Beaufort mayor and 2 council members took the oath. Then a resident gave them some advice
Laughter rang out in the Beaufort City Council chambers when Neil Lipsitz, signing his oath of office paperwork, deadpanned, “Why does it say I’m paying a mortgage?”
Municipal Judge Ned Tupper oversaw a swearing in ceremony Tuesday for council members Lipsitz, 65, who is retired from Lipsitz Department Store and Lipsitz Shoes and 74-year-old Mitch Mitchell, a retired major general in the U.S. Air Force and former U.S. Marine Corps officer and airline pilot, along with Mayor Phil Cromer, 74, a retired town manager who also worked for the South Carolina Municipal Association.
The mostly lighthearted ritual followed a hard-fought election campaign in which the three incumbents beat back challenges to win re-election to four-year terms Nov. 5.
While Tuesday’s meeting was mostly about ceremony, one resident offered practical thoughts on the makeup the council and how the members should govern going forward.
“This is a great council,” Daniel Blackman, a representative of the Northwest Quadrant Neighborhood Association, told the newly sworn in members, noting its diversity of views. “I think this council has proven to the voters that it’s good and you have some big projects coming in the next year or two or three and hopefully not too much longer.”
However, Blackman also warned council members to communicate more with the public before making a decisions. It was seemingly a reference to the city running into opposition after pushing ahead with projects before getting enough input. Maybe the biggest example was a storm drainage project in The Point neighborhood that ran into a hornet’s nest of opposition from neighbors who demanded that the size of the project be scaled back, which ultimately occurred.
“I think we’ve all learned that lesson in the last year or two,” Blackman said. “I’d like to thank you for throwing your hat in the ring.”
2025 will bring serious business before the three election winners and the rest of the five-man City Council, which includes Mike McFee, the only member who was not involved in November’s election. Councilman Josh Scallate lost to Cromer in the mayoral race.
Perhaps the biggest task on the city’s agenda will be addressing Waterfront Park, the city’s top amenity, which is falling apart underneath the waterline, with the underwater support pilings deteriorating at an alarming rate.
Another challenge will be completing several major storm water projects that are set to get underway in 2025. The challenge will come not only because of their size and cost but the locations in tight quarters including residential areas with narrow streets.
The City Council must also navigate an evolving legal situation with its lease with Safe Harbor Marinas to manage the city marina. Earlier this year, it was discovered that the City Council in 2019 didn’t follow the right procedures in approving the lease. In the coming year, the city must decide whether it wants to renegotiate or take another path forward. How the beautiful marina on the Beaufort River is managed and by whom has become a flash point in the city.
During Tuesday’s swearing in ceremony, smartly-dressed family members were on hand to witness the oath. Candidates issued the usual appreciations to supporters and pledges to do a good job but one comment seemed particularly heartfelt. Mitchell, who brought his own family Bible, shared the stage with his wife, Kelly. “I love you sweetheart. I need you and I am so blessed to have you,” he said to applause.
This story was originally published December 11, 2024 at 1:02 PM.
