Former Horry County administrator officially takes over as state transportation chief
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WBTW) — A former Horry County executive easily won confirmation on Wednesday to become the state’s next transportation chief, but his selection could bring consequences for commissioners who selected him.
Justin Powell, an Horry County administrator from 2015 through 2019, will take over next month as South Carolina’s next transportation secretary to replace the retiring Christy Hall.
“To me, there is no higher calling to serve the people of South Carolina than at the Department of Transportation,” Powell told a Senate panel in Columbia. “SCDOT is an amazing team.”
The Senate Transportation Commitee said Powell’s credentials and history of shrewd financial management made him the right person for the job, but criticized the process that ended with his selection.
That’s because commissioners didn’t conduct a nationwide search and barely spent any time considering other candidates before deciding on Powell.
“One of the concerns we had is, you had three secretaires within a period of two years, and we’ve tried to bring people from out of DOT and it hasn’t worked,” commission chairwoman Pamela Christopher said. “If we brought someone in from the outside, they would have to learn all the counties, the cities, leaders and the way we work. We’re moving at such a trajectory, we need someone who has that experience.”
Hall personally recruited Powell to join her agency in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in 2018, when she spent hours working alongside him evaluating storm damage across Horry County.
State Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Bonneau, said Hall’s reputation as South Carolina’s best ever transportation secretary was enough for him to support Powell.
Powell is currently making $244,356. Hall’s salary is $309,920, according to state Department of Administration figures.
“We’ve been behind her every decision she’s made, and she’s proven us right over and over and over again,” he said.
Sen. Dick Harpootlian, a Columbia Democrat, grilled Christopher and other commissioners on the lack of transparency over finding Hall’s successor.
“I think Mr. Powell is extraordinarily qualified, this isn’t a comment on him,” he said. “I’m 99% sure I’ll vote for Mr. Powell but when it comes up, I’m not sure I would vote for y’all again,” he said.
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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here.
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