OCTOBER 29–NOVEMBER 4, 2020 WWW.YOURISLANDNEWS.COM
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
ELECTION 2020
LOLITA HUCKABY
Who’s zooming who?
What this election
means to me...
With just five days left until Election Day, the time to elect a president is here. Many have already voted. The Island News asked Lowcountry voters to comment on who they voted for and why, and what this election means to them, in their own words.
T
BEAUFORT he battle of the masks continues with those opposed to the pretty much non-enforceable mask restrictions flooding zoom meetings and the social media with their objections. In an effort to encourage social distancing, Beaufort County governing bodies for the last six months have been meeting via online technology, primarily the Zoom platform. Some people love it; others hate it. But the overall impact, based on looking at the number of viewers watching, more people are keeping an eye on their government in operation than before. There have been humorous moments as the elected officials, just like the rest of us mortals, experience a learning curve on the new technology. Some members seemed to forget they were online as they answered telephones, spoke to their spouses off-screen, lectured their pets … or children. One eight-hour county school board meeting featured a particularly irritating pen-clicking background serenade by a very irate member lecturing his fellow elected officials. On more than one occasion, the sound of a flushing toilet has drawn a smile. But to their credit, the chair persons have gotten better at reminding their
SEE ZOOM PAGE A6
Andy Banks
Jamie Singleton, M.D.
Andy Banks is a partner in a residential building and remodeling company in Beaufort.
Jamie Singleton is a pediatrician for Beaufort-Jasper-Hampton Comprehensive Health Services.
“I am a lifelong conservative. I believe in conservative values and principles and for that reason, I am voting for Donald J. Trump, again. I acknowledge that Trump can be a polarizing figure. I frequently want to lock down his Twitter account myself. However, I don’t obsess over every little thing that he says. I look at what he has done. His list of accomplishments is staggering by any standard. I’m not looking for a scoutmaster. I want a president who thinks outside the Beltway and finds solutions to problems. A president that embraces our founding principles and won’t allow us to slide further left toward socialism. I think far too many people become mesmerized by eloquent speech makers that talk about what they will do but
SEE BANKS PAGE A3
“It’s important because we need leadership that values everybody. … It’s been scary how divisive the country is now. So I think that alone is the main reason I’m here. Of course, I care about everything else, but there’s no way that we can heal and fix the problems of, ‘You’re on that side, and you’re on the other side’ and nobody’s coming together to even think of solutions. We are meant to be together and commune and talk and we don’t have that anymore. The unfortunate thing with the pandemic is that the pandemic has really physically divided us because it’s not safe to be around anybody right now. But it’s political division, it’s racial
SEE SINGLETON PAGE A3
Dylan Feeser
Eloise Richardson
Dylan Feeser is a technician at Lowcountry Bicycles.
Eloise Richardson is a retired teacher who lives in Beaufort.
Feeser said he’s going to vote for the incumbent, President Trump. “This election is important to me because as a millennial voter, the next four years of my young adult life are going to be impacted greatly by some of the proposed plans that each candidate has presented. My generation is at the age
Richardson waited about 45 minutes in line at Beaufort’s Election Office, on John Galt Road, to vote. “I just feel great that I’m able to exercise my right as a voter. I’m Democratic, so I went straight party ticket.” While being an educator didn’t really have anything to
SEE RICHARDSON PAGE A3
SEE FEESER PAGE A3
COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION DAY
5
Days to Nov. 3
Nina finally gets to go home
Island News columnist pens her own farewell before losing battle to cancer
L
eslie Anne Saunders Smith Scott (Lee) left this earth on the morning of Friday, Oct. 23 to return home to her Maker. It was her dying wish that she should take her last breath in the house that she loved, along with her husband, James, by her side. Lee was born on Nov. 14, 1953, a date etched in the memory of all her family and friends. She was the fourth child of David and Claire Kelly Smith, their
Election day tips You may have a lot on your mind on Election Day, but before you leave the house you’ll want to make sure you have a photo ID with you. See page A4.
LEE SCOTT
Now what?
highlighting daily life observations
third daughter. She always said she was the baby of four and the oldest of five, as four more siblings were born after
her. Her maternal grandmother, Mary Bergin Kelly, called Lee her Miss Sunshine because of her sweet smile and sparkling eyes. Lee was born at the Lying-In Hospital in Providence, R.I., and moved to Connecticut, Illinois, Ohio, Maryland, Florida, back to Maryland, back to Florida, back to Maryland again, Virginia, Maryland yet again, and finally to South Carolina. In her lifetime, Lee lived in 30 homes.
BOO!
Lee was an adventuresome soul. At 15, she went up in a stunt plane with a professional stunt pilot. At 30, she received her SCUBA certification after snorkeling in Hawaii and enjoying the underwater world. She then learned to race sailboats before she turned 40. She owned two sailboats and won numerous racing trophies. She owned her own gun and would go out to the shooting range to practice.
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Lee was a member of the Annapolis Toastmasters and won several speaking awards. Lee was blessed with two children by her high school sweetheart and loved raising a boy and a girl. At 21, she completed her lifeguard training but decided it was not a profession to pursue. By the time her son was 11, Lee had managed to complete her associate’s degree. Seven years later she
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EDITOR’S NOTE On Friday, Oct. 23, The Island News columnist Lee Scott died peacefully in her sleep at home after a long battle with cancer. The Island News family wishes to express its condolences to Scott’s friends and family. Before her death, Scott penned her own obituary. At the request of Scott and her family, it will be her final submission to The Island News. – Mike McCombs