Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009

Write-in takes the lead in Atlantic Beach

An incumbent and a write-in candidate who was eliminated from the ballot are in the lead for two seats on the Atlantic Beach Town Council.

Windy Price - who was left off the ballot because of questions surrounding her residency and because of turning in a form late - received 40 votes in Tuesday's election.

Incumbent councilwoman Charlene Taylor received 39. Josephine Isom, also an incumbent, garnered 32 votes, with write-in candidate Carolyn Cole shortly behind with 28 and long-time town critic Paul Curry collecting 5.

The official tally will come Thursday, after accounting for 39 ballots challenged Tuesday, said Stephanie Simmons, official poll manager.

The ballots that were challenged will be sealed and will only be counted if those in question can prove their residency at the Atlantic Beach Community Center after 10 a.m. Thursday.

"Since I've been out here, we've never had so many challenges," Simmons said. She said she believed some people issued challenges because they knew it could be hard for some people to take off work and come up to the polls to prove themselves.

"If they can minus some of the votes of people, they'll do it," Simmons said.

A total of 107 Atlantic Beach residents out of the 319 registered in the town voted Tuesday, said the town's election commission chairwoman, Alice Graham.

Price said she attributed her success in the election to a "massive, productive write-in campaign" and the help of suspended Atlantic Beach Mayor Retha Pierce.

"Mayor Pierce was a very positive influence," Price said. "I listened to her and followed her wisdom."

The early indication of a slight Town Council shake-up comes after Atlantic Beach's share of recent leadership woes in the past week.

As Mayor pro tem, Taylor is set to fill in for Pierce. In the event she does not win a seat on the council, she will remain in the position through her current term this year and council members will have to select a new substitute for Pierce.

Gov. Mark Sanford suspended Pierce after she was indicted Thursday by a Horry County grand jury on a charge related to an April hit-and-run incident.