Politics & Government

Glasson, Nickels, O'Neal, Stokes-Marshall Win Close Council Race

Residents opt not to re-elect incumbent Nick Collins.

Mount Pleasant voters have re-elected two incumbents and gained two new faces on its nine-member town council.

Thomasena Stokes-Marshall, the town’s longest currently serving councilwoman, will get a fourth term on the council. She nabbed 15 percent of Tuesday’s votes, far outpacing her opponents.

Ken Glasson, also an incumbent, won re-election with a solid second-place finish.

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Two new faces will join the council. Chris Nickels, a lawyer who ran once previously for a council seat, and Chris O’Neal, a 30-year-old accountant and political newcomer, won seats in a very close race.

But voters opted not to re-elect Nick Collins to a second term. He placed seventh in the nine-person contest.

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"More than anything, this says to me that most of the people of Mount Pleasant have the trust, the faith and they believe that I can be their representative," Stokes-Marshall said. "It's incredibly gratifying and rewarding."

Mount Pleasant elects its council at large. The top four vote-getters assume seats. One incumbent, Paul Gawrych, opted not to seek re-election this year.

The re-election proves residents value the work of the current town council, said Glasson, adding that he thinks the new additions bring valuable skills.

“When you serve for five and a half years, you don’t know exactly what people think about the job you’re doing,” Glasson said. “This proves that they think we’ve made Mount Pleasant a better place.”

O’Neal, who ran largely on his experience as a certified public accountant, said he thinks voters agree that a tough economy dictated the need for a councilman with strong financial credentials.

“I think the voters wanted someone with business experience, who can guide the town and attract new business here,” O’Neal said.

Chris Nickels couldn't be reached for comment late Tuesday evening.

Mark Smith, who nearly won a seat on the Charleston County Council over the summer, placed fifth in his Tuesday bid for council. Former councilman Joe Bustos placed sixth and Collins placed seventh.

Perennial candidate George Freeman and newcomer William "Tate" Mikell placed distance eighth and ninth places respectively.

 

Precincts Reporting
45 of 45
Candidate Votes

City Council (4 seats open) *Nick Collins 2,668
*Thomasena Stokes-Marshall 3,662 * Kenneth Glasson 3,263 Joe Bustos 2,954 George Freeman 1,189 Tate Mikell 330 Chris Nickels 3,171 Chris O'Neal 3,131 Mark Smith 3,069 * denotes incumbent


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