Copyright Charleston Post and Courier
MOUNT PLEASANT — Two incumbents and two new faces were elected to Town Council, and a long-standing council member was unseated, according to unofficial results. With all precincts reporting Nov. 4, Mike Tinkey led the race with 15 percent of the votes. He was followed closely by Kathryn Whitaker at 14 percent of votes, John Iacofano with 13 percent of votes and Alex Crosby with 11 percent, unofficial results showed. Mount Pleasant’s council is made of eight members, who are elected at-large town wide, plus the mayor. Incumbent Gary Santos appeared to be losing out on his reelection bid for the seat he’s held since 1996. With all precincts reporting, he had garnered roughly 9 percent of ballots cast, according to unofficial election night reports. Tinkey held onto the seat he earned just eight months ago in a special election. Tinkey, a conservationist who runs a sustainable timber business, believes in restoring and preserving the town’s tree canopy and implementing the town’s Community Forest Master Plan. “I’m always grateful for the opportunity to serve, and should I be elected, I look forward to continuing the service that I've started and had the honor of serving,” he said. Kathryn Whitaker was trailing closely behind Tinkey, according to unofficial election night returns. Before the election, Whitaker served on the town’s Culture, Arts and Pride Commission, and worked closely on developing the town’s community arts center. Iacofano’s win marks his first reelection and second term on Town Council. He owns a catering business in Mount Pleasant. On the campaign trail, he positioned himself as a staunch supporter of public safety, supporting of recent efforts to increase property tax rates to fund pay raises for fire and police employees. He also said he’s in favor of changing Mount Pleasant’s at-large configuration to single-member districts for council races. Crosby is a longtime Mount Pleasant resident who runs an insurance company with her husband. The race marks her first time running for public office. “It's been a great learning experience. I've really enjoyed just talking to people. That's what I'm good at, that's what I like to do,” Crosby said. Santos was a major proponent of recreation in town and expanding access to town sports. The creation of the Mount Pleasant Waterfront Memorial Park, which was recently expanded to include dog parks, basketball courts and a splash pad, was largely thanks to his efforts lobbying the state Department of Transportation. The other candidates who trailed Tuesday night were Jenny DeSart, Brianna Harmon, Perry Rourk and Craig Russack. Mount Pleasant also elected two commissioners to the Public Works Commission, the governing body of the town’s water utility. Linda Page and Rick Crosby each secured additional six-year terms as commissioners for Mount Pleasant Waterworks. They were the only candidates in the race. The results will be certified later this week.
