Isle of Palms Election Results
ISLE OF PALMS — Just one of four incumbents, Ryan Buckhannon, will return to City Council after a tumultuous campaign season ended Tuesday.
Eight people ran for four open seats on the Isle of Palms council. Challengers Michael Loftus, Ralph Piening and Brian Duffy were the other top vote-getters Tuesday.
Councilwomen Jane McMackin and Leola Hanbury and Councilman John Marino and challenger Carron Smoak failed to get enough votes.
Loftus won 13.5 percent of the vote, Duffy won 12.8 percent, Piening won 12.7 percent and Buckhannon 12.6 percent.
“I look forward to doing what I can do to bring the island together,” Loftus said.
Marino won 12.3 percent of the vote, McMackin won 12.2, Smoak won 11.9 percent and Hanbury received 11 percent, according to unofficial totals. Jim Raih, a ninth candidate, dropped out of the race but received 41 votes.
McMackin, Duffy, Loftus and Piening formed a clear team after filing for candidacy and found a base of people to work with in the Isle of Palms Neighborhood Association. Those association members were upset over problems surrounding vacation rentals. The three men on the team said the election had a bittersweet outcome because McMackin lost her seat.
“Jane fell victim to the very negative campaigning,” Duffy said.
Hanbury, Smoak, Buckhannon and Marino said they were independent throughout the race.
The campaign battle was waged between the slate of four candidates, supported by the Neighborhood Association, and the Isle of Palms Community Association, which sprung up to oppose the slate. The Community Association hired Rod Shealy, a political consultant, to fight against the slate. Larry Pierson, of Wild Dunes, became the president of the association and also served as Smoak’s campaign manager.
“I’ve always said that I wasn’t taking any sides,” Buckhannon said. “I guess that idea got me in there.”
Residents received mailings from the Community Association attacking Neighborhood Association candidates, and Duffy said McMackin bore the brunt of those attacks.
On Saturday residents received a letter from the Community Association painting McMackin and others as Democrats and said the other four candidates were more conservative and voted 100 percent in Republican primaries. A postcard mailed during the weekend purported to be from the Isle of Palms Republican Party told residents to vote against the slate.
On Monday, Charleston County Republican Party Chairwoman Lin Bennett said in a prepared statement that most Isle of Palms candidates were conservative and that the party had endorsed no one.
Click <a href=”http://www.charleston.net/news/2007/nov/07/iop_voters_boot_out_incumbents21454/”>here</a> for original article in the Post and Courier.
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