Yet another Bluffton candidate is running for this Beaufort Co. Council seat
It now looks as if at least three Republican candidates will vie for a chance to represent Bluffton on Beaufort County Council.
While Mark Lawson and Mike Raymond previously announced they'd compete for the District 9 seat soon to be vacated by Roberts "Tabor" Vaux, Jr., Laura Sterling became the first candidate to officially file to run for the spot in June's statewide primary.
"It's not my first time running for public office," Sterling said, when reached Friday by phone.
The Fairfax, Allendale County native, was referencing her unsuccessful bid against U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) in 2016 — then, she was hoping to represent South Carolina's 6th District, in which she was raised.
Sterling, 50, moved to Bluffton almost two decades ago, she said.
"There are a lot of incumbents leaving this year, and I would be a good, new face on the council," she said when asked why she'd decided to run.
In addition to Vaux, county council Republicans Jerry Stewart, Rick Caporale and Steven Fobes have announced their intentions to step down when their terms expire.
Beaufort County Chief Magistrate Lawrence P. McElynn (R) resigned his post Friday to run for Fobes' District 10 (Hilton Head Island) seat.
And in January, Chris Hervochon (R) announced he would run for Caporale's District 8 spot.
When asked about issues she cared about, Sterling cited the county development code and business licenses.
The code is "too complex," she said, too restrictive and overly specific. At "700-plus pages," it's too big, she said, and zoning ordinances should not specify where someone can "put a door," or "what type of shutters" a person can put on their house.
Regarding business licenses, they've "become extreme," she said. "It's just another tax on businesses, and control."
As of 4:15 p.m. Friday, Raymond had filed; Lawson had not yet done so.
Friday is the first day of candidate filings, and the process closes March 30.
Statewide primaries are slated for June 12 ahead of November's elections.
This story was originally published March 16, 2018 at 4:24 PM with the headline "Yet another Bluffton candidate is running for this Beaufort Co. Council seat."