Is change coming to Port Royal’s leadership? Campaign season kicks off this week
There could be a big change coming to the leadership of the town of Port Royal.
Four-year terms for mayor and two council positions — 60% of the Town Council — will be up for grabs in November. The race began Tuesday with the opening of the filing period.
The election comes as the five-member Town Council for the growing community of 14,000 residents is planning one of its historically largest capital improvement projects by overhauling its main street, Paris Avenue. Council members continue to oversee a second project, Safe Harbor Marinas’ redevelopment of the Port of Port Royal, which includes two miles of waterfront. That project is just getting off the ground.
Expanding the popular Spanish Moss Trail to the downtown area and finishing sewer projects and adding more sidewalks are ongoing projects in the community as well along with construction of a new shrimp dock.
No candidates had filed for election as of Tuesday but Mayor Joe DeVito, a retired utility operator who won the job in 2019, told the Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet Tuesday that he plans to seek a second term.
And Jerry Ashmore, who is finishing his second term as a council member, said Tuesday that he plans to run for a third term. He’s director of workforce development and safety at the Greenery, a landscape contractor.
Kevin Phillips, an attorney who was elected in 2019, holds the other council seat. He said he intends to announce his plans at a later date.
The mayor earns $4,800 a year and council members, $3,600. In addition, both receive $35 for each meeting they attend.
The deadline to file for the Nov. 7 election is Sept. 8.
This story was originally published August 9, 2023 at 1:23 PM.
