MORNING HEADLINES | Newcomers Ben D’Allesandro, Aaron Polkey and Leslie Skardon won landslide victories Tuesday in races for Charleston City Council as incumbent council members Stephen Bowden and Kevin Shealy faced down challengers to win reelection. Longtime council member Mike Seekings also was reelected with no opposition, according to unofficial results that will be certified later this week.
In Mount Pleasant, second-term Mayor Will Haynie also won 60.3% of the vote in a two-way race with opponent Curt Thomas. Two fresh faces – Alexandra Crosby and Kathryn Whitaker – won seats and will join veteran council members Mike Tinkey and John Iacofano after placing in the top four slots in a field of nine. Crosby won a spot by getting just 18 votes more than newcomer Perry Rourk, with about 6,000 cast for each.
Across the county, about 19% of voters turned out in municipal elections, which was about what was expected as off-year elections tend to generate more voter apathy than engagement. Of 191,653 registered voters in the county, 36,471 people went to the polls. Runoff elections, when needed, will be Nov. 18.
[UPDATED} In other Charleston-area races:
Folly Beach: Newcomers Elton L. Culpetter and Chris Bizzell will be in a runoff after garnering 36.6% and 30.8% respectively in a five-way race to replace outgoing Mayor Tim Goodwin. Voters cast more than 1,200 votes.
Isle of Palms: Incumbent Mayor Phillip Pounds will go to a runoff with challenger Scott Pierce after getting just under 50% of votes each in a three-way race.
Sullivan’s Island: Incumbent Mayor Patrick O’Neil faced no formal opposition, but won reelection with 54% of the vote after more than 400 voters cast write-in ballots.
Awendaw: Newcomer Chris Crolley will be the town’s new mayor after a plurality win.
Lincolnville: Mayor Enoch Dickerson won 48% of the vote – just under the majority to win reelection. He’ll face Tyrone Aiken in a runoff.
Mayors re-elected: Voters reelected four mayors who faced no opposition: Kiawah Island Mayor Brad Belt, McClellanville Mayor Rutledge Leland III, Rockville Mayor Riley A. Bradham and Seabrook Island Mayor Bruce Kleinman.
CPW: Former Charleston City Council member Kathleen Wilson won a seat on the Commission of Public Works for Charleston by grabbing 53% of votes in a contest with Barbara Dungee Acobe.
- To view all unofficial results in Charleston County – including all council races – click here.
New faces to Charleston Council
The landslide victories of three newcomers in races for Charleston City Council will change the 12-member body, most notably in the loss of three council veterans – William Dudley Gregory and Robert Mitchell, who lost respectively in downtown seats to D’Allessandro and Polkey, and Caroline Parker, who did not run for reelection to a James island seat.
District 4: Polkey, head of the Palmetto Project nonprofit, received 830 votes (61%) to 36.4% cast for Mitchell, who has served on council for several years. Polkey, powered by a strong fundraising effort and vigorous door-to-door campaigning, will be one of two Black members of council following the losses of Mitchell and Gregorie.
District 6: D’Allesandro, who co-owns a popular downtown pizza restaurant, ran up similar results in an election with about 300 total votes. He nabbed 976 votes to Gregorie’s 667 in a two-way race.
District 12: In replacing Parker, Skardon will be the only woman on council. In an active race with 2,470 votes, she received 1,446 votes to 705 by challenger Deanna Miller and 310 by Annette Begner.
In races featuring Charleston council incumbents, Shealy got 65% of the vote in a District 2 race with Abraham D. Champagne while Bowden nabbed 68% of the District 10 vote in an election with William Connor. Seekings, unopposed, got 97% of the vote in downtown District 8. – Andy Brack
In other headlines today
SHUTDOWN: Shutdown becomes longest in U.S. history. President Trump and administration officials indicated that fallout could intensify in the coming days, even as he has kept a distance from the crisis.
- Charleston-area foundation launches emergency fund for shutdown relief
- S.C. congressional delegation donating, pausing paychecks amid shutdown
- S.C. fund distributes $233K to help food banks stock up
New report shines light on challenges women in S.C. face. The “Status of Women and Girls in South Carolina” report from the Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network found that women in South Carolina are facing challenges ranging from unequal pay at work, difficulty finding affordable childcare and gaps in healthcare access.
Scott defends Charleston airport security. A day after U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said repeated security lapses at the Charleston International Airport were to blame for an alleged confrontation last week, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., chimed in to defend airport security.
Charleston city council to decide on conservation grant funding. The Lowcountry Land Trust is trying to buy the development rights for more than 1,000 acres to make it a hub for the wildlife in the area.
- Charleston Co. deputies, area groups to remove abandoned vessels.
- Charleston’s Magnolia development has a big sign in mind
- Charleston Metro Chamber launches veteran business forum
S.C. DMV moving to new website address, email domain in 2026. The South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles is changing its website address and email in 2026 to provide assurance that customers are reaching the legitimate state department.
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