Will Chester Co. voters dump elected supervisor for administrator?

Just when it seemed Chester County voters would have a simple yes or no vote in November on whether to allow Sunday alcohol sales, it now appears likely voters also might decide whether to change the government itself.

The Chester County Council on Tuesday gave final approval to a referendum for November’s ballot to allow voters to decide whether to make legal Sunday alcohol sales in stores and on premises in bars and restaurants.

The city of Chester and nearby York and Lancaster counties have Sunday sales, and business owners are pushing for Sunday sales to stay competitive.

But the potential government change – eliminating the elected county supervisor position and replacing it with an appointed administrator – comes late in the election cycle and would require the federal government’s approval.

More than a decade ago, Chester County tried – and later rejected – a hired administrator/manager style of government.

The County Council gave initial approval Tuesday to another referendum question on November’s ballot raising that possibility once again. The council vote passed 4-2, with the one man whose job would be gone if the measure passes – County Supervisor Shane Stuart – presiding over the vote.

The elected county supervisor acts as chairman of the County Council and is in charge of all county agencies that are not already led by an elected official, such as the sheriff’s office.

A county administrator would be an employee who is hired and overseen by the county council.

Stuart, supervisor since he unseated longtime incumbent Carlisle Roddey last year, called the decision to seek a change in government “politics,” with “political motives.”

In Tuesday’s vote, council Vice Chairman Joe Branham – who initiated the vote to move to a hired administrator government – was joined by council members Brad Jordan, Mary Guy and Alex Oliphant. Archie Lucas and John Wayne Holcombe voted no, with Lucas saying Chester residents already rejected the idea before because it did not work.

Chester voters changed from supervisor to hired administrator/manager in 2002, but by 2004 they voted to repeal that change and go back to the elected supervisor.

Of South Carolina’s 46 counties, just four have an elected supervisor who runs day-to-day county operations and manages county departments.

York and Lancaster counties have a hired county manager/administrator who runs county operations, with oversight by the county councils.

The Chester County Council will vote two more times on the proposal, on July 18 and July 25, with a public hearing set for July 25.

The time window to get the measure on the November ballot is “very tight,” County Attorney Joanie Winters said; the measure would have to be sent to state election officials by Aug. 8 to make it on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Any change in voting procedures in Chester County – which has a high number of black voters – must first be approved by the U.S. Department of Justice, Winters said. The Justice Department oversees and must approve any changes in voting and government for locations with a high number of minorities, to ensure those voters are not being discriminated against or disenfranchised.

That federal inspection and clearance can take as long as 60 days, Winters said.

This story was originally published July 6, 2016 at 2:45 PM with the headline "Will Chester Co. voters dump elected supervisor for administrator?."