‘My motion is better than yours’: These Hilton Head leaders take verbal shots at each other

The rift among Hilton Head Town Council members, first apparent at last week’s council meeting, has become more open and contentious.

At a special meeting Tuesday of the Community Services Committee, which consists of council members Kim Likins, Marc Grant and Bill Harkins, discussion became heated about criteria for funding a replacement lighting system for the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina.

Likins, the committee chairwoman and mayor pro tem, asked that the three discuss best practices she had compiled over the weekend for granting money to an organization with which the town has no ownership or contractual partnership.

Harkins then told Likins the committee should “cut to the chase” and make a motion, noting he, too, had compiled criteria.

“But is there a reason you will not discuss the list of criteria that I’ve brought forward?” Likins asked.

“I think my motion is better than yours,” Harkins replied.

Grant then made a motion to recommend that Town Council vote to fund 85 percent of the cost, not to exceed $575,000, to design, acquire and install a new lighting system for the arts center. The motion included criteria for the center to receive the money — brought forward by Harkins — which included, among other things, providing financial information, a project timeline and proof of funds to cover the remaining 15 percent of the cost.

Harkins said there is an urgent need to replace the lighting system, which was deemed “critical” by a consultant, noting the arts center generates about $25 million in annual economic impact for the region. Grant said he didn’t want to “kick this down the road anymore.” Discussion of a replacement lighting system has been ongoing for more than a year.

After Harkins seconded Grant’s motion, Likins was seemingly agitated.

“Well, I’m going to take this opportunity — since I was shut down by my fellow council members — at having a public discussion, and share with the community some of the things that I put together that I thought were good examples for us to discuss,” Likins said before reading from the grant-criteria list she had compiled.

Those in the audience picked up on the tension between Likins and Harkins, and one made that clear during the public comment period.

“I was under the impression we were coming to listen to what criteria would be for implementing and replacing (the lighting) of the arts center. What I’m observing is, it’s already a done deal that’s being ramrodded through,” said Mira Scott. “I’m finding this rather awkward; I’m not entirely sure what’s going on.”

The hour-long meeting ended with a 2-1 vote to recommend that Town Council vote on whether to pay for the center’s new lighting system.

“I can honestly say after seven years of sitting at this dais, I have never experienced the disrespect to this process as I have sat through today,” Likins said at the conclusion of the meeting. “And I want to say it is irresponsible, and that my fellow council members have just ignored their fiduciary responsibility by coming in here and not being willing to sit down and work collectively as a committee to do the right thing for our community as we look at spending public money.”

Contacted Wednesday, Harkins said Likins’ comments were “inappropriate, unwarranted, unbecoming and really out of character.”

Asked if he thought the committee meeting illustrated a rift among Town Council members, Harkins replied that it “clearly does.”

“I’ve never seen people lose their cool like I did yesterday,” he said.

Likins did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

The division among the council first became apparent at the Sept. 19 regular meeting when mayoral candidate and council member John McCann made a motion to bring a private discussion about town manager Steve Riley’s future with the town into the meeting’s public session for the first time. That motion was approved by Harkins, Grant and Tom Lennox. Several other votes later in the meeting demonstrated the same 4-to-3 split.

Public discussion of Riley’s employment situation did not happen last week, however, because of the length of the meeting and an apparent family emergency involving mayor David Bennett. A proposed special meeting, which was suggested by Harkins, did not take place.

The Riley matter and the lighting system for the arts center are expected to be on the agenda for next Tuesday’s regular council meeting.

This story was originally published September 27, 2017 at 2:15 PM with the headline "‘My motion is better than yours’: These Hilton Head leaders take verbal shots at each other."