Pamplico Town Council members take oath of office

Two returning Pamplico Town Council members and a new councilwoman have taken the oath of office after their victories in this month’s general election.

Councilman Thomas Benton and Mayor Pro Tem Lucius B. Eaddy, who won re-election, were sworn in Monday along with new councilwoman Harriet C. Cox. Pamplico Town Judge LaVerne Ard administered the oaths.

Eaddy has served on town council for 29 years, while Benton was elected to a full term after completing the term of a council member who moved.
Cox is a retired teacher who is a newcomer to public office. She replaces former councilwoman Cynthia Parks, who was seeking re-election but fell five votes shy of Cox.

In other council business Monday, council members voted unanimously to let Florence County lease an additional three acres at LaVerne Ard Park if the county wishes to do so, Mayor Gene Gainey said. The Hannah-Pamplico Youth League is requesting an opportunity to build soccer and football fields on the additional land.

The town already leases the park itself to the county, Gainey said.

The council also agreed to transfer a town-owned building’s lease to the private group Pamplico Rescue and Ambulance Service Inc. if Carolinas Medical Alliance agrees to the transfer. The rescue service currently occupies the building, which is leased by Carolinas Medical Alliance, Gainey said.

The council also voted to transfer to the rescue service a vehicle that carries equipment, including the jaws of life, for response to vehicle collisions, Gainey said.