Here are the folks who want to represent you in Port Royal. Who will you choose?

Port Royal residents will choose from four political newcomers during a May election to fill a vacant Town Council seat.

Patty Crower, Bob Ellis, Marjorie Lamb and Darryl Owens filed to run in the special election on May 16. The new council member will complete the term of Vernon DeLoach, who died in February.

The winner will have to run again in November to keep the seat.

The filing deadline closed Monday. The filing period for write-in candidates ends April 3.

Crower is a past member of the town’s historic preservation panel and active in the Historic Port Royal Foundation. She has regularly attended council meetings since moving to Port Royal in 2004 and said she has the time necessary to pore over documents related to the Port of Port Royal development.

Redevelopment of the state-owned property along Battery Creek has long been a town goal and appears closer now with the sale expected to close this summer.

Crower also noted sewer and road work identified during a recent council retreat as a top priority.

“I believe we live in paradise and quite frankly, I expect to die here and I want to keep it that way — paradise,” said Crower, who is 74.

Ellis, 61, is a former longtime journalist from Michigan and the co-owner of Port Royal Veterinary Hospital. He has also volunteered with the Sea Island Rotary Club, Historic Port Royal Foundation and is also a member of the town’s zoning board.

Ellis has lived in Port Royal eight years and said he has regularly attended council meetings in recent years. The open seat is a chance to contribute, he said.

“We think Port Royal township is a great place to live, a great place to have a business,” he said.

Lamb works as an operations manager at Alpha Genesis in Yemassee and in a previous role helped bring the public swimming pools to northern Beaufort County. She’s lived in the town more than 15 years and said she has more time for public office now that her children are grown.

“I thought ‘There is an opening, and it’s time to step forward and get a little more involved,” she said.

Owens, 50, unsuccessfully ran in a 2015 election to fill two open council seats, finishing third behind incumbent Tom Klein and Jerry Ashmore. He is a member of the town’s zoning board and was a past member of the design board.

He also served on the Metropolitan Planning Commission and is the chief operations officer for Jasper County School District.

“I’m still passionate about my views of Port Royal and wanting to serve in whatever capacity,” Owens said.

This story was originally published March 21, 2017 at 12:16 PM with the headline "Here are the folks who want to represent you in Port Royal. Who will you choose?."