Election Season

By Charlie Wetmore

hat time of year is nearly upon us again. You know, the hurricane season is winding down, the air is cooler and more crisp and the fall festivals and picnics start up. It is a fun part of the year that my family and I especially enjoy. We spend much time in the yard, grilling all kinds of meat and spending time with friends. Food, family, fun and friends - what more can I say?

It is also the time of year where we can take the time to go out and impact how things are run in our town, county and state. There are so many issues which can impact a rapidly growing area like ours. These are things which affect our everyday lives in this beautiful little town. Things like impact fees on new houses, annexation issues, school funding, road needs and construction, whether to allow more development and how to properly manage the development that has already been approved. These items and more can be affected tremendously by how we vote.

Now, I’m not going to presume to tell you how to vote on issues and who to vote for this Fall. The purpose of this month’s Talk of the Town is to help you to see how important your vote can be.

In November, we will be voting for many things, including who will represent us in House District 118. Currently, Bill Herbkersman is representing our area. I recently sat down and discussed our town with him. His love for Bluffton is obvious when conversing with him. He is running for re-election this fall and is running unopposed. He expressed to me that one of his main goals has been to get Bluffton’s fair share from the state. He feels that this is being accomplished to a degree but that much more can be done in this area. He wants to continue to work on this in another term of office. Mr. Herbkersman is a very approachable individual. From his local office on Calhoun Street, to his website, he is easy to approach and interact with. It impresses me when a representative works toward communication with constituents instead of insulation from them. This is the way it should be.

Our County Council seat is currently vacant. Peter Lamb recently accepted an appointment to become a judge. He had served our area for the last three and a half years. Weston Newton, the current County Council Chairman, has recently moved to the Bluffton area and is running unopposed for the Council Seat. Weston impressed me at a recent Council Meeting when they were discussing a zoning change for a piece of property adjacent to the headwaters of the Okatie River. He took the minority view of Council and said that it would be wrong to put a car dealership in that location. He listened to what the people of this area were telling him (along with other county agencies) and he acted on it. The result: by the third vote (yes, the council passed it on the first two readings), the council voted against the zoning change 5-4. I believe his actions were critical in achieving that result.

There will also be a couple of votes regarding local issues. The first is a one cent sales tax referendum for construction of roads needed in this county. No one is arguing over the need for these roads, the question that is being asked at the polls is whether this is the way we want to pay for them. The second is a question as to whether the county can spend $50 million dollars more on buying up land to keep it from being developed. Many nice pieces of property (including one right next to the proposed car dealer mentioned above) have been bought by the county to stem development and to create nice park land. At this point, we need to answer whether or not we want to continue to spend money this way to preserve the land.

On a state level, we will be electing the Governor. Will it be the current Governor, Mark Sanford, or someone else? You should have a say in that decision. There are also other positions on the state level that will be up for election.

On a town level, two of our Town Council seats are up for election. The seats are those currently occupied by Jacob Preston and Lucille Mitchell. Mr. Preston has said he will not run again and Ms. Mitchell has not indicated whether or not she will. The Council is very involved in the running of the town that you and I live in. I encourage you to become aware of the issues and vote for those who you think will best represent the town of Bluffton.

Look for newspaper articles on the candidates for all of the seats mentioned above. Keep an eye out for debates and forums involving the candidates and issues. Become aware so that you can place an informed vote this Fall. I beg of you to take this privilege that we have - that of voting - seriously.

The election dates this Fall are: County, State and Federal: Tuesday, November 7th

Town of Bluffton: Tuesday, December 5th

Polling places are normally open from 7am until 7pm. The newspapers will publish polling locations and times. Please note that the location(s) for the Town of Bluffton polls will probably be different from where you vote for the other offices.

Finally, if you have not yet registered to vote: DO IT NOW! You must register to vote at least 30 days prior to an election date in South Carolina. The South Carolina voter registration form can be obtained by going to: http://www.state.sc.us/scsec/vr/VR_Blank_Form.pdf

Here is the contact information to register
in Beaufort County:
Beaufort County Board of Voter Registration
102 Industrial Village Road
P.O. Drawer 1228 (29901)
Beaufort SC 29902
(843) 470-3753 or (866) 851-VOTE (8683)
Fax (843) 470-3757
Agnes Garvin, Executive Director
agnesg@bcgov.net

For ideas or comments please feel free to email.
Email address: Blufftontalkofthetown@gmail.com