Lots of ‘who knows’ following last week’s political news
By Lolita Huckaby
BEAUFORT
If ever there was a time that tried (political) souls, it might have been this past week in Beaufort.
We were already watching the fallout in the County Council chambers with the exposure of now-former County Administrator Eric Greenway’s questionable dealings.
We watched the hearing on Monday when his attorney explained that Greenway never really wanted to be county administrator and had warned the County Council back in 2018 when he was promoted from County Planning Director to the top job after the Council ran off Ashley Jacobs, the county’s first female administrator.
The attorney said Greenway told the council he didn’t have financial management credentials, one of the issues that’s come back to haunt him as two teams of investigators sort through allegations that he mishandled the purchase of specialty blankets … and other things.
We watched the attorney asking the County Council to consider Greenway’s accomplishments and reverse the decision, calling it a “hasty and reactive” decision to terminate. We watched the County Council, which has spent more hours behind closed doors this summer debating this situation than they’ve spent in open session, ignore that request.
All the while, we watched Greenway, in a room full of county staff members who are probably concerned about where these investigations into misconduct are heading, say nothing. He shook hands and walked out the door. Who knows if a lawsuit against the county will follow?
Mid-week we watched the Beaufort City Council – a majority of them – ignore the requests from a group of constituents who asked them not to change the wording in a development code which was perceived to weaken the influence of the Beaufort Historic Foundation on the Historic Review Board.
The Council did other business that night, nice things, like recognize U.S. Constitution Week and authorize the purchase of land to start a passive open space park on Boundary Street near Barnard Tire Co. But that vote on the code change – a 3-2 split from an elected body that hardly ever has a divided opinion – was a crucial one in the ongoing argument that the current city administration under Mayor Stephen Murray really didn’t appreciate the historic significance of the action.
Remember Murray “made headlines” back in 2019 during Mayor Billy Keyserling’s administration, got up and walked out of a council meeting as a point of protest when the matter of removing the HBF vote from the review board was being discussed. Murray later explained that he had done so because he did not agree with the voting procedure but his departure from the dais certainly startled those watching.
Then Friday, Murray startled the community and those in his “city hall” family – maybe his own friends and family – announcing his immediate resignation from an elected position he’d held since 2020.
In his farewell address, posted on social media, he said a number of things – he was doing so for his business, his health and his family, the traditional responses we hear from politicians stepping out of the limelight they appeared to love.
He also said he was tired of “middle school drama” and “the daily barrage of uncivil and rude people.”
In these times of political meanness – obviously not just in Beaufort or South Carolina – “being tired” is a decision many can understand. It takes a strong will to keep on going when the political battles become so personal. Everyone says … and hopefully believes … when a difficult vote is cast, it’s being done for “the best of the community in the long-run.”
But Murray’s sudden decision to resign, apparently prompted by a Tuesday night encounter with HBF Executive Director Cynthia Jenkins at a stop-light on Lady’s Island, where a verbal exchange became a “he-said, she-said” conversation “reported” first on social media, turned into something of an online wildfire, was a reminder we’re all humans.
Maybe the 42-year-old mayor who was recently named President of the Association of South Carolina Mayors and reportedly had higher political ambitions, had indeed “had enough.” Maybe there is some unknown “second shoe” of controversy to drop that he knows but we don’t. Maybe all this will play out like the mystery of why city attorney Bill Harvey, who had served as legal advisor to the city for 36 years and had only seven months left on his contract, suddenly resigned with neither he nor the mayor offering any additional comment.
Maybe he got tired of being accused of being “in Dick Stewart’s pocket” because of his support for the 303 Associates’ development projects which mobilized those concerned about the historic fabric of this town even more so than the vote for review board membership.
Two points to take away from news: Individuals are complex and the history of this historic place is still being written.
So what happens next?
BEAUFORT – The mayor has resigned. Mayor Pro-tem Mike McFee becomes the interim mayor and a special election has been set for Dec. 12.
Will McFee, who’s had to run three municipal elections in the past three years, throw his hat into that ring? What about Mike Sutton, who served on council before and ran against Murray in 2022? What about Phil Cromer, also a former City Councilman who believes in term limits or maybe current Councilman Josh Scallate, who won election to his first term in 2022 and could run while still holding onto his seat which wouldn’t be up for re-election in 2026?
What about Josh Gibson, who ran for council against Scallate last year and lost by only 23 votes?
While we wait to see how the race shapes up, a political race has formed in Port Royal, where Councilman Kevin Phillips decided to challenge incumbent Joe DeVito for the mayor’s office. Both are serving their first terms in their current offices.
It’s not clear, yet, the political differences of the two men but a non-partisan mayoral race after one term is somewhat unusual for this unusual but rapidly growing town. Previous Mayor Sam Murray held the office for 24 years before DeVito and before Sam Murray, Henry Robinson was mayor for 18 years.
It’s clear the development of the Port Royal harbor under contract with Safe Harbor, will be a top consideration and citizens are making it clear they’re not happy with the limited plans they’ve seen or the flow of information with the town.
Incumbent Councilman Jerry Ashmore has filed for a third term and newcomer Jorge A. Guerrero, a retired Marine sergeant major who ran unsuccessfully in 2021, filed to run for the seat now held by Phillips. Filing deadline for the November election was September 8.
One more thing left
BEAUFORT – Actually, there are a number of unfinished items left on Murray’s agenda the now-four member City Council will have to consider … or kick down the proverbial road.
Since May, the Council has been considering reappointments to the Historic Review Board, the review panel they impacted last week with the vote to no longer require a recommendation from the Historic Beaufort Foundation for membership.
There are two seats up for reappointment – Jeremiah Smith, who currently serves as chair of HRB but often has to recuse himself because his architectural partners, Allison Ramsey have projects up for review. The other is held by Maxine Lutz who HBF recommended.
Smith has said he no longer wishes to serve so didn’t ask for reappointment. Lutz did and in May was one of four candidates interviewed publicly by the city council
Surprisingly the council brought in two more candidates in July to be interviewed for the two HRB seats. “Surprising” because the council members often complain they can’t get enough citizens to volunteer for the various committees; more recently they seem to have a surplus.
Will the council move forward and appoint someone to fill those two seats? It’s not stopping the HRB business; last week they gave conceptual approval to two new townhouses at 1106 Craven Street, sharing a lot with the three townhouses at 1105, 1107 and 1109 Bay plus the redevelopment of the county jail on King Street and 48 dwelling units.
Or will the reduced Council go ahead and make appointments, revealing how they really feel about Maxine and the HBF?
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.
