Charleston County Republicans still have something to settle: an Auditor’s race

The county auditor normally is a low-key courthouse post that sets property tax rates and issues tax bills, but it’s about the hottest primary contest in Charleston County today.

Incumbent Peggy Moseley faces a challenge from two other Republicans: former Mount Pleasant Town Councilman Paul Gawrych and former Charleston County School Board member David Engelman.

If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, then Republicans will return to the polls on June 26 to pick between today’s top two vote getters.

Voting today began light, and Engelman said he expected it would remain that way throughout the day. “I’m just going to take it easy all day long,” he said. “To me, it’s in God’s hands.”

Gawrych, the sole candidate from Mount Pleasant, said he was heartened by initial reports that turnout in East Cooper precincts is running somewhat higher than elsewhere. “That’s a good thing,” he said. “That’s good math.”

The auditor’s race remains high profile in a year where many other primary battles were scuttled because of a S.C. Supreme Court ruling. State Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, and Senate 41 Republican hopeful Paul Thurmond saw all their primary opposition declared ineligible for not properly filing an ethics form.

The three GOP auditor candidates survived, as did Democratic challenger Peter Tecklenburg, who will face the Republican winner on Nov. 6.

Moseley first was elected auditor in 1992. The auditor is a full-time position that pays about $91,000 a year and is responsible for setting property tax rates with input from local government and for overseeing other aspects of the property tax system.

James Horn of Charleston said today he just felt like it was time for a change in the office. “I voted for change then,” he said.