Town of Atlantic Beach discusses handing elections over to Horry County

ATLANTIC BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - The town of Atlantic Beach is no stranger to election drama.

The mayoral race between Councilman John David and Mayor Pro Tem Josephine Isom is still unresolved after the town failed to certify election results back in November.

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Now, the town is considering putting future elections in Horry County’s hands.

“It goes back to, kind of, the town being very small and getting into a lot of election disputes. This way, it will help the town in resolving election disputes and having a fair and neutral party to handle those election disputes,” said attorney Joseph Dickey.

Councilmembers were given a rough draft of an ordinance to look over, but Dickey said they are very much in the preliminary stages.

However, this potential ordinance would not resolve the current mayoral election dispute.

“There’s a lot of questions I need to ask about Atlantic Beach,” said longtime resident John Sketers. “We have a lack of transparency here and I feel and have observed where a lot of questions are being asked to our government there and they are not answering in a proper manner for me.”

Sketers isn’t the only one, multiple residents spoke during public comment and asked about where the election stands.

“How much have we spent so far in legal fees trying to resolve these issues?” asked one resident.

Dickey said residents’ frustrations are valid, and now that the South Carolina Supreme Court case regarding November’s election is no longer pending, he hopes to be more transparent with the community.

“Their frustrations are understandable and well warranted. It’s unfortunate that the town finds itself in this situation,” said Dickey.

Dickey tells WMBF News he hopes there will be progress on certifying the mayoral election in the next couple of weeks, but he says there is no clear timeline.

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