‘Time to give it a shot.’ He was Hilton Head mayor for 15 years. Now he’s running again

Former Hilton Head Mayor Tom Peeples could be mayor again.

Peeples filed to run for the office around 8 a.m. Tuesday, according to his statement of candidacy filing form.

Peeples, 65, was a Hilton Head Town Council member between 1989 and 1995 and mayor from 1995 until 2010.

Eight years after choosing not to run for re-election, Peeples said Tuesday it was “time to give it a shot.” He emphasized that no one incident led to his decision to run again.

“I had thought about running for a long time,” Peeples said. “My wife’s been having some physical issues for several years now. ... It’s all gotten better; and she’s at a point where, frankly, she’s encouraging me to run.”

Peeples hopes to bring a sense of unity in both leading Town Council and working with other municipalities.

“I do think a lot has been lost,” Peeples said. “There doesn’t appear to be the cooperative efforts that we had in the past.”

When asked if the town is moving in the wrong direction, Peeples said that will be up to voters to decide.

Referring to the current town visioning initiative, Peeples said he does not want to change the island.

He does, however, want to continue to improve it.

“Hilton Head Island is a retirement resort community, and it’s what I personally believe we’re always going to be,” Peeples said. “We don’t need to all of a sudden switch gears and decide we’re going to be something else.”

The Ridgeland native moved to Hilton Head permanently in 1973 and now lives in Hilton Head Plantation. He is the owner of Tom Peeples Builder, an island-based building company.

Candidates can officially file for the election until Aug. 15. The filing fee is $50 for the mayoral election, and $35 to run for Town Council, according to the town’s municipal code.

Two others have filed to run for mayor as of Tuesday afternoon, including Town Council member John McCann and Rochelle Williams.

Council seats for Ward 2, Ward 4 and Ward 5 are up for grabs.

▪ Ward 2 is comprised of portions of the north end of the island, including parts of Hilton Head Plantation. Bill Harkins is the ward’s current representative and has filed to run again.

▪ Ward 4 is comprised of portions of the mid- and south-end of the island, including Palmetto Dunes. Kim Likins currently represents the ward. No one has filed for the Ward 4 seat.

▪ Ward 5 is comprised of the south end, including Sea Pines. Tom Lennox currently represents the ward. No one has filed for the Ward 5 seat.

Wards can be searched by address on the town’s website.

This story was originally published July 31, 2018 at 12:45 PM.