BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C.โIn just a few days, Berkeley County voters will head back to the polls, choosing between incumbent Dan Davis and Moncks Corners mayor Bill Peagler for county supervisor. Neither received enough votes during the June 10th primary to win the race.
For voters who call Bonneau Beach, Overton, Macedonia, Moncks Corner, Berkeley Club Estates, Whitesville, Windwood, Pinopolis, Highway 17A South and Lazyhill Road homeโthey will also have to choose between challenger James Law and incumbent Jack Schurlknight for the District 6 county council seat.
Just like the supervisorโs race, both District 6 candidates are facing a runoff. During the primary, Schurlknight received 45 percent of the vote while Law received 39 percent. Baron Thomas, who also ran for the council seat and finished last, has since endorsed Law for the position.
Schurlknight has served on county council since 2006, and itโs a position he hopes to continue.
โThe major thing I want to get accomplished is continuing the road improvementsโnot only for convenience but for safety,โ stated Schurlknight. โThe other thing would be is economic development.โ
Schurlknight says he wants to focus heavily on creating job opportunities for Berkeley County by attracting more companies to the area.
โThatโs why I was interested in purchasing the nursing property,โ explained Schurlknight. โI still feel that would have put the county in a position to get some good manufacturing jobs there for the central and northern end of Berkeley County.โ
In 2010, Carolina Nurseries on Highway 52 closed its door after nearly a century in business. More than 300 people lost their jobs. At one point, the county had looked into the possibility of buying the property to keep the facility in business; however, Supervisor Dan Davis said ultimately council members decided it was not the countyโs responsibility to buy private land.
โThereโs been some talk that the county wanted to spend $16 million on it, and thatโs not true. The county had agreed to pay 12.1 million,โ explained Schurlknight. โSixteen million was roughly the appraised value.โ
Law, who is no stranger to Berkeley Co. politics, believed council made the right decision by not purchasing the propertyโand itโs one of the issues that peaked his initial interest in running for council council.
โI just thought that was the wrong way for the government to be going,โ stated Law. โWe need to get back to providing the things that we are supposed to provideโa safe place to live, roads and bridges that work.โ
Law is a familiar face around the lowcountryโoften doing interviews for the media as a spokesperson for the South Carolina Department of Transportation.
โItโs a good job. I enjoy it,โ said Law.
However, heโs no newbie when it comes to the world of politics. During Hurricane Hugo, Law served as the mayor of Moncks Corner until 1992. He also served at one point on the townโs public works commission and in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1993-2003.
In terms of how the two candidates differ on the issues, Schurlknight says it comes down to economic development.
โMy opponent seems to think that it needs to be held in the private sector, and I disagree with that,โ stated Schurlknight. โI think Berkeley County needs to be a leader in economic development. Thereโs a reason why we are the fastest growing county in the state. That didnโt happen by chance. That happened by long range planning and working with industries, trying to get them here, showing what Berkeley County has to offer.โ
Law wants the county to prosper economically; however, he puts more emphasis on public safety: better roads, stronger EMS services and funding the sheriffโs officeโparticularly the portion of the jail that remains vacant.
โWayne DeWitt does a wonderful job with the sheriffโs office,โ stated Law. โHe should have had those deputies years ago. Now thereโs some controversy over whose fault it wasโthose things should have never happened.โ
Voters head back to the polls on June 24th.
To hear more from the candidates, watch the videos below.
Prior Story:
DeWitt wins big in sheriffโs race, Davis & Peagler face runoff in supervisor race
