Heated words exchanged: Hilton Head council clashes over ‘secret’ Dec. 6 US 278 meeting
Tensions boiled over during a recent Hilton Head Town Council workshop as Councilwoman Tamara Becker criticized Mayor Alan Perry and other officials for a lack of transparency and delayed communication regarding a Dec. 6 meeting about the U.S. 278 Corridor Project. Becker, frustrated by the timeline gaps, said the council was left in the dark about the meeting, which focused on addressing a $190 million funding shortfall for the bridge project.
The Dec. 6 meeting was held at Beaufort County’s request to review letters from the South Carolina State Infrastructure Bank and the Department of Transportation, outlining expectations for a funding plan by March 31. The meeting resulted in commitments to assess cost estimates, identify funding sources, and outline next steps, according to a town memorandum.
Becker said she first heard rumors about the meeting on Dec. 4, two days before it occurred. “It was brought to me as, ‘What do I know about a meeting that was going to be held on Dec. 6?’ And I knew nothing,” she said. On Dec. 5, Becker called Town Manager Marc Orlando and learned the invitation had been sent by the county to a select few town council members. A couple hours after the initial call to Orlando, Becker said the town council was also informed of the meeting.
“I believe it is important that we all in this room, and all of those who are watching, are informed on this issue with regard to the bridge and the corridor that we know with full sunshine exactly what is happening from the state down to our local government here in Hilton Head,” she said.
Orlando, later in the workshop, clarified his role, saying Beaufort County Assistant Administrator Jared Fralix invited him to the meeting, which he accepted on Dec. 4. Believing it to be another standard meeting, many of which he has attended, Orlando summarized the Dec. 6 discussion over that weekend and shared the summary with the town council the following Monday.
‘It is about sunshine’
Becker also emphasized her commitment to transparency, saying she would always strive to inform residents about the facts and keep them updated on developments, allowing them to decide how she should represent their interests.
“I will not hide behind any type of secret meanings or any delayed communications or anything of the sort and I do not appreciate when I’m not led into that loop.,” she said. “I do request here and now, as I have in the past, to be apprised of things as they are happening and not being left in the dark.”
Becker’s remarks drew applause from the audience, prompting Mayor Perry to respond, “This is not a popularity contest.” Becker countered: “No, it is about sunshine. It is about transparency, and it is important.”
Perry defended his actions, explaining how he was invited to the meeting and had not selected anyone to go. He further spoke on how former County Chairman Joe Passiment had called him the day before the meeting asking if Sen. Tom Davis — who represents Beaufort and Jasper Counties and played a key role in securing initial funding for the corridor project — should attend. Perry said yes.
Perry emphasized the need for county and town officials to gather information so that they could come back and speak intelligently to the community, emphasizing that “there was no secret.”
“So here’s what happened,” Perry said. “We had a meeting. We talked about the questions that we don’t have answers to. If I cannot go have a meeting, as your mayor of Hilton Head Island and the town manager cannot go have a meeting as a town manager of Hilton Head Island, what good are we?”
Residents also voiced their concerns at the end of the workshop with one asking the council to solve the corridor issues “without any more secret meetings with the county council.”
Who attended the Dec. 6 meeting?
Passiment, speaking at a Dec. 16 county council meeting, said attendees for the Dec. 6 discussion were chosen for their familiarity with the project.
“The purpose of that meeting was to begin to discuss a possible path forward for the 278 bridge project that failed in the referendum,” Passiment said at the meeting. “We were given until March 31 by the state to come up with a plan to fund through various sources the shortfall, which is $190 million. We need to get some information from the state regarding the projected cost of the bridge before we can put a plan together. That was the purpose of the meeting.”
State Sen. Tom Davis attended the meeting with the following:
Town of Hilton Head:
- Who attended: Mayor Alan Perry, Councilman Alex Brown, Town Manager Marc Orlando and Assistant Town Manager Shawn Colin.
- Who didn’t attend: Councilwoman Patsy Brison, Councilman Steve DeSimone, Councilwoman Tamara Becker, Councilman Steve Alfred and Councilwoman Melinda Tunner.
Beaufort County:
- Who attended: Former Chairman Joe Passiment, Councilman Larry McElynn, Councilwoman Alice Howard, Administrator Michael Moore and Assistant Administrator Jared Fralix.
- Who didn’t attend: Councilwoman Tab Tabernik, Councilman Gerald Dawson, Councilman David Bartholomew, Councilman York Glover, Councilman Logan Cunningham, Councilwoman Paula Brown, Councilman Mark Lawson and Councilman Thomas Reitz.
Less than half of each council was present, avoiding a quorum that would require a public notification and ensuring no official decisions were made, in accordance with open meeting laws.
This story was originally published January 10, 2025 at 2:14 PM.
