Town of James Island to be decided May 21

Candidate filing deadline Monday, and town elections set June 18 if referendum approved

BY DENESHIA GRAHAM
Of The Post and Courier Staff

    
     The deadline for filing to run for elected office in the yet-to-exist town of James Island is Monday. The referendum to decide if there will be a town is May 21.
     Filings must be in by noon, said Trent Kernodle, attorney for the James Island Alliance for Self-Government, the group leading the incorporation effort.
     Islanders registered to vote, living within the proposed boundaries and who are 18 years old or older can file for candidacy. There is a $100 filing fee.
     Candidate packets are available at Kernodle's office, 914 Folly Road, Suite 2. His office is where the offices for the former town were located before it was dissolved.
     Before an election for officers June 18, the town must be approved. The May 21 referendum vote will decide several things, such as the town name, the form of government and, most importantly, if the islanders want another town.
     "A lot of people have worked very hard to give the folks on James Island a choice," Kernodle said, adding that regardless of the outcome, the choice is the important thing.
     If islanders favor having a town again, he said, he hopes others will respect that decision. "It's about time their wishes were respected," Kernodle said.
     In the early 1990s, islanders voted for incorporation, and the town of James Island came into existence. However, in 1997, the town was dissolved after the city of Charleston won a lawsuit in the S.C. Supreme Court, arguing that the town's boundaries were illegal because they crossed waterways already annexed by the city.
     Sen. Glenn McConnell later introduced a bill, which stated that marshes and waterways could not be owned and could be used by other municipalities with some distance limits.
     In March, the alliance was given the green light from Secretary of State Jim Miles to move toward town incorporation for a second time.
     Since then the alliance has been trying to inform islanders aboutthe upcoming elections. About 350 residents attended an April 23 meeting at Fort Johnson Middle School to learn more about the incorporation effort. Alliance leaders said they heard no opposition to the proposal from those attending. Questions were asked about what can be expected from those elected to office and about term limits and increased taxes.
     Kernodle said it's up to those islanders elected to make those decisions, and neither he nor the alliance can make any guarantees.
     "I'm looking forward to seeing what's going to happen here," said Zennie Quinn, a resident who favors incorporation. "At least, I'll know who's representing me."
     "We don't have any representation," said Joseph Hart of Johns Island, who attended the meeting. Like James Island, Johns Island does not have its own municipality. It's divided between city of Charleston-annexed property and unincorporated Charleston County property. "I'm interested in what's going on," Hart said, adding that Johns Island is facing some of the same issues. Alliance leaders presented information about polling locations, a sample ballot, a proposed budget for the town and a projected election budget.
     The alliance also told the public of its need for a little more than $11,000 for both the May 21 election, and the following election in June, which would elect town officers if voters approve a town.
     Mary Clark, a leading member of the alliance and recently named commissioner of incorporation, said the alliance is far from having the money needed.
     Fees for the projected election budget include $3,600 for each election to pay 36 poll managers at $100 each. There are also the costs for printing ballots, advertising public notices and the delivery of voting machines, among other expenditures.
     The alliance collected about $1,300 at the meeting.
     "We've got a lot of money to raise," Clark said, adding that donations are tax deductible. More than $6,000 of the total is needed for the first election, Kernodle said. For more information on raising money or on filing for office, contact Clark at 795-5162.

     Deneshia Graham covers West Ashley. Contact her at 937-5744 or dgraham@postandcourier.com.