November 9 edition

Page 1

Landscape Design-Build Commercial & Residential Landscape Installs Lawn MAintenance Hardscape Installs Plants & Landscape Supply Irrigation

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NOVEMBER 9–15, 2023

WWW.YOURISLANDNEWS.COM

PRESORTED PERMIT NO. 97 BEAUFORT, SC 29902

COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY

ELECTION DAY 2023 ELECTION DAY 2023 BY THE NUMBERS (Winners in italics)

Mayor – Town of Port Royal Kevin Phillips

628

60.33%

Joe DeVito

411

39.48%

Write-in

2

0.19%

Town Council – Town of Port Royal

(2 at-large seats open)

Jerry Ashmore

826

Jorge Guerrero

645

54.77% 42.77%

Write-in

37

2.45%

Town Council – Yemassee* (2 at-large seats open)

Richie Hagan

133

31.52%

Daniel Anderson

120

28.44%

Peggy Bing-O’Banner

86

20.38%

Jerry Thompson

54

12.8%

Ty Shaw

21

4.98%

Write-in

8

1.9%

*Results are from Beaufort and Hampton counties

Mayoral candidate and sitting Port Royal Town Councilman Kevin Phillips gets in some last minute campaigning with some supporters on Paris Avenue on election day Tuesday, Nov. 7. Volunteers, from left, are Shawn Baynes, Logan Cunningham, Beth Dubois, Dianne Phillips (Phillips’ mother), Denise Duck and Ashton Viterbo, Phillips’ sister. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

A new direction

Beaufort County School Bond Referendum Yes

13,517 72.12%

No

5,226

27.88%

Phillips prevails over incumbent DeVito in Port Royal mayoral race

Fripp Island Bond Referendum 1 Yes

203

89.04%

No

25

10.96%

Fripp Island Bond Referendum 2 Yes

214

94.27%

No

13

5.73%

Fripp Island Bond Referendum 3 Yes

218

96.46%

No

8

3.54%

Source: SCVotes.gov

By Delayna Earley The Island News Port Royal has a new mayor. Kevin Phillips won the majority of the vote over incumbent Joe DeVito in Port Royal’s mayoral election Tuesday night. According to the unofficial results posted by the South Carolina Election Commission, Phillips received just over 60% of the vote with 628 votes and DeVito received almost 40% of the vote with 411 total votes. “It’s kind of overwhelming at the

moment,” Phillips said of his win. “I’m sunburned, I’m dirty and I’m exhausted, but I couldn’t be happier or more proud of the people Kevin who have helped Phillips me along the way. But mostly I’m just happy for the Town of Port Royal.” Phillips said that he was out campaigning from 6:30 a.m. on Paris Avenue along with DeVito. This is the second political office

that Phillips has held, the first being a seat on the Port Royal Town Council, a role that he was elected to in 2019. DeVito was campaigning for his second term as mayor. “One of the things I really tried to do with this election is get out and talk to all of the communities of Port Royal,” Phillips said. “We have a much more diverse community than most people know. We have a lot of military families, we

SEE MAYOR PAGE A8

Voters overwhelmingly pass School Bond Referendum By Mike McCombs The Island News If there’s one thing Beaufort County voters can agree on, it’s supporting their schools at the ballot box. It was true four years ago, and it proved true again Tuesday, Nov. 7 when more than 72% of Beaufort County voters who went to the polls voted “yes” for the Beaufort County School Bond Referendum. The bond referendum request-

ed $439 million in bonds to help deal with overcrowding in schools, bolster security measures and modernize outdated facilities. “This is the largest bond referendum in our district’s history, and its approval represents a strong show of support for our 21,500 students and their futures,” Beaufort County School District Superintendent

Frank Rodriguez said in a statement released late Tuesday night. “Our job now is to demonstrate to voters that their vote of confidence was deserved. We will work to ensure these important projects are completed on budget and in a straightforward and transparent fashion.” Candace Bruder, spokesperson

for BCSD, said before the election that this would be the largest bond referendum the Beaufort County School District has ever passed, topping the $345 million bond referendum passed by the county’s voters in 2019 with nearly 70% of the vote. This one was bigger and more popular, supported publicly by the Beaufort Area Chamber of Commerce, the Military Enhancement Committee and the United Way of

The Lowcountry. “Investing in education is essential to creating a more self-sufficient Beaufort County,” the United Way said in a statement supporting the referendum. “When our children have access to high-quality education, they are better equipped to succeed in school and in life. They are more likely to graduate from high

SEE BOND PAGE A8

NEWS

SPORTS

EDUCATION

INSIDE

Developer pivots from golf course to a plan for homes on Pine Island.

Eagles surge in 2nd half, survive, advance.

District holds ribbon cutting for renovated elementary gym.

PAGE A4

PAGE B1

PAGE B2

Lowcountry Life A2 News A2–7 Election A8 Arts A9 Health A10–11 Sports B1, 3

Education Military Voices Legals Directory Classifieds

B2 B4–5 B6–7 B9 B10 B11


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