Cromer wins special election to be Beaufort’s next mayor. What’s next for the city?

With fewer than 2,000 votes cast but by a wide margin Phil Cromer defeated Mike Sutton to be the next mayor of Beaufort in Tuesday’s special election after the unexpected resignation of Stephen Murray in September.

Cromer received 1,218 votes or 65.6% to Sutton’s 627 votes equaling 33.7%. Turnout was 19.5% of the 9,517 registered Beaufort voters eligible to cast ballots Tuesday.

“I’m overwhelmed,” said Cromer, who was surprised by the margin of victory, as he celebrated at an election party at Panini’s on the Waterfront in Beaufort. He said he plans to get a good night’s sleep and then meet with city council members and City Manager Scott Marshall on Wednesday or Thursday to discuss priorities. One of his priorities, he said, will be meeting with historic preservation interests, the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce and developers like 303 Associates in an attempt to bring the differing sides together. The city has pressing issues to address, he noted, like economic diversification and affordable housing, and needs to be on the same page. “I only have 11 or 12 months to get somethings done.”

On Dec. 19, Cromer will take the helm of the 312-year-old city recently beset by legal and political battles over building plans in its historic downtown district. The mayor-elect said during the campaign that he was disappointed the city ended the practice of accepting nominations from the Historic Beaufort Foundation (HBF) for one of the seats on the city’s Historic District Review Board (HDRB) saying it only makes sense to have a preservationist’s voice on the board. If elected, he said, he would not raise the issue but would welcome a discussion if somebody else did.

He also campaigned on a pledge of lowering the temperature of local politics and said he would listen to everybody.

Aside from the development-versus-preservation rift entangling the state’s second oldest city, Cromer said his priorities would be continuing stormwater projects to build the city’s “resiliency” to coastal flooding and rising tides, completing the strategic goals set by the city council and streamlining the building permitting process to make it easier for businesses and developers.

Cromer, who is currently president of the Beaufort County Historical Society and the St. Andrew’s Society of the Lowcountry, had previously held roles as town administrator of Ridgeland and town manager of Port Royal. He was also a risk management consultant for the Municipal Association of South Carolina before retiring in 2014. He previously served on the City Council from 2014 to 2022.

Murray’s September departure came as fissures over downtown development projects including a parking garage and hotel and the divisive appointment process for the Historic District Review Board escalated. The flash point for the rift was a decision by the city to remove a dedicated seat on the board for the traditionally pro-preservation group.

When he stepped down, Murray cited uncivil attacks and the toll the job was taking on his health, family, friends, businesses and reputation.

A short campaign

Cromer and Sutton, both former members of Beaufort City Council, have been campaigning since the filing date.

The city’s last special election came in March 2021 and drew a turnout of 1,045. That special election was related to Murray as well. After Murray, a councilman at the time, was elected mayor in November 2020, a special election was necessary to fill the remainder of his term on the council. Mike McFee won the seat and was later reelected to a full term. When Murray resigned as mayor, McFee was named acting mayor, filling a seat vacated by Murray for a second time.

On election day Tuesday, both Sutton and Cromer were out campaigning and staying on the messaging that became the hallmark of each campaign.

“We have the battle of the corners here,” Cromer said at about 4:30 p.m. at the intersection of Ribaut Road and Bay Street, one of the busiest roads in the city, where he and his supporters were holding signs and waiving to passersby.

Sutton and his supporters were doing the same thing directly across the road, surrounded by Sutton’s distinctive signs featuring a yellow dot with the message, “Push the Sutton for mayor button,” in the center.

Murray’s abrupt departure in September gave the candidates a tight window to launch a campaign and they papered busy street corners and lawns with campaign signs.

Cromer called the shortened campaign the “longest three months of his life” in which he seemed to be constantly campaigning.

Despite the whirlwind, it was civil campaign, at least between the candidates, although not necessarily for supporters, said Sutton, as cars whizzed past. “It’s a gentleman’s campaign and that’s how it should be,” Sutton said.

Weather and holiday interruptions made the campaign to reach eligible voters quickly even more difficult, said Sutton.

Sutton, who served on City Council from 2006 to 2014, owns Sutton Construction, an historic restoration company in Beaufort and currently serves on the Historic District Review Board and the Building Board of Appeals. He served for 21 years in the Coast Guard and retired in 1998 with a background in marine engineering and environmental emergency response.

Results from 15 precincts began trickling in about 7:20 p.m. A fraction of the city’s 9,517 registered voters cast ballots in the election, including 21 by absentee ballot and 543 who voted early last week. In one precinct, Burton 3, which has 303 registered voters, just one person voted.