Four picked for Beaufort’s historic review board. Why one councilman voted no
Four residents were appointed by the Beaufort City Council Tuesday to the Historic District Review Board, with Councilman Philip Cromer arguing the best candidates weren’t picked.
The vote was 4-1.
Seven candidates competed for the four spots and, with debate about the size and style of several projects downtown sparking recent controversy, the appointments were closely watched.
The five-member board has jurisdiction over building projects in the city’s 300-acre National Historic Landmark District.
And the appointees are:
Appointed to two-year terms were Maxine Lutz, former executive director at the Historic Beaufort Foundation, and Jeremiah Smith, an architect with Allison Ramsey Architects.
Michelle Prentice, owner of Michelle Prentice Interiors LLC in Beaufort, and Mike Sutton were appointed to three-year terms. Sutton is a historic renovation and restoration contractor who served as HRB vice chair in the early 2000s.
Candidates who were not chosen were incumbent Katherine Pringle, owner of the Rev. Thomas E. Ledbetter House and a commercial building at 818 Bay St.; Adam Biery, an architect with Beaufort Design Build LLC.; and Beekman Webb, who is retired from the historic preservation business.
Council members interviewed the candidates in public May 25 before debating their merits behind closed doors in executive session prior to Tuesday’s meeting when they voted in public.
Based on his review of the candidate qualifications, the best candidates for the job were not picked, Councilman Cromer said. The board’s importance to maintaining the architectural and historic integrity of the district can’t be understated, he said, reading from a statement, and candidates qualified in disciplines such as historical preservation and architecture should be chosen. In his view, he said, not all of the candidates with the best resumes were considered.
Mayor Stephen Murray disagreed, saying the best candidates were chosen for the seats.
Cromer voted no after Mike McFee made a motion to appoint Lutz, Smith, Prentice and Sutton.
McFee and Murray were joined by Mitch Mitchell and Neil Lipsitz in voting yes.
This story was originally published June 9, 2021 at 7:42 AM.
