MARION — Rodney Berry, Marion County’s economic development director and two-time candidate for Marion mayor, has declared himself a write-in candidate in April 14’s mayoral election in the city of Marion.
Nancy Harrelson is the other declared candidate running for the position.
Marion Mayor Bobby Gerald was seeking his seventh re-election to the post when he died March 22 after a heart attack.
Gerald, a Democrat, was to have faced Harrelson, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully against U.S. Rep. James Clyburn in November’s general election. Harrelson’s now is the only name on the ballot for mayor, along with a write-in option. The city elections are nonpartisan, however, so any voter is allowed to vote for any candidate, regardless of party.
Teresa Moody, director of the Marion County Voters Registration and Election Commission, said in a previous interview the city’s paper ballots would carry Gerald's name, but an insert will be added to notify the voter he’s no longer a candidate. That, however, is not the case, she said Thursday.
Berry, a two-time challenger to the late mayor, having lost to Gerald by 160 votes in 2005 and by 60 votes in 2001, launched his write-in candidacy this week.
Berry said he was approached by residents who knew of his past interest in serving the city as mayor. He said he and his wife, Melia, decided he should again run for the city’s top seat.
A Marion businessman, Berry is originally from Dillon.
“This is a critical time for our city and it is paramount that we elect a mayor that exemplifies public service and who has a solid business track record,” Berry said, “and one who has shown the ability to serve all people in the city.”
Berry said county officials told him there would be no conflict between his elected position as a city leader and his job with the county.
In what Berry called an open letter to Marion residents, he said he had not sought to run in this year’s election for several reasons, but “circumstances have now changed.
“As a city, we find ourselves in the unforeseen position of having an election just two weeks away and a filing period for candidates already closed,” he said in the letter. “Without a write-in candidate, the voters would have had no choice in the important election ...”
The Marion County Voter Registration and Elections Commission office will be closed April 10 to observe Good Friday.
It will reopen for absentee voting from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 13.
Anyone with questions should call the office at (843) 423-8268.
How to vote for a write in candidate
To cast a vote for a write-in candidate, voters will have to press "write-in" as an option on the screen of the electronic ballot, Voter Registration and Election Commission Director Teresa Moody said.
A keyboard screen will appear and the voter will press letters to spell a candidate's name. After the name is typed, voters will press "accept."
The screen returns to the ballot and will only show the first four letters typed in. But the end of the night tapes will print the full name typed by the voter, Moody said.
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