SC mayoral drama should jerk all of us into seeing the big picture | Opinion

Beaufort, we have a problem.

Mayor Stephen Murray walked off the job last week, more than a year before his term was to end, saying, in part:

“I’m tired of the daily barrage of uncivil and rude people accusing me of impropriety without a shred of proof. I’m tired of the ‘he said, she said’ drama that is present among many of the folks that I’m required to work with outside of Team Beaufort. I’m also tired of prioritizing my civic job at the expense of my health, my family, my friends, my businesses, and my reputation.”

That much of this can of worms I can understand.

Three years ago, I felt the same way when I retired from editing the editorial page at this paper. I had not planned to retire then, but one fine day decided I’d had enough and didn’t have to take it anymore.

It wasn’t that people disagreed with what was on the page. It came to pass that disagreeing was no longer good enough. They needed a pound of flesh to boot, and they grabbed it like hungry bears.

Anyone who interfered with them getting their own way, or anyone with a differing opinion, was unethical, fake, lying, unfair, a libtard, stupid, woke, MAGA, loser, you can name it because you’ve seen all that and more in the past 48 hours online, most of it from Washington.

Somehow, dialogue has turned into either slander or a lawsuit.

Truth has nothing to do with anything. Neither do facts.

And somehow today’s animosity on steroids has infected even beautiful Beaufort by the sea.

Murray said he jumped into public service thinking he could help, but left thinking he’d turned into someone he didn’t want to be.

I don’t pretend to know all the ingredients in that decision. But I know it’s sad.

We could use this jarring moment to take a deep breath and try to remind ourselves what is really important here.

I want to share something from our past that took a stab at that: Who are we, what is our duty to each other, and what do we want to be remembered for?

It comes from David Ames, who came to Hilton Head Island in 1973 to work for Charles Fraser at Sea Pines, was later a partner in the Long Cove Club development, and is now on Town Council.

He sent me something he wrote in 2004 called “Lowcountry Regional Accord.”

He sent it – not at all in reference to the Beaufort situation – but “in hopes of a brighter future.”

He wrote, “I found the attached in a forgotten folder. Its subject related to a regional planning discussion that was occurring then. Some might wish we could go back and do it over again ‘the right way,’ but my suspicion is our memories are short and we would repeat the same mistakes. In fact, we are.”

Lowcountry Regional Accord

“We, the undersigned, affirm that the special character of our communities including the lands and waters surrounding them is worth preserving and protecting

“We have come together in recognition that rapid regional growth is occurring and that existing development patterns, left unchanged, will degrade the Lowcountry economy, environment and quality of life.

“We, therefore, commit ourselves to educating ourselves and others in hopes that wise decisions will be made in building our economy, in protecting our natural resources and in sustaining the human values that bind us together.

“We will encourage dialogue, we will seek understanding and we will advocate progress, not through expediency of self-interest, but through a commitment to the broader and far-reaching principles related to economic and environmental sustainability.

“Our vision is that the regional community will prosper for the benefit of all citizens, that the natural environment in all its variety will be available to future generations, and that the diverse cultures and values of historic communities will be respected.

“This accord is our commitment and its successful outcomes will be our legacy.”

So, what is our commitment? What is progress? What is our accord?