This familiar face in Bluffton politics is running for a Beaufort County Council seat

Another south-of-the-Broad-area Republican says he will run for a seat on the Beaufort County Council.

Mike Raymond — currently chairman of the Bluffton Township Fire District board that oversees services in much of the county’s southern half — announced Monday that he will run for the District 9 seat.

That seat, which includes Bluffton, Pritchardville and Daufuskie Island, has been held by Roberts “Tabor” Vaux Jr. for nearly six years, but Vaux, also a Republican, said Monday he will not seek reelection.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” Raymond said during a phone interview. “It depended on what Tabor Vaux decided to do. Tabor is a friend, he’s a neighbor, and I was not going to challenge him in a primary — he’s been doing a good job.”

“But as we were talking not too long ago, (Vaux) decided he was not going to run for reelection. ... I talked to folks in the district on and county council and got some thumbs-up on it, so I thought it was just a good time to pull the trigger,” Raymond continued.

Last month, Greater Bluffton Republican Club treasurer Chris Hervochon announced his candidacy for the District 8 (Hilton Head Island/Bluffton) seat, which current councilman Rick Caporale says he will vacate when his term ends.

Raymond, 66, previously served a four-year term on Bluffton Town Council, and was a code enforcement officer for the town’s Department of of Environmental Protection.

He and wife Gina moved to the area in 2002 after he spent 20 years as a business operations consultant to Fortune 1000 companies.

According to a news release sent by campaign manager and former Greater Bluffton Republican Club president Joe Iaco, one of Raymond’s top priorities is amending “current zoning and development ordinances to better control overwhelming growth.”

“Raymond also believes he can bring fresh leadership to address quality of life issues and improve relationships between the county and municipalities,” the release said.

The Republican primary is June 12.

This story was originally published February 26, 2018 at 3:17 PM with the headline "This familiar face in Bluffton politics is running for a Beaufort County Council seat."