Planned town lacks definite candidates

James Island filing period ends Monday

BY JASON HARDIN
Of The Post and Courier Staff

     What if they gave an election and nobody ran?
     That's the situation so far on James Island, where only one candidate has filed to run for office for the new municipality that would be created if an incorporation referendum passes May 21.
     With just a few days left until the filing period closes at noon May 6, no one has filed to run for mayor of the proposed town, and only one person has filed for council.
     Potential candidates might be reluctant to run for an office that doesn't yet exist in a town that might not be created. But those involved in the incorporation process offer a simpler explanation: procrastination.
     "It's just like paying a bill, people want to wait until the last minute," said Kay Kernodle, who is serving as an election manager.
     The odd timing of the filing period, which Kernodle said opened April 18, even strikes incorporation boosters as strange. But that's because a law requires filing periods to close well before the actual election, which in this case would occur about a month after the referendum.
     Some say that candidates' caution is strategic.
     "They're waiting until the last minute to see who's running," said Trent Kernodle, who is Kay Kernodle's husband and who has been helping the incorporation effort.
     In fact, rumors and speculation about who might jump into the race were running rampant on the island even before the incorporation backers received permission to hold the referendum from the S.C. Secretary of State's office in March.
     Several high-profile islanders have either expressed interest or are being tipped as potential candidates for mayor."There's a lot of interest," Trent Kernodle said.
     The one candidate who had filed as of Wednesday, Parris Williams, said he doubts he'll be alone for long.
     "I think others are going to come forward," he said, adding that he is running because he has long supported a town. "I want to follow through with what we've been fighting for for the last five years."
     If the referendum passes with a majority of the vote, the town would be created. The elections would then be held for four council members and a mayor.
     Interested candidates file by paying a $100 fee - refundable if the referendum fails - and filling out paperwork at 914 Folly Road.

     Jason Hardin covers the city of Charleston. Contact him at 937-5549 or at jhardin@postandcourier.com.