PRESORT STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID CHARLESTON, SC PERMIT NO. 137 POSTAL PATRON
Since May 2005 • Volume 19 • Issue 26 • IslandEyeNews.com
April 5, 2024
SI officials assure residents they will always have water
Photo by Brian Sherman.
Joe Henderson will assume his new role as town administrator of Sullivan’s Island at the Town Council’s June 18 meeting.
Sullivan’s Island administrator continues to learn on the job By Brian Sherman For The Island Eye News Despite having served local governments in South Carolina for nearly two decades, Joe Henderson realizes that he doesn’t know everything about being the chief administrative officer of a seaside town of just under 2,000 residents. He is, however, confident that he’s ready to assume the role of Sullivan’s Island’s town administrator, and members of the Town Council apparently agree. At their regularly scheduled monthly meeting March 19, they voted to offer him the opportunity to replace Andy Benke, who will retire in June after 21 years on the job. “There’s still some coaching to be done,” said Henderson, who has worked for the town since June 2013 and has served as Benke’s deputy for the past two years. “In town government, you should always be willing to learn, and you should always be open to creativity and new ideas.”
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Henderson’s first job with Sullivan’s Island was as the zoning administrator, where he worked with the town’s various boards and commissions. He was later promoted to the position of director of planning and zoning, then to deputy administrator in 2022, when he started working more closely with the Police, Fire and Water and Sewer Departments and “learning more about what goes on with the town.” He’s well-aware that his life will change somewhat when he takes over as town administrator at the Council’s June 18 meeting. “There won’t be any hours off. I’ll be on call 24/7,” he said. “It will demand a lot more of my time and much greater responsibility.” The path he has taken during his career has prepared him for new job, he said. Henderson earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at Coastal Carolina University, a graduate certification in urban planning from the College of Charleston and a master of public administration from Clemson University. (Continued on page 5)
No changes to seawall ordinance Page 9
By Brian Sherman For The Island Eye News The Charleston Water System contends that Sullivan’s Island owes it $1 million or so and has threatened to cut off the town’s water supply in July. Town officials claim they have a valid threedecade-old contract with CWS that will be automatically renewed for an additional 15 years. Regardless of whether the case ends up in court, “there will always be something to come out of the faucet when you turn it on,” according to Sullivan’s Island Town Administrator Andy Benke. “We would prefer to resolve it in mediation, but, if we have to, we’ll go to court,” said Sullivan’s Island Mayor Pat O’Neil. “I think the chances are pretty slim that will happen. We’re going to do everything possible to make sure it doesn’t.” An Oct. 6, 2023, letter from the CWS to O’Neil and Benke stated: “To make it clear, absent a new water supply contract beginning on July 20, 2024, SI will no longer have water service from (Continued on page 12) CWS upon the
WDMGA will host Par 3 Challenge – with a twist
By Brian Sherman For The Island Eye News The Wild Dunes Men’s Golf Association, which has been waging a battle against prostate cancer for more than a decade, has come up with another weapon in its fight to eliminate a disease that is expected to affect nearly 300,000 men in the United States in 2024. The WDMGA’s annual Charity Golf Fundraiser, the largest single private fundraiser in the world for the Prostate Cancer Foundation, is scheduled for May 11 on the Wild Dunes Links Course. Before that, however, the Association will (Continued on page 13)
Suddenly in command Page 14
Talking Baseball Page 16