These Beaufort Co. races heated up as candidate filing closed for the 2018 election

As candidate filing for Beaufort County offices closed at noon Friday, several races got a bit more interesting, including one that will see a challenge to an incumbent.

Just hours before, it appeared Beaufort County Councilman Stu Rodman (R — District 11, Hilton Head Island) would run unopposed, but Robert J. Blok (L) entered the race about a half-hour before the deadline, according to his filing fee receipt.

Blok, a Michigan native who has owned property on Hilton Head Island since 1995 and who relocated to the area permanently two years ago, was an Army physician for almost three decades. He was deployed for five combat tours in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, according to a news release sent to The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.

He's running as a Libertarian. He cites the opioid epidemic, affordable housing and health care, infrastructure concerns and "balancing Charles Frazier's ... plans and vision with the present reality of island population growth," according to the release.

Rodman is in his fourth term on the council. He chairs the public facilities committee and serves on the executive and finance committees. He previously held management positions with several major corporations, according to the county's website.

In what could be the most hotly contested race, two new faces have emerged to battle for the District 9 (Bluffton, Pritchardville and Daufuskie Island) seat.

Randy Boehme (R) filed Friday morning and will square off against fellow Republicans Mark Lawson, Mike Raymond and Laura Sterling in June's primary.

Boehme worked in management in the medical services field for 25 years before coming to Bluffton in 2016 from Louisville, Ky. Now retired, he was named Beaufort County Volunteer of the Year in 2016 for his litter pickup and Adopt-A-Highway work. He sits on local beautification boards, is a master naturalist and a self-proclaimed environmentalist and community activist, he told the newspapers.

A critical part of his platform is a focus on economic development with an awareness of environmental and ecological issues.

Democrat Mark McGinnis, also vying for District 9's seat, will await the winner of the primary.

McGinnis, an engineer at Gulfstream, lived in the Savannah area for almost two decades before relocating to Bluffton about five years ago.

An Air Force and Air National Guard veteran, McGinnis spent 22 years in the military and calls himself a "centrist" Democrat.

He is concerned about rapid residential development without the necessary infrastructure to support it. He also cited a lack of low-income housing for workers in the county and worries people are being driven out of the county by increasing housing costs.

In District 8 (Hilton Head Island and Bluffton), Democrat Brenda Brandt filed Thursday.

She could not be reached immediately for comment Friday afternoon, but she'll face Republican Chris Hervochon, who declared his candidacy in January.

In District 10 (Hilton Head Island), Cathy McClellan (D) faces Lawrence McElynn (R).

Incumbent Beaufort County Auditor Jim Beckert will look to retain his post when he faces fellow Republican George Wright in the primary.

Beckert wants to focus on levying taxes "based on state law at the lowest values possible," and educating taxpayers so they can "make decisions that can reduce their property tax burden," according to a news release.

Wright is a Marine Corps veteran and has served as the county's deputy treasurer for three years.

Incumbent Beaufort County Probate Judge Kenneth Fulp (R) will face challenger Vernell Scott (D), who filed just before Friday's deadline.

In the race for Beaufort County sheriff, incumbent P.J. Tanner (R) will face Joey "JoJo" Woodward Jr. (R).

This story was originally published March 30, 2018 at 5:29 PM with the headline "These Beaufort Co. races heated up as candidate filing closed for the 2018 election."