Annexation stirs debate

AWENDAW — Whether it's one giant parcel or a single house, annexations seem to create a lot of controversy in this little town of 1,200.

The town council has annexed almost 2,000 acres of land since 2005, some of it in large tracts, the rest in small parcels of a few acres.

However in recent months, the majority of council stirred some controversy by opposing the annexation of several homes from one community, while approving annexations from another.

The council first voted against annexing two homes in the Romain Retreat neighborhood on the Intracoastal Waterway.

Then, on Thursday, two owners of property in Broomstraw Hill Settlement community wanted to become part of town and the council voted 5-0 to allow the first reading of their annexations.

After the vote, council member Sam Robinson, who has said he will run for the mayor's seat in November, asked why Mayor William Alston, and council members Miriam Green and Bryan McNeal voted for annexations on Broomstraw Hill Road when they voted against annexing Romain Retreat homes in previous months. Robinson said in all cases the parcels were contiguous and the people wanted to be part of the town.

"Pray tell me what is the difference?" Robinson asked.

Green said Romain Retreat wanted to take over the Town Council. A letter from the Romain Retreat homeowners association suggests that if all residents became part of the town they could create a voting block.

Some have claimed race was an issue.

The majority of the council is black and the Romain Retreat residents wishing to annex are white, but Green said her vote had nothing to do with race.

"I am not prejudiced. You created this monster now you can clean it up," Green said to Robinson.

Alston refused to explain his votes, saying only, "We'll go to lunch on Monday and I will clue you in." He also wouldn't comment on his vote after the meeting.

Outside Town Hall, Cindy and John Allred, Romain Retreat residents who had tried to annex their property, said they were shocked. How could four residents take over a town?

"As far as we know Romain Retreat has no plans to overthrow Awendaw," Cindy Allred said.

Isaiah Simmons, the owner of one Broomstraw Hill Road parcel, said he didn't think Robinson created any monster. He said Green, McNeal and Alston did when they started to suddenly vote against annexations.

"They need to be consistent," he said.

Simmons, co-chair of the Awendaw Community Action Group, which formed after the council approved dense developments in town, said he would have allowed the Romain Retreat residents to come into the town since it was just two homes.

Reach Jessica Johnson at 937-5921 or jjohnson@post andcourier.com.