Retired social worker Kolton joins City Council race

The city of Beaufort finally has as many candidates as expiring seats on its City Council, with just days to spare before the filing deadline.Kimberlee Kolton, 62, a retired social worker who moved to the Beaufort area from Boston about three years ago, will run for one of two seats to be contested in November's non-partisan, at-large election. She decided to join the race after reading that only one person -- incumbent Councilwoman Donnie Beer -- had filed to run for the open seats.

"I have really come to care about this town and would like to be involved," Kolton said Friday. "As a social worker, I feel that people have a responsibility to their communities and fellow citizens. ... I have the time to do it."

Kolton filed her candidacy paperwork Thursday, city manager Scott Dadson said.

Councilman Mike Sutton, whose term also expires this fall, had not decided as of Wednesday if he would seek re-election. Sutton could not be reached for comment Friday.

As of noon Friday, no one else had filed, Dadson said. The deadline is noon Monday.

Kolton worked as both a nurse and a social worker and worked for a year at Carolina Hospice Care before retiring. She now volunteers with Beaufort Memorial Hospital, helping deliver meals.

Throughout her career, she held various leadership roles at both for-profit and nonprofit companies, including a stints as vice president of the Psychiatric Collaborative on Cape Cod and director of the Cape Cod branch of the Health and Human Services program --experience she said helps qualify her for a seat on council.

She said she also served as the grants coordinator for a $1.4 million geriatric community services grant received by Cambridge Hospital in Cambridge, Mass.

Her work has taught her "there often are community services available that people don't really know about," she said.

"I would like to educate people about how to access resources in the community," she added. "I think since money is very tight, it really calls upon people to think outside of the box on how to meet the community's needs."

If elected, Kolton said some of her primary areas of interest include redevelopment of Beaufort's Northwest Quadrant neighborhood and military-related issues since many employees from the northern Beaufort County's three military installations live within the city's limits.

From now until November, Kolton said she plans to spend time getting to know more people who have recently moved to the area and those who have been here all their lives.

"I want to hear the history and see what they think the future holds," Kolton said.