Here’s what Hilton Head residents said in the first public debate about the town manager’s future

Two weeks after the Hilton Head Town Council postponed a planned open discussion of the town manager’s future, the first public dialogue about Steve Riley took place at Tuesday’s regular council meeting.

But the discussion was done mostly by residents during a public comment session — and much of the commentary focused on the Town Council as a whole.

“The banter that has occurred back and forth for the past month is detrimental to this town going forward,” said Peter Kristian, general manager of Hilton Head Plantation.

“If you guys want to be leaders, you figure out how to make the team great — you don’t change the team,” said resident Neil Cornelssen.

Others spoke on behalf of or against Riley, the town manager since 1995.

“The native island community Gullahs have been on the losing end of the town’s management plans since its inception,” said Tai Scott. “The constant presence has been that of town manager Steve Riley.”

“He’s engaged, he listens. ... I’ve seen him adapt to every single administration that’s come through here,” said resident David Arnal before thanking Riley for his service.

One resident who did not wish to give her name to a reporter for The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette held a sign proclaiming, “You fire Riley I’ll work to prevent your re-election.” Mayor David Bennett asked her to put the sign down once the public comment session had ended.

Council member John McCann proposed a resolution expressing support for Riley at the beginning of the discussion and added Town Council should get rid of its outside legal counsel hired to give legal advice regarding Riley’s employment situation. The Packet and Gazette in July revealed that the council last year secretly hired the Columbia-based McNair Law Firm to give advice about the Riley matter.

“I don’t feel as though we have done the job to this community in the past,” council member David Ames, a Bennett supporter, said during Tuesday’s public discussion. “I know where the votes are tonight, and I may not be 100 percent as confident where we’re going ... but if we’re going to build bridges, then I’m willing to support this motion.”

McCann’s resolution was approved unanimously after Bennett spoke; the mayor told council members he was “interested in building unity.” The audience cheered at the unanimous approval.

The divide among Town Council members was apparent before the public session of Tuesday’s meeting.

McCann, who recently announced his candidacy for mayor, attempted to amend the agenda around 4 p.m. to bring an item dealing with Riley into the open session. Bennett requested to see the citation of town code that permitted the agenda to be amended, stating he did not know if it was permissible at the last regular meeting.

Council member Bill Harkins returned from executive session around 4:40 p.m., prior to other council members. He told a Packet and Gazette reporter that council members had begun discussing Riley, and that he would not partake in any further closed-door discussion of the town manager.

At the Sept. 19 meeting, McCann made a motion to bring a discussion of Riley from a closed-door meeting into public session. His motion was approved by Harkins and council members Marc Grant and Tom Lennox.

However, the discussion of Riley did not happen then because of the length of the meeting and an apparent family emergency involving Bennett’s father. A special meeting was suggested but did not take place.

Riley and Bennett have been at odds with one another since Bennett took office in 2014. A 2015 evaluation revealed criticisms of Riley that had not surfaced in 20 previous annual evaluations. Those criticisms included a lack of initiative, a lack of leadership and an opposition to changes under a new mayor.

Last week, Riley, who has sought at least four out-of-state government jobs since last year, withdrew from consideration as a candidate for the position of Beaufort County administrator, according to multiple sources.

This story was originally published October 3, 2017 at 9:19 PM with the headline "Here’s what Hilton Head residents said in the first public debate about the town manager’s future."