AWENDAW -- Concerns that growth might change the character of their rural town caused voters Tuesday to oust the only mayor they've ever had in a race decided by a handful of votes, according to unofficial returns.

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Mayor William H. Alston, 74, was unseated by Councilman Samuel N. Robinson, 67, a retired social worker who received 51.6 percent of the vote.

"People want change. People want leadership. I can offer that," Robinson said, adding that he was hesitant to declare victory because of the close vote tally.

Alston, who has served as the town's mayor since its 1992 incorporation, said he planned to continue to work for the town and would offer Robinson any assistance he needed.

"This is our community," Alston said, adding that running the town is not as easy as it might appear.

Supporters on both sides said they rallied around their candidates based on their feelings about how Awendaw, a small community sandwiched between the Francis Marion National Forest and the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, should grow.

Alston's supporters wanted some growth, hoping it would bring them businesses, jobs, more people and children to area schools.

Robinson's supporters said they wanted to preserve the town's natural setting.

Residents Kieran and Barbara Mays said they supported Robinson and were concerned about how potential growth may change the town.

"We live in Awendaw because we wanted to be in a rural town," Barbara Mays said after voting Tuesday.

The council has annexed and approved large tracts for residential and commercial development in recent years.

Awendaw's 2030 land-use map states that new and existing tracts will bring the town 2,620 new homes and 160,000 square feet of commercial space, most of it south of U.S. Highway 17 extending toward the Intracoastal Waterway. If all goes as planned, construction of 1,300 of those homes would be complete within 11 years, according to the map.

Robinson has said plans for the 2,600 homes are incompatible with the town's natural environment and that he would ask developers to reduce the density. But his first task as mayor, he said, would be to get the town's municipal water system up and running.

Alston has said the town needs some growth and support from a developer with deep pockets. The town's residents hoped a town center would develop around the current town hall, a former school building, but that has not happened.

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Each mayoral candidate ran with an unofficial slate of town council candidates. Alston's "A-team" included incumbents Miriam C. Green and Bryan McNeal Jr. and newcomers Albertha S. Singleton and Sheila M. Powell. Robinson's slate included town council candidates Betty J. Simmons, Isaiah Simmons and James "Bubba" Godwin.

On Tuesday, Green and McNeal kept their seats and Betty Simmons and Powell also were elected.

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

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