPC will continue discussion on the recommendation to do away with themselves next month. From there, the City Council’s going to have more discussion sessions and public hearings before the policies get changed.
It’s a complicated process roughly centered around the debate, are “things,” aka development, in the city “broken” or “not broken.”
May seem like a frivolous debate, but an important one that generates passion for the citizens who love Beaufort, not just the Water Festival.
David Lauderdale is right: We feel ‘Murdaughed’
BEAUFORT – It may be stretching the truth to say local citizens have “gone berserk” over recent news that County Administrator Eric Greenway is under investigation for unspecified issues.
But a phrase coined last week by Beaufort Gazette/Island Packet columnist David Lauderdale describes the situation somewhat better.
Lauderdale wrote, in reference to the issue that some unknown individual told the county sheriff’s department that Greenway had used his position to do something “wrong,” that once again, the community was being “Murdaughed.”
He’s referring to the case of Alex Murdaugh, up there in Hampton County, who’s been convicted of murdering his wife and son and is charged with multiple financial crimes that might otherwise have had other individuals in jail a lot sooner.
Lauderdale’s referring to a political and judicial system that is – as he writes – “manipulated to hear nothing, see nothing and know nothing when a bigwig is accused of wrongdoing.”
He adds “it’s so typical of South Carolina which has been Murdaughed since its inception.” Ouch!
Whether that’s the case for the rest of the Palmetto State, it does seem to apply here in Beaufort where the latest complaint against the county administrator, and more importantly, the response coming from the elected County Council members certainly raises questions.
To set the stage, last month Greenway was criticized in an email to County Council members and the press, about playing golf with Pine Island developer Elvio Tropeano while discussion about the future of Pine Island development was being reviewed. The response to that allegation, by the County Council was, well, it might not be illegal. But the public still asks, is it right?
Last week, it came out from Sheriff P.J. Tanner and 14th District Solicitor Duffie Stone that yes, more accusations of some other nature have been made against Greenway, and since he, as County Administrator, has some financial impact on both their offices, it might be better to bring in a Special Investigation Unit, made up of solicitors outside of Beaufort.
And the Council Council members aren’t saying a thing. In fact, when questioned by The Beaufort Gazette and others, they’ve consistently said they don’t know of WHAT the county administrator has been accused. Not even the Council Chairman who’s supposed to be leading this group.
Yes, it looks bad … bad for Greenway who has been with the county since 2018, first as Planning Director and then as County Administrator, a job he got in May 2021 when the Council forced then-administrator Ashley Jacobs to resign. It’s bad for county employees who don’t know what’s happening with their boss. Bad for the County Council members who appear to be at a loss on what the problem is, much less an answer.
And bad for the citizens who wonder, once again, have we been “Murdaughed?”
One more thing …
BEAUFORT – Kudos to Commodore James Nutt and his team of volunteers who, as of Wednesday, have provided the community a welcome distraction from crazy politicians, outlandish development fights and record-breaking heat.
The 67th annual Beaufort Water Festival is well on its way, complete with crowds of festival goers, the afternoon rain showers, nightly musical entertainment, kids’ fishing tournament, bocci matches and sailing, raft and even bed races.
Sure there’s even more folks in town than usual, but the downtown restaurants are reportedly handling it well – as well as possible in these days of absent employees – and local hotels seem to be providing accommodations despite our lack of a downtown three-story Marriott with a rooftop bar.
This year’s festival slogan proclaims “Tides of Lasting Memories.” That’s what’s so special about Beaufort, the memories. The Festival itself has changed a lot in 67 years, from the performance shell-shaped bandstand in the Marina parking lot with a beauty pageant and a sailboat race to 10 days of activities and events advertised throughout the region.
A lot of those original organizers are gone, leaving memories themselves, but thanks to the Festival volunteers who work hard to make sure we have ‘em.
Lolita Huckaby Watson is a community volunteer and newspaper columnist. In her former role as a reporter with The Beaufort Gazette, The Savannah Morning News, Bluffton Today and Beaufort Today, she prided herself in trying to stay neutral and unbiased. As a columnist, these are her opinions. Her goal is to be factual but opinionated, based on her own observations. Feel free to contact her at bftbay@gmail.com.
