Why did the finance director and fire chief just resign from a SC beach town? What we know

Two high ranking Surfside Beach officials are leaving their jobs, including the fire chief whose attempt at a pay raise was overturned by the town council.

Rob Clemons, who’s led the fire department since 2021 and briefly served as interim administrator, is departing on Aug. 11 while finance director Diana King has submitted a letter of retirement, according to MyHorryNews.com.

Town leaders were not immediately available for comment Aug. 3.

Clemons told MyHorryNews.com that he’s leaving to pursue a full-time position for a consulting firm that he’s worked with over the past four years.

Clemons, King and police chief Kenneth Hofmann were all in line for pay raises under the current year’s budget until the town council rescinded them days before the start of the July 1 fiscal year.

On July 13, Mayor Bob Hellyer told The Sun News that newly installed administrator Gerald Vincent is examining what happened and is expected to draft “corrective measures” to ensure nothing similar takes place in the future.

Meanwhile, Mayor Pro Tempore Cindy Keating told MyHorryNews.com that the town council likely will take up the issue at a meeting next week.

“One would be naive to think that recent events may not have played a role in these decisions at this time,” she told the outlet about the pending departures.

This story was originally published August 3, 2023 at 10:01 AM.