Bluffton school board race goes negative when ‘completely untrue’ campaign signs pop up
The most contested election for the Beaufort County Board of Education in recent history is right around the corner — and the race is getting especially heated in Bluffton’s District 7.
About half a dozen campaign signs, which started appearing on New Riverside and May River roads near Bluffton schools early last week, are being used as attack ads against District 7 school board candidate Rachel Wisnefski.
One version of the signs read: “Not enrolled. No experience. No show. No Wisnefski in our District 7 school board seat.”
Another version read: “Supported by those AGAINST building schools in Bluffton. No Dr. Wisnefski.”
The signs provide no information about who created them, and both of Wisnefski’s opponents denied knowing who posted them.
“I’ve lived here my whole life and seen a lot of crazy politics, but I’ve never seen something so low and deceitful to the public,” Wisnefski said.
Wisnefski is running against Chris Davey and incumbent Evva Anderson for the District 7 seat, which represents the Rose Hill, Island West and Hampton Lake neighborhoods in the greater Bluffton and Okatie areas.
Davey is the parts and service director for Vaden of Beaufort and has lived in the Bluffton area with his family for the past 12 years. His daughter and son both attended district schools.
Anderson is a Realtor and has served on the school board since 2013. During that time, she has mostly sided with the divided board’s majority bloc — which supported former superintendent Jeff Moss.
Both Davey and Anderson said they were baffled by the appearance of the signs.
“I tried to make a couple inquires (about how they got there) but got nowhere,” Davey said.
Anderson said she heard about the signs from a friend and was a “little bit in shock.”
“I don’t know who’s behind them, and I don’t know why that would happen,” Anderson said.
Founders of two education advocacy groups — Citizens Advocating for Responsible Education, also known as CARE, and Stand for Children of Beaufort County, also known as STAND — said they are also unaware of who put up the signs.
Wisnefski called the accusations on the signs “completely untrue.”
After earning her doctorate in public policy and administration, Wisnefski has worked as an educator and education consultant for the past 10 years.
Her children — ages 7, 4 and 3 — are not enrolled in the Beaufort County School District.
However, Wisnefski explains on her campaign Facebook page that her eldest daughter had special needs when she was younger so she and her husband placed her in private school. Since then, her daughter has “overcome many hurdles,” so Wisnefski will be transitioning her back to public school next year, she wrote in a Facebook post.
Wisnefski said that part of the sign was especially frustrating.
“I’ve fully explained it,” she said. “And that’s why I’m an advocate for increasing our special needs services.”
Political signs placed within the Town of Bluffton limits do not require a permit, but those in unincorporated Beaufort County do.
The county did not grant any permits for the signs, Tamekia Judge of the county’s zoning department said Monday.
Although South Carolina law requires that many forms of political advertising to include sponsor information, yard signs are exempt.
Still, Wisnefski said that whoever made the signs was “hiding behind them.”
“It’s really unfortunate that someone thought that was necessary and didn’t have the decency to put their name on it,” she said.
Wisnefski said she took down most of the signs late last week.
District 7 candidate profiles
This story was originally published October 29, 2018 at 4:35 PM.