DILLON COUNTY, SC – The Dillon County Board of Registration and Elections held a hearing Monday morning to discuss a complaint made by a former county councilman about the residency of the new Dillon County Councilman, Robbie Coward.
The hearing drew members of the community who wanted to hear the board’s verdict on the recent complaints about their newly-appointed councilman.
Before the meeting began, Board Chairperson Melissa Thompson recused herself due to prior allegations of a conflict of interest because she works for both the county and on the board.
“The board of elections is a state appointed board. I was appointed by the governor, and there is no conflict, but with the appearance of a conflict, I did recuse myself from the case,” said Thompson.
The complaint by Andrew Graves, a former councilman, claimed Robbie Coward did not live in the district he represents and should not be allowed to hold the seat.
The board’s attorney, Butch Bowers, says the board dismissed the complaint for two reasons.
“Even if this board had jurisdiction, which it did not, but even if it did, his protest would have been too late,” said Bowers.
Bowers says a challenge to a candidate’s residency is an election protest and should be handled by the county’s party, not the board.
Members of the Dillon County Board of Registration and Elections say since the case has been dismissed, they can breathe easier knowing they can get back in to their day-to-day routines. More importantly, they say this case has now set a precedent for elections like this in the future.
“It set the stage today for the process moving forward, with the protest and challenges, whether it being a primary or a general election,” said Thompson.
News 13 reached out to Robbie Coward and the attorney to see if they would like to comment on the hearing and both declined.
Bowers says his client will issue a written order in the next few days and after that, the decision will be up to the parties as to whether or not they will want to file an appeal.