The city elections are upcoming—and it is important that voters understand the power that City Manager Jeff Molinari has. Walterboro has a council-manager form of government, which means that the city manager is hired by council to run the day-to-day activities of the city. The Walterboro Municipal Code (Section 2-101) states that the City Manager is the “chief executive officer and head of the administrative branch.” He can enter into contracts (for less than $25,000) without council’s approval, and hire and fire employees. The most important thing to know is that he serves “at the pleasure of the City Council.”
How closely is council monitoring what the City Manager is or is not doing? Who allowed the owners of Lowcountry Aviation to construct a personal therapy pool in the first floor of the former Belk’s building on Washington/Main Street when that floor is zoned for commercial use? According to the Board of Zoning Appeals it did not receive a request for a variance. Other residents asked for a variance to have a much smaller downstairs living space in a nearby building and were denied the right to do so.
As I have previously written, I filed a complaint with the S.C. Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation that Code Enforcement Officer Lee Hanley does not have the license required for the job. The investigation is complete and the board of the agency should make a decision next month. Why does the city manager allow this employee to ignore state laws?
The city is not complying with the S.C. Freedom of Information Act and I spoke before council about this on January 7th. This newspaper reported my comments. The city is not keeping minutes of the commissions so the public can see what is happening. Minutes of that council meeting on the city’s website make no mention of my comments; are they “covering their tracks” regarding these violations of state law?
Vote for candidates who will make the City Manager follow the law—or hire someone who will!
Carol Black
