County official says town's failure to meet deadline delayed election
By MARTHA ROSE BROWN, T&D Correspondent Saturday, November 07, 2009SANTEE – Santee Mayor Silas Seabrooks said Friday he isn’t sure why tow officials did not respond in a timely manner to the Orangeburg County Election Commission’s request to resubmit an amended ordinance that would’ve allowed Santee to hold an election on Nov. 3.
“Something must have fallen through the cracks,” Seabrooks said.
As a result, three seats – mayor and two at-large council members – will be up for election in April 2010. If town officials had responded to the County Election Commission’s request promptly, Santee would have held an election Tuesday like many other towns across The Times and Democrat Region.
Howard Jackson, Orangeburg County Voter Registration and Election director, said Santee officials sent an ordinance to the County Election Commission requesting a transfer of responsibility for Santee elections to the county.
“Our Commission added some changes to the ordinance, and we gave it back to the town,” Jackson said, nothing the Election Commission did not agree with the town’s request and proceeded to ask Santee officials to resubmit the ordinance with appropriate changes that would allow voters to cast ballots on Nov. 3.
He said Santee had about 60 days, or until around July 24, to respond. But Jackson said the county did not receive a response from the town in time.
Jackson said Santee officials wanted the county to handle its elections and wanted to dissolve its municipal election commission. He said it was the decision of the County Election Commission not to honor Santee’s request.
“We are not doing it for any others,” Jackson said. “We wanted to be consistent.”
Both Seabrooks and Santee Town Administrator Jason Purvis said William Johnson, town attorney, had been in communication with Jackson concerning the handling of Santee’s elections.
Johnson told The T&D he knows that Santee Town Council’s desire is to let the County Election Commission handle the town’s elections and he will be working to ensure that goal is met.
The T&D asked Johnson about correspondence he’s had with the town concerning the transfer of authority over its elections to the County Elections Commission, but he cited attorney-client privilege, declining to comment.
T&D Correspondent Martha Rose Brown can be reached by e-mail at marfawose@aol.com. T&D Staff Writer Gene Zaleski also contributed to this report.
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