POSTED 11 p.m., Nov. 3 | Charleston County voters appeared to give several incumbent leaders the boot Tuesday night, bringing new faces to Charleston County Council and the school board, where a shakeup could also break up a longtime majority faction.
On the Charleston County School District Board of Trustees, each odd-numbered seat — for districts 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 — was contested. The board chair, Pamela McKinney, who represented District 3, did not run for reelection.
Four of the seats on the ballot Tuesday, including McKinney’s, were held by members backed in 2022 by the right-wing political group Moms for Liberty (M4L). Those members and one other formed a majority that fronted controversial bickering and faction-line votes over the last four years..
But Tuesday night’s election could bring sweeping changes.
School board results
District 1 (East Cooper). With 45% of precincts reporting as of 10 p.m., voters appeared to reelect Keith Grybowski to District 1. Grybowski had 40.5% of the vote, while competitors Char Fitzwater and Mark Little trailed behind with 32.7% and 26.3% of the vote, respectively. Previously serving as chair of the board, Grybowski was backed by Moms for Liberty in 2022, but has stated that he doesn’t serve any political group.
District 3 (North Charleston/Downtown). With 51% of precincts reporting, voters appeared to back newcomer Bethany Nemitz to District 3 with 36.5% of the vote. Other candidates Joseph Bennett and Stuart Day had 24.7% and 22% of the vote, respectively. Nemitz, a staunch education advocate, said she is a big supporter of bringing more fiscal conservatism, diplomacy and transparency to the board.
District 5 (North Charleston). With 69% of precincts reporting, voters appeared to give District 5 incumbent Carlotte Bailey, a M4L-backed candidate, the boot. Public school advocate Libby Tisdale led the race with 63% of the vote as of 10 p.m., with Bailey trailing behind with 36.1% of the vote.
District 7 (West Ashley). With 63% of precincts reporting, the race for District 7 was tight. Education advocate Joy Brown held a slight lead with 34% of the vote, over M4L-backed incumbent Leah Whatley’s 33.4% and fellow challenger Francis Marion Beylotte’s 21.1%.
District 9 (James Island). With 68% of precincts reporting, voters appeared to reelect incumbent educator Carol Tempel. She was the only incumbent who was not backed by Moms for Liberty in 2022 who was running for reelection. As of 10 p.m., Tempel held about 60% of the vote, leading her challenger Karen Luhrs, who had about 40%.
County council results
Several Charleston County Council members found themselves in tight races to hold onto their seats Tuesday night.
District 1 (East Cooper). With 68% of precincts reporting, Republican Herb Sass appeared to hold onto his District 1 seat with only 51.4% of the vote as of 10 p.m., while Democratic challenger Katie Miller followed closely with 48.5%.
District 8 (Johns Island). With 88% of precincts reporting, voters appeared to be set to kick out Republican incumbent and County Council Chairman Joe Boykin. Democratic challenger Charles Glover held about 50% of the vote as of 10 p.m., while Boykin trailed closely behind with 47.3%.
District 9 (West Ashley). With 82% of precincts reporting, voters will elect a new county council member for District 9, as incumbent Jenny Honeycutt gave up her seat to run for the U.S. House of Representatives. As of 10 p.m., Democratic candidate Jaxie Ferguson held the lead with 52.4% of the vote, ahead of her Republican opponent Adam Friend, who had 47.4% of the vote.
Districts 2, 5. Republican incumbent Larry Kobrovsky ran unopposed in District 2 east of the Cooper River , and Democratic incumbent Teddie Pryor ran unopposed in District 5 in North Charleston.
Ballot questions approved
Charleston County voters were also presented with three ballot questions seeking to extend a half-cent sales tax to fund roads, parks, schools and public transportation projects.
With more than 90% of precincts reporting as of 10 p.m., voters appeared to approve all three questions.
Question 1 appeared to be approved, with about 65% of voters agreeing to levy a half-cent tax for 25 years or until $4.25 billion is collected to fund infrastructure, transportation projects and greenbelts.
Question 2 appeared to be approved, with about 65% of voters supporting the issuance of $300 million in general bonds payable from revenue generated by the sales tax authorized by Question 1.
Question 3 appeared to be approved, with about 68% of voters approving a 1% special sales tax to fund education and capital improvements.
The ballot questions follow a resounding defeat of the county’s sales tax referendum in 2024. But the new tax plan differs from the previous iteration in one big way: The Mark Clark Extension project for Interstate 526 was off the table, leaving room for billions of dollars to go toward smaller infrastructure projects across the county.
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