The Election That Won

The Election That Won't Take Place

Aug. 5 Balloting Called Off As No Candidates Challenge Mayor, Council Members

By Prentiss Findlay

The Post and Courier

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

In politics as in life, it takes two to tango.

Because nobody signed up to challenge the incumbent James Island Town Council and mayor in an election originally scheduled for Aug. 5, the town has decided to call off the balloting.

Mayor Mary Clark and councilmen Joseph Qualey, the Rev. Parris L. Williams, Bill "Cubby" Wilder and Leonard Blank will get another two-year term without securing a single vote. But that could change if the Supreme Court rules that the town of James Island is illegal, which it did in 2004.

The town is locked in round three of its battle with the city of Charleston for its right to exist. A Circuit Court decision is expected soon, but so is another appeal to the state Supreme Court. The legal wrangling, at least in theory, could go on forever. But, for now at least, it's smooth sailing for the unchallenged leadership.

What a difference two years makes. In 2006, four people competed for mayor, and eight candidates vied for Town Council. Is this year's scrapped election a sign of voter apathy or contentment?

"I think people are happy. I think people appreciate the work the incumbents have done," Qualey said, adding that people recognize how hard it is to run a campaign to unseat an incumbent.

He noted that the current leadership has 30 years of combined experience. "Which is invaluable. People have come to realize that maybe we are the best group to be running the town," he said.

"Everybody's happy enough. There's always somebody who is not happy," Municipal Election Commission Chairman Alan Laughlin said.

"I think that overall, people are satisfied with the leadership on James Island," Public Service District Commission member Eugene Platt said.

Marilyn Bowers, executive director of the Charleston County Board of Elections and Voter Registration, said the town can skip an election under state law if no challengers register as candidates, and if there are no write-in candidates within 14 days after the deadline to file as a candidate. The filing deadline was June 5, Bowers said.

"It was intended to save the cost of conducting these elections," she said of calling off balloting.

The town was formed from the parts of James Island previously in unincorporated areas of Charleston County. The James Island PSD and the Charleston County Sheriff's Office provide most municipal services and policing protection, as they did before.

Two previous town incorporations were struck down by the courts following challenges from the city. Charleston filed another lawsuit challenging the third incorporation, which was approved by island voters, and a decision by Circuit Judge Cordell Maddox Jr. is expected in the near future.

Reach Prentiss Findlay at pfindlay@postandcourier.com or 937-5711.