Ex-school board member Orischak, Perry lead 4-candidate race for Hilton Head mayor
A former Beaufort County school board member who rose to local prominence by being a persistent foil to a controversial, embattled superintendent has now set her sights on a next step: She wants to be the next mayor of Hilton Head Island.
JoAnn Orischak, who served two terms on the school board before deciding not to run again in 2020, will be one of four candidates to replace outgoing mayor John McCann. The other candidates are Alan Perry, a senior loan officer for Mortgage Network; Thomas Cleary, a consultant for the U.S. Defense Department, and Michael Santomauro, who is running for mayor a second time.
Orischak said she made the decision to run after following Hilton Head Island Town Council for Lowcountry Inside Track, a company that attends government meetings and planning sessions and then submits written reports to its clients.
The role of mayor piqued her interest, Orischak said.
“You’re a council member, as mayor, and it’s important to understand what the mayor’s duty and role is, and what it isn’t.” Orischak said. “I understand, having served two terms on the school board, the separate job duties that the board holds versus your chief officer and I’m respectful of that.”
During her time on the school board, Orischak was known for speaking up when she was in the minority, often fighting for transparency and accountability.
She was an early critic of the 2015 hiring of then-superintendent Jeff Moss’ wife, which resulted in an “unintentionally guilty” ruling against Moss by the South Carolina Ethics Commission. She opposed the failed 2016 and 2018 school bond referendums and supported the successful 2019 referendum, which was the first one passed in 11 years.
Of all of the candidates, Cleary is the least well-known. He moved to Hilton Head two years ago and didn’t decide to run for mayor until Saturday, two days before the filing deadline. Cleary said he felt that his opinions weren’t being represented by anyone in government and took it upon himself to be that voice.
“I can’t just sit here and just be a bystander if nobody’s espousing the views that I would like to present to Hilton Head Island and help with governing,” Cleary said.
Perry, whose filing was previously announced, received more than 20% of the vote in 2018 when he ran against McCann and Kim Likins, who lost to McCann in a runoff.
Perry says he is more ready this time.
“The first time you do something, you’re a novice, and you do a lot of different things,” Perry said. “This time, I’m definitely more prepared.”
Santomauro is a self-proclaimed holocaust revisionist who received less than 2% of the vote in 2018.
The election will be Nov. 8.
This story was originally published August 16, 2022 at 2:23 PM.
