Trey Judy wins Democratic primary for District 8 seat

Trey Judy has won the Democratic primary for the District 8 seat on Beaufort County Council.

The results came in at 11 p.m., with Judy winning the final tally at 65.83% of the vote. He received 813 out of 1,235 votes. If he wins in November, it will be his first term on the council.

Judy ran against Bill Beltz in the primary race and will now face Republican Kraig Gordon in the November general election. Gordon defeated incumbent Paula Brown in Tuesday’s Republican primary.

District 8 includes Hilton Head Plantation, Moss Creek and other parts of Bluffton north of Fording Island Road directly west of Hilton Head.

“I am thankful and pleased that the voters have expressed their confidence in me as a candidate for Beaufort County Council and look forward to a campaign based not only on the issues of today, but on how our government operates every day,” Judy said in a statement to the Island Packet. “We need to change the culture of Beaufort County government. We need to instill rigor into our decision-making processes as well as transparency and accountability into our operations.”

Who is Trey Judy?

Judy is a retired communications professional focused on finance and accounting, and spent most of his career in Washington, DC. He’s a native South Carolinian and has lived in Bluffton for almost 20 years.

Growth in Beaufort County was a major issue in the primary race, and Judy supports making it so residents don’t bear the burden.

“We need to focus on sustainable development, including, but not limited to green space considerations. We need to ensure that the burden of infrastructure expansion is borne by the cost causers, starting with the developers,” he said. “We don’t need vague commitments and positive language; we need enforceable commitments.”

Judy said he supports the Cultural Protection Overlay in place to protect St. Helena Island from the proposed Pine Island development.

“I do not believe that [the developer’s] suit will be successful, but I am concerned about well-funded groups seeking to run over economically challenged communities,” he said. “I would also note that CPOs almost by definition would have a racial component. They may favor or protect a particular race or culture but are not designed to disadvantage another. I do not believe that by protecting any group or culture, we are disadvantaging all others.”