It was the closest mayoral election in Isle of Palms history, maybe the entire state and country, and needed a runoff and final recount to decide the winner. But in the end, incumbent IOP Mayor Phillip Pounds was re-elected for a second term over councilman Scott Pierce by the margin of a single vote – 947 to 946.
Pounds’ victory came 16 days after IOP’s Nov. 4 municipal election and two days after the Nov. 18 run-off which came down to an official vote count and decision by the Charleston County Board of Voter Registration and Elections.
“It’s one of the tightest races we’ve ever had,” said Matt Dillane, marketing and communications coordinator with the Charleston County Board of Voter Registration and Elections. “I’m sure other elections have been this close before, but not in recent memory. And it underscores how much every vote counts.”
Turnout among all eligible IOP registered voters for the runoff was a whopping 47.1%, whereas for all of the rest of Charleston County’s municipal elections held Nov. 4, voter turnout was just 17.73%.
The heated contest not only brought out voters, but hinged on differing candidate views of how to move the island forward with respect to resident and council member collaboration; city accountability and transparency of all actions and intentions and how decisions made now will affect the island in the near and long-term future.
“It’s been a long few months of campaigning,” Pounds said shortly after the victory. “I’m very proud of our IOP community for staying engaged and coming out to vote again.”
Pounds said that while he is glad the election is finally over, the work will begin almost before anyone has a real chance to celebrate.
“Balancing a residential community and a popular tourist destination isn’t easy,” Pounds said. “Rather than satisfying just the vote of the day, we need to expand our focus in the next few years even more by making decisions for the long-term durability of our island.”
Second-term city council winners John Bogosian and Katie Miars were joined by first-time electees David Cohen and Bev Miller.
“I am deeply grateful to voters for another term,” said Bogosian, who presently serves as the council’s Public Safety Committee chairman. “The community means so much to me, and I will work every day to serve residents and justify their trust in me.”
Cohen added that while he is honored to be elected on his first try, his initial focus coming in will be to “do a better job of long-range planning.”
“We’re going to get more pressure in the coming years to relax our building standards to allow for more development – so I’m looking to kind of preserving what we have,” said Cohen, who previously served 15 years on the IOP Planning Commission. “As for the election, I’m surprised at how well it turned out.”
Cohen, Miller, Bogosian and Miars will likely be sworn in alongside Pounds on Jan. 6, after which the entire city council will be thrust immediately into several lingering and ongoing issues, which include: beach renourishment, flooding and drainage and employee retention.
In a long, multi-decades battle against coastal erosion, IOP City leaders and engineering consultants are preparing for another major beach nourishment project to place up to 2.5 million cubic yards of beach-quality sediment along up to 19,200 linear feet of shoreline on the two ends of the island. The outcome of this $25 million project – the largest ever undertaken so far by the city – is expected not only to largely influence how future beach nourishment efforts are handled, but to shape how the island will look and sustain itself for decades to come.
While IOP has made crucial progress in recent years with an island-wide master plan to battle king tides, strong northeastern winds and hurricane weather, Pounds said “we also must be aggressive in finding alternative funding sources via grants and other funds that may be available.
To help retain more police officers and firefighters, IOP City Council approved a wage and compensation study in September through Evergreen Solutions, a public sector consulting firm in Tallahassee, Florida. The intent is to help keep both departments competitive in an increasingly limited market for qualified public safety professionals. The issue is already a council priority to address as soon as possible after the new year.
The high percentage of IOP voter turnout was also due to long-simmering issues over planning and employee retention and a combination of old and new faces for four seats on IOP City Council.
By L. C. Leach III
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