Beaufort backs incumbents sending Cromer, Mitchell and Lipsitz back to the City Council
Beaufort voters stood by well-known incumbents despite calls for change from challengers in Tuesday's election, returning Mayor Phil Cromer and council members Mitch Mitchell and Neil Lipsitz back to the City Council for another four years.
Cromer's leadership was questioned. Mitchell and Lipsitz were accused or raising taxes when they didn't.
In the end, residents backed known quantities, but it wasn't a landslide either.
Headed into Friday's 9 a.m. vote certification hearing, Cromer had a 900-vote win over challenger Josh Scallate, 3,263 to 2,363, based on a 100% of the precincts reporting and absentee ballots.
Cromer, 74, retired from local politics in 2022 after serving eight years from 2014 to 2022. But he was lured back to run for mayor after Stephen Murray resigned before his term expired. Cromer, a retired town manager who also worked for the South Carolina Municipal Association, then won a special election in December 2023.
Cromer said his first act as mayor will be meeting with council members: "And say, alright, this is a clean slate. It's about Beaufort. It's not about us."
Going forward, the City Council will have its plate full of major issues to deal with, Cromer said, including the Waterfront Park pilings that are beginning to fail, negotiating a new lease with Safe Harbor Marinas, which manages the city's marina, and explosive growth. "There's quite a lot to do," Cromer said, but Waterfront Park will take precedent.
During the campaign, Cromer said he wanted to ensure that the city's history, natural environment and architecture are protected. "You have to preserve what's special about your community," he said.
Scallate, a 33-year-old firefighter who was elected to the City Council two years ago, will retain that position now that he has lost the race for mayor. He said the city needed leadership that was better prepared for the city's infrastructure and natural disaster challenges and communicated better with the public.
"We gave it our best shot and that's all you can do," Scallate said at an election night party at Shellring Ale Works, before the outcome was known. "The rest is up to voters."
Meanwhile, incumbent council members Mitchell, with 2705 votes, and Lipsitz, who won 2,430, beat Julie Crenshaw (2,190) and Josh Gibson (1,999) to win their second terms in office. Crenshaw was running for the first time. Gibson also lost to Scallate in 2022.
In the race for two seats on the City Council, Mitchell and Lipsitz were accused of raising taxes but in fact, they said, it was not true. Rather, they said, Beaufort County reassessed the value of property throughout the city. That did increase property taxes for many residents in the city but it was not as a result of city-imposed tax increase, they said.
"I'm overjoyed and deeply appreciative for the confidence my fellow Beaufortonians have placed in me by their vote to re-elect me their councilman for another four years," Mitchell said.
Lipsitz also was pleased voters showed confidence in him to continue his work on the council.
"I feel like I've done a good job and people have seen that," Lipsitz said. "I ran on my integrity to do the right thing for the city and will continue to do that."
The canvass hearing to certify the results is at 9 a.m. Friday at the Board of Registration and Elections, 15 John Galt Road.
