Evans gets another term as Atlantic Beach mayor

Jake Evans was reelected mayor of Atlantic Beach in a nonpartisan election Tuesday with 67 percent of the vote, beating back challenges from former town manager William Booker and former building and code enforcement officer Darnell Price.

With an estimated 121 voters turning out for the small beach community election, Evans received 81 votes to Booker’s 30 votes and Price’s 10 votes, 25 percent and 8 percent respectively, according to unofficial results.

Elected to the two open council seats were incumbent Josephine Isom, a retired administrative assistant who worked with the Horry County Register of Deeds, and political newcomer Jacqui Gore. Isom received 70 votes and Gore received 73 votes.

Also running for city council were incumbent Charlene Taylor who received 35 votes and former Atlantic Beach Police Chief Eric C. Lewis, who received 38 votes, and a number of write-in candidates.

Evans, the 58-year-old incumbent and general manager of a vacation ownership company, pledged to work with Atlantic Beach residents to determine the right kind of economic growth for the town. Evans previously served two terms on the town council; this will be his second term as mayor.

“We’ve already laid the groundwork to begin development, the most important thing is to be open and honest about the amount of money spent,” Evans said. “The state will tell you, if you’re not letting them know how taxpayer dollars are being spent, then you won’t be getting any state funds.”

Evans said he would ensure the town continues training sessions for the planning and zoning commissioners and make sure the town stays up to date on regular financial audits.

“We’ve done an awesome job getting along together as a council and as a town. It wasn’t what it was before I was elected,” Evans said.

Gore said that her focus as councilwoman would be to continue bringing the community together and to focus on the children in the neighborhood.

“Even though the whole town has been divided, we should be able to work together and get some stuff done,” Gore said.

Isom said she would continue to focus on the town’s financial growth and ensure all audits are completed to the state’s satisfaction, which would allow the town to apply for South Carolina and federal grant funding for local projects. She said she would also focus on the need for new development.

Although Taylor was not reelected, she said she is still a member of the community and would continue to serve on local boards that focus on children and senior citizens.

Atlantic Beach elections have been contentious in previous years -- four contests have been challenged all the way to the South Carolina Supreme Court.

It took nearly two years to determine the outcome of the last election held in 2011 when Evans was first elected mayor, so he only served two years of the four-year term. In that contest, Evans won with 50 votes to incumbent Retha Pierce’s 14 votes and challenger Windy Price’s 14 votes, according to the Atlantic Beach audit report.

No protests were made following the announcement of the winners Tuesday, and Booker was one of the first to shake Evans’ hand and congratulate him.

“At the end of the day, voters are the ones who choose who they want,” Booker said.

No voters were challenged by any of the candidate’s appointed poll watchers, and both Booker and Evans said they were unaware of any voting irregularities.

“It went very smoothly,” said Joe Montgomery, chairman of the election commission. “We’re moving in the right direction.”

In the past, elections were contested in part due to allegations of voting irregularities and whether the voter was actually a resident of Atlantic Beach. Gov. Nikki Haley wrote in an order when she interceded after the 2011 election that voters were denied the right to cast ballots despite establishing residency, and that the local election commission failed to comply with statutory procedures for contesting election results.

Haley also questioned the ability of the election commission at that time and temporarily turned the election process over to the Horry County and state election commissions. After a second election was ordered in May to determine the outcome of the November 2011 contest, those results were also challenged all the way to the state’s supreme court and still Evans prevailed.

Asked why he was willing to endure the grueling election process, Evans said “I’ve been in Atlantic Beach since its inception 50 years ago, and I’ve been a part of it. It’s home to me and I don’t think anyone running against me can actually say that.”

Audrey Hudson can be contacted at 843-444-1765.

This story was originally published November 3, 2015 at 8:47 PM with the headline "Evans gets another term as Atlantic Beach mayor."