Bluffton mayor Lisa Sulka endorses Mike Covert for Beaufort County Council seat

Bluffton mayor Lisa Sulka is throwing her support behind challenger Mike Covert in the race for Beaufort County Council’s District 7 seat.

Covert, a Republican and owner of local heating and air conditioning service company Covert Aire, is the lone candidate running against incumbent Councilwoman Cynthia Bensch.

Bensch, also a Republican, mounted an unsuccessful campaign last year to win Sulka’s post as Bluffton mayor.

Both Sulka and Bensch said that they don’t believe the endorsement, which was announced Friday, is related to the town’s mayoral election.

“I have no animosity toward her,” Sulka said of Bensch.

“I’ve known (Covert) for a long, long time,” Sulka said Friday. “And I’ve seen him over the past years get more and more involved in the Bluffton community.”

Covert “would be a really good fit in a fractured council,” Sulka said, referencing recent comments from County Council members about a climate of divisiveness on the board.

Covert said Friday that he is “honored to have (Sulka’s) endorsement.”

“To me its speaks volumes about the relationships I have built over the years,” he said. “Obviously, I live in Bluffton and (Sulka) is my mayor. But I would gladly accept support from any of the county’s mayors.”

Bensch said Covert “will probably have a lot politicians endorsing him. But, I hope to have a lot voters endorsing me — that’s what matters.”

Bensch and Covert will face off in the Republican primary election June 14.

This story was originally published April 1, 2016 at 2:31 PM with the headline "Bluffton mayor Lisa Sulka endorses Mike Covert for Beaufort County Council seat."