Retha Pierce leads Atlantic Beach mayor’s vote

Voters turned out Tuesday to decide the next mayor of Atlantic Beach in a special election that has four people vying for the mayor’s seat.

Councilwoman Retha Pierce, who defeated incumbent mayor Irene Armstrong in the November 2007 election by one vote, was one vote shy of winning a majority of votes Tuesday.

Pierce and Armstrong were running against two write-in candidates in Tuesday’s election, but the write-ins garnered little support in the election.

There are 374 registered voters in Atlantic Beach and 71 voters turned out to the polls Tuesday including nearly a dozen absentee ballots.

Poll watchers protested several votes during the election Tuesday, which will be counted, investigated, and certified at 10 a.m. Thursday in the Atlantic Beach community center.

Most of the challenged votes were over residency concerns and some were concerned over whether or not the write-in candidates were eligible to run for the mayor’s seat.

“The Supreme Court of South Carolina says that this was supposed to be an election only between the parties involved in the November 2007 election,” Pierce argued to county election officials following the vote counting Tuesday.

There were 11 absentee ballots cast in the race, including one from incumbent mayor Irene Armstrong and another form mayor pro-tem Charlene Taylor, who is running as a write-in candidate.

Pierce received 35 votes, Armstrong got two votes, mayor pro-tem Charlene Taylor who ran as a write in received 22 votes, and Josephine Isom received 10 votes as a write-in candidate.

The vote totals are unofficial until county elections officials certify the totals.

There were other write-in votes cast in the race, but only accounted for a handful of the vote total.

“I felt like I won the first time. The citizens voted the first time, I won. The citizens voted tonight; I won, but then we’re coming up with these other sticklers contrary to the Supreme Court ruling,” Pierce said.

The winner would be decided by taking the total number of votes cast and dividing that by two, and that number would mean a majority, which would determine the winner, according to Horry County election director Sandy Martin.

Many in the town said Armstrong campaigned heavily in the days leading up to the election in favor of Taylor, who some called an ally of the incumbent mayor since Armstrong was indicted by a Horry County grand jury in March.

News13 left a viocemail message for Armstrong Tuesday and tried to reach her at her home address, but our attempts to contact her went unsuccessful.

Pierce argued that a Supreme court ruling in July ordered the new election and also ordered that the only names on the ballot were those presented to voters on the 2007 ballot.

Pierce said the write-in candidate names should not be allowed.

Pierce defeated Armstrong by one vote in November 2007, but Armstrong protested the election.

Circuit court judge Michael Baxley ordered the new election in an order handed down on April 16 citing recent legal troubles with the two candidates for mayor and the allegations of voter bribery.

In March, the 15th Circuit Solicitor, Greg Hembree, sought and secured indictments against the town’s manager and mayor.

Ex-mayor Armstrong faces three counts of voter bribery and charges that she misappropriated public funds.

Horry County Police charged Pierce in December with resisting arrest and traffic violations following a traffic stop where Pierce appeared to disobey an officer’s orders to stop resisting arrest after police said she tried to walk away from a traffic stop near Little River.

County election officials will meet Thursday to certify the votes and investigate the challenged votes.

Officials also plan to seek legal advice on whether or not a runoff election can be held and whether or not the write-in candidate’s will be allowed.

You can count on News13 to continue to follow this story as it develops.