James Island to decide Tuesday

JAMES ISLAND -- Two years ago, elections for mayor and four Town Council seats were cancelled when only the incumbents filed to run.

The lack of any challengers convinced Mayor Mary Clark and the council members that residents must be satisfied with the jobs they are doing.

Things are different this time around.

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Five candidates, including Clark, are seeking the mayor's office Tuesday in the town's election. Ten candidates, including three incumbents, also hope to earn council seats.

There also are two questions on the ballot. One asks voters if they want to increase the number of council members; the other asks them if they want to stagger council terms and eventually increase council and mayoral terms from the current two years to four years.

Hoping to unseat Clark are:

--Jonathan Brown, vice president of eBusiness for ICF International, a management, technology and policy consulting firm based in Fairfax, Va.

--Brett "Skibo" Johnson, owner and operator of Skibo's Neighborhood Grill.

--Warren Sloane, a property manager.

--Bill Woolsey, an economics professor at The Citadel.

Seeking council seats are incumbents Leonard Blank, Bill Wilder and Parris L. Williams, and challengers James Balliet, David Engelman, Francis Denny McKeever, Carter McMillan, Darren Troy Mullinax, Robin Welch and Karen Wilder-Smalls.

The top vote-getters will be winners. There will be no runoffs in either the mayoral or council race.

All 15 candidates have been pounding the pavement, knocking on doors, placing signs and advertising. Large numbers of potential voters turned out for four forums at which candidates discussed the state of affairs in the town and their plans, if elected.

Clark was a lightning rod for some of the criticism leveled by her opponents, who vowed to end the acrimony sometimes present in council meetings and between the town and other local governments.

But Clark said the town is under assault from both inside and outside its boundaries, making a vigorous defense of her administration necessary.

This is the third incarnation of the town. Twice the state Supreme Court has struck down James Island's incorporation in response to suits filed by the city of Charleston. The city sued again when the town incorporated a third time in 2006. The town won a lower court ruling, but the town's existence now hinges on another Supreme Court ruling expected next year.

All five candidates talked about road and ditch maintenance, as well as other issues during their campaigns.

--Brown thinks he can use his Internet skills to save the town money and keep its citizens better informed. He'd like to connect neighborhoods with more sidewalks and bike paths, which he said also would take many vehicles off of roads. Brown said problems with services such as ditch and road maintenance can be worked out in just a few months, permitting the town to turn its focus toward bettering residents' quality of life.

--Clark, who helped form the town and who has been the only mayor of the second and third versions, said that under her leadership the town has established a Planning and Zoning Department, a municipal court, code enforcement, a roads and drainage program, and emergency and disaster preparedness.

--Johnson, who ran against Clark in 2006, said his experiences in the private sector make him best qualified to be mayor. He said he'll work for a smaller, more efficient government that better communicates with people and businesses. He said he can negotiate with Charleston County to get services that were taken away, and work with the city of Charleston, as well.

--Sloane believes his occupation makes him the only mayoral candidate with the latitude to work full time at Town Hall. He said he would call for an audit to determine the exact status of the town's finances. He said the message he gets from voters is that something is wrong with the town and it needs a change.

--Woolsey said his experience on council in an earlier version of the town gives him an advantage. He favors hiring a full-time, professional town administrator to handle the town's day-to-day operations. He said the town must work with the county and the city on roads, drainage and other mutually beneficial efforts, including recreation facilities.

Polling places

Below are the polling places for the James Island municipal election Aug. 3. The polls will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Note that some polling locations have changed.

Polling places

Folly Beach 2: James Island Elementary School, 1872 Grimball Road

James Island 1A: James Island Elementary School, 1872 Grimball Road

James Island 1B: James Island Elementary School, 1872 Grimball Road

James Island 3: James Island Town Hall, 1238-B Camp Road

James Island 5A: Epworth United Methodist Church, 1540 Camp Road

James Island 5B: First Baptist Church, 1101 Camp Road at Dills Bluff

James Island 6: First Baptist Church, 1101 Camp Road at Dills Bluff

James Island 7: First Baptist Church, 1101 Camp Road at Dills Bluff

James Island 8A: Fort Johnson Middle School, 1825 Camp Road

James Island 8B: Fort Johnson Middle School, 1825 Camp Road

James Island 9: Fort Johnson Middle School, 1825 Camp Road

James Island 10: James Island Town Hall, 1238-B Camp Road

James Island 11: Harbor View Elementary School, 1576 Harbor View Road

James Island 12: James Island Town Hall, 1238-B Camp Road

James Island 13: James Island Town Hall, 1238-B Camp Road

James Island 14: Harbor View Elementary School, 1576 Harbor View Road

James Island 15: Fort Johnson Middle School, 1825 Camp Road

James Island 17: Harbor View Elementary School, 1576 Harbor View Road

James Island 19: Harbor View Elementary School, 1576 Harbor View Road

James Island 20: James Island Baptist Church, 2023 Wappoo Drive

James Island 22: James Island Baptist Church, 2023 Wappoo Drive

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Also on the ballot

In addition to mayoral and council candidates, there are two questions on the ballot for the James Island election.

Question 1: Increasing the Number of Members of Town Council

'Shall the Town of James Island Council consist of six (6) members, by adding two positions on Council in addition to the four in existence, subject to favorable vote in this Referendum and approval by the Justice Department, commencing with the election subsequent to this Referendum, as authorized pursuant [to] SC Code §5-9-20 (1976)?'

What it means: This question seeks voter approval for expanding the size of council from four to six members, and extending the terms for mayor and council from the current two years to four years.

Question 2: Extend Future Term of Office of Mayor and Council and Stagger the Election of Two Council persons

'Commencing with the election of the first Tuesday of August 2010, there shall be instituted, at that election only, a process by which the two council persons receiving fewest votes of the four will serve for two years, and those two receiving the greatest number of votes shall serve four years, with the Mayor serving also for four years; thereafter, commencing with the election of 2012, all council persons and the Mayor's terms of office shall there and therefore resume as four year terms. In the event of a tie, those persons receiving the lowest number of votes assigned to them, as follows; shortest straw to denote the fewest, second shortest the next lowest, etc., until all tied votes are determined.'

What it means: The second question would instruct council to establish a system under which elections are staggered so that the entire council does not come up for election in the same year. To begin the process, two council members elected Tuesday would serve two-year terms, while the other two, and the mayor, would serve four-year terms.

In 2012, the two council members who got the two-year terms would be up for re-election, while the mayor and other two council members would not face the voters until 2014.