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Ned Higgins was sworn in by Mayor Pat O’Neil.
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Jody Latham was joined in her swearing in ceremony by her mom, Pat Latham.
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Carl Hubbard was joined in his swearing in ceremony by his wife, Lori Venn.
The Sullivan’s Island Town Council has three new members and a new mayor pro tem.
Carl Hubbard, Jody Latham and Ned Higgins, the top three vote-getters in the May 2 election, were sworn in at the Council’s June 20 meeting, while Justin Novak was chosen to serve as mayor pro tem. The decision wasn’t quite unanimous; Novak abstained but received the support of his six colleagues.
The vote to approve the Council’s committee’s was unanimous. Scott Millimet will serve as chair of the Finance Committee, which includes all seven members of the Council. Latham heads Administration, along with Millimet and Novak; Gary Visser is the Land Use and Natural Resources chair, with Hubbard and Mayor Pat O’Neil; Hubbard is at the helm of Public Facilities, with Higgins and Visser; O’Neil heads Public Safety, with Hubbard and Millimet; Higgins is the Recreation chair, with Latham and Novak; and Novak is taking the reins of Water and Sewer, with Latham and Visser.
Council members also unanimously approved resolutions thanking former Police Department employee Nelson Gerena, Water and Sewer Department employee John Myers and the three outgoing Council members who did not seek re-election: Greg Hammond, Kaye Smith and Bachman Smith – the only person on hand to accept the Council’s resolution.
“I always thought that the easiest way to perform the job is to make sure you support the staff because they’re the ones who run the island, and they’re the ones who do such a great job of keeping the island straight and making sure everything is up to par for the residents,” said Smith, who was first elected to the Council in 2015. “While it wasn’t always easy, when it was difficult is when you really find out the value of service, so stick with it whatever may come.”
The resolution cited Smith’s work as chair of the Council’s Water and Sewer Committee for the past six years, noting that he “provided crucial knowledge and leadership to help accomplish tremendous improvements in the town systems, especially the complete upgrade of the sewer treatment plant, great improvements to the wastewater collection system and continued modernization of the water distribution system.”
The resolution also stated that he “has been a consistently articulate, courageous, forceful and rational voice for maintaining the island’s most iconic and beloved qualities, especially in his defense of our invaluable natural resources, including the island’s protected land, Maritime Forest and marshes, as well as our irreplaceable historic resources.”
In other action June 20, the Council approved mayor’s proclamation designating June 28 as Carolina Day on the island, voted to raise water and sewer rates by approximately 3% and passed on third and final reading an ordinance that amends the town’s personnel policies and establishes a personnel handbook.
“It’s been a very long time coming,” said Novak, who played a key role in completing the handbook.