Surfside Beach mourns councilman who ‘put people first’

The town of Surfside Beach is mourning the loss of a “good Samaritan” who “put people first” with the death of freshman Councilman Ralph Magliette.

Magliette was suffering from pancreatic cancer and had been at the Medical University of South Carolina for the past few weeks. He returned to his Surfside Beach home Thursday night to be with his wife and friends in his final hours. Surfside Beach Mayor Douglas Samples said Magliette died Friday morning.

Magliette was 61 years old.

Magliette joined the Surfside Beach Town Council on May 13, 2014 after winning his first election to the seat a month earlier. But Samples says it wasn’t Magliette’s first time serving the city.

“Ralph was an active community member in volunteering around town. He was actively engaged and served as an officer with South Strand (Helping Hand),” the mayor said. “I remember his motto when he ran. It was very simple. It was very clear and it was really like himself. The motto was ‘putting people first.’”

Magliette retired from Merck & Co., Inc. in 2011 after 35 years, according to a LinkedIn account.

Prior to his council election, Magliette served on the city’s senior citizen committee and beautification committee.

“He was a good Samaritan,” Samples said. He was “a good person. He was very smart, he was passionate about his activities and I thought of him as like my second conscience on town council. Ralph would do anything to help people and he will be sorely missed.”

Surfside Beach will not be required to hold a special election to fill Magliette’s seat before the town’s next election on April 5. A special election is required to be held “on the 18th Tuesday after the vacancy occurs,” according to South Carolina law. But “if the 18th Tuesday (March 1) after the vacancy occurs is no more than 60 days prior to the general election, the special election shall be held on the same day as the general election.”

Brad Dean, president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement that Magliette “helped and cared about his neighbors.”

“In his first term, Ralph Magliette earned the trust and respect of his fellow council members as well as the residents of Surfside Beach as a whole. The community is recognized as a family-friendly town where people go out of their way to help a neighbor. And that is just what Ralph did,” Dean said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Ralph Magliette’s family during this difficult time.”

Reach Weaver: 843-444-1722; @TSNEmily

This story was originally published November 1, 2015 at 5:43 PM with the headline "Surfside Beach mourns councilman who ‘put people first’."