• Lake Waccamaw commissioner’s vote left off ballot; special election likely in February.

By JEFFERSON WEAVER
Staff Writer

An East Ward town commissioner’s seat at Lake Waccamaw was accidentally left off the municipal ballot in November, according to officials.

Carla Strickland, executive director for the Columbus County Board of Elections, and Lake Waccamaw Town Manager Darren Currie both said Tuesday they misinterpreted the rules regarding the appointment of Daniel Hilburn to the late T.J. Barrett’s board seat.

Barrett passed away in January, and Hilburn was appointed by the board of commissioners as his replacement.

According to state law, town boards can fill vacancies caused by death or resignation only until the next regular election. Candidates can then file to be elected for the remainder of the open term.

The error was discovered last week when Walt Etheridge, a lake resident, was researching the town’s charter.

Etheridge said when he discovered the problem, he immediately contacted the town, the board of elections and town attorney Matt Tedder.

In an e-mail Tuesday, Etheridge emphasized he has nothing against Hilburn.

“I have no vendetta with him,” Etheridge said. “It is a matter of the right way versus the wrong way.”

Strickland said Tuesday she reported the incident to the state board of elections, and is awaiting direction from them.

“Mr. Hilburn was appointed to the late Mr. Barrett’s seat in January of 2007,” she said Wednesday. “It was my understanding at the time, that it was for the remainder of the unexpired term.”

Commissioners serve four-year terms at Lake Waccamaw. Barrett was elected to the board in 2005, and the term will expire in 2009.

When Etheridge inquired about the position Nov. 30, Strickland said, she immediately realized the error and began contacting both town and state officials.

Currie, Strickland and Tedder noted that the rules about the commissioner’s appointment were read several times before the election.

“We just made a mistake,” Currie said. “It wasn’t anything intentional. We all thought we were within the law, but we were mistaken.

“You know how you can write something down, or read it, and know in your mind what you read – then find out it’s wrong?” Currie said. “That’s what happened here. It was just a human mistake. We’re going to correct that as quickly as possible.”

Tedder agreed the position should have been on the November ballot, but did not lay blame or give an explanation other than that an error occurred.

“I know when the appointment was made we reviewed the rules,” he said. “I agree it should have been on the ballot. We looked at it at the time Mr. Hilburn was appointed.”

Tedder said the town is awaiting word from the state on “appropriate provisions” for dealing with the problem.

Currie and Strickland emphasized that all parties are working together to resolve the problem.

“We don’t want the integrity of the democratic system questioned,” Currie said. “I told the board as soon as we found out what had happened, especially Commissioner Hilburn. Due process will be completed as soon as we have some direction from the state on what to do and when to do it.”

A possible special election could be held as early as February 2008 pending approval of the state board, town board and the county board of elections, Strickland said. Only the position currently held by Hilburn would be on the ballot.

Currie compared the situation to “understood rules” in backyard sports and more formal regulations in organized athletics.

“I’m not trying to diminish the importance of this,” he said, “but you know what it’s like when you play basketball with your friends, then join a real team? You think you know the rules, you’re sure you know the rules, then you find out you were wrong. We found out we made a mistake, and we’re going to fix it.”

The state board of elections meets Dec. 18, Strickland said. The town commissioners will further discuss the omission at their next regularly scheduled meeting on Dec. 11.