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COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
Eric Larson resigns from Beaufort County
2024 SC PRIMARY
By Delayna Earley The Island News Another high-ranking director in Beaufort County’s government has resigned. Eric Larson, who was hired in Fall 2022 to the job of Capital Improvement Projects Director under the former Beaufort County Administrator Eric Greenway, resigned from his position as of June 3, according to Beaufort County spokesperson Hannah Nichols. Eric “Mr. Larson’s Larson last day of employment with Beaufort County was June 3rd,” Nichols told The Island News, but did not give a response to who would be filling in for the position. In May, the S.C. State Ethics Commission opened an investigation into alleged ethics violations against Larson. He is under investigation for allegedly instructing a Beaufort County employee to go out to his home, while still on the clock, to measure for the addition of a sunroom. The employee was then allegedly asked to draw up plans for the addition using Beaufort County materials, again while still on the clock. The citizen who filed the complaint with the S.C. State Ethics
Rep. Nancy Mace campaigns across the street from the Port Royal Town Hall polling place on Tuesday, June 11, 2024. Mace gave a thumbs up and said her campaign was “cautiously optimistic about the votes (Tuesday night) but the only election that really matters is in November.” Mace successfully fended off two primary challengers. Amber Hewitt/The Island News
A blowout and a barnburner 1st District: Mace routs GOP challengers; Moore edges Deford among Dems By Mike McCombs The Island News Despite a pretty big target on her back among both Republicans and Democrats, alike, Republican Nancy Mace, the incumbent in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, moved a step closer to a third term Tuesday night, winning the GOP primary handily over challengers Catherine Templeton and
Bill Young. Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, as of late Tuesday night, Robert Smalls’ g rea t - g rea t - g rea t grandson Michael Michael B. B. Moore edged Moore out Mac Deford by fewer than 700 votes for the right to run against Mace in the Nov. 5
PRESORTED PERMIT NO. 97 BEAUFORT, SC 29902
General Election. In downtown Port Royal on Tuesday, where Mayor Kevin Phillips had endorsed her a week earlier, Mace greeted voters and implied this is just a start, saying she was “cautiously optimistic” about the primary’s outcome.
SEE ELECTION PAGE A8
SEE RESIGN PAGE A6
LOWCOUNTRY LOWDOWN
What kind of Legal advice is County Council getting?
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BEAUFORT eaufort County has a new administrator – well, we will as of July 1 – but the controversy that’s embroiled county operations for at least the past year, continues. For those who may have missed LOLITA HUCKABY it, the County Council unanimously agreed two weeks ago to hire Michael R. Moore a deputy admin- when former administrator Eric istrator from York County, S.C. to Greenway was fired. take the job interim administrator The proverbial ink had probably John Robinson has held since July not dried on the employment con-
tract before the Post and Courier reported that, by the way, the process the County Council had used to hire Moore did not comply with state law. Seems the Council overlooked the fact they’re required, by law, to let the public know — in the name of transparency — the top three contenders for the job prior to making a decision. And then the Island Packet reported not only had procedure not
The demolition of the former Arthur Horne County Office Building was near SEE LOWDOWN PAGE A4 completion on Monday, June 10, 2024. Amber Hewitt/The Island News
SPORTS
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INSIDE
A Bruner back on top at Beaufort River Swim.
SC has a surplus in teacher loan repayments as more exit the field.
VMFT-402 begins stand up at Fighter Town East.
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