Eye on Beaufort

Ten influential local men will flaunt their talent and ‘beauty’— in evening gowns and heels no less — later this month as they battle for the crown in Main Street Beaufort’s second annual “Beaufort Beauties” pageant fundraiser.

Doors open at 7 p.m. June 18 at the Dataw Island Club and contestants will take the stage at 7:30 p.m.

All proceeds will benefit Main Street and five other local nonprofit organizations: Lowcountry Habitat for Humanity, Boys and Girls Club of Beaufort, Beaufort Film Society, Zonta Club of Beaufort and Senior Services of the Lowcountry.

The filing period for individuals interested in filling the Beaufort City Council seat formerly held by the late Gary Fordham closes this weekend.

Candidates have until noon Saturday to submit their statements of candidacy and a $150 filing fee with the Beaufort County Board of Voter Registration and Elections to appear on the July 19 special election ballot.

Scott Marshall, the organization’s executive director, said he will be at the office Saturday morning to receive any last-minute applications.

The office is located at 15 John Galt Road in Beaufort.

In case you missed it, here's the brief that ran in Thursday's Beaufort Gazette about city Finance Director Mack Cook's resignation:

The city of Beaufort will seek a new finance director to fill the position left vacant last week with the departure of Mack Cook, according to a city official.

Cook, 59, said he resigned as finance director and comptroller and plans to do contract work while he finishes a doctoral degree in governmental accounting and finance at Rutgers University.

Beaufort City Council will meet today for a workshop and regular meeting.

The workshop begins at 5 p.m. in the planning conference room at City Hall, 1911 Boundary St. At 7 p.m., members will move into the council chambers for a regular meeting.

Click here to download a copy of the agenda.

In a non-traditional move, the city of Beaufort Fire Department decided last year to reduce the number of large fire trucks on hand to allow for smaller, all-purpose vehicles that can respond more efficiently to medical calls.

Those new all-purpose vehicles are here and in use, and the city issued a news release Thursday offering more details about the "mini-pumpers."

Shirley Hughes, Beaufort’s chief financial officer and assistant city manager, wrapped up her almost five-year tenure with the city Wednesday and will soon depart for a new job in Nevada.

Meanwhile, officials still have no immediate plans on how they will deal with the vacant positions, Beaufort city manager Scott Dadson said.

Hughes was tapped by the manager of Boulder City, Nev., to become that town’s finance director.

Beaufort's Redevelopment Commission will meet at 5 p.m. Thursday for a regular meeting at City Hall, 1911 Boundary St.

On the agenda: Reports from finance, commercial and residential committees; reports on Bladen Street project and Boundary Street redevelopment; presentation from Eric Brown of Brown Design Studio on “tactical urbanism”; discussions on commission projects; closed session to discuss property sales

Click below to view the full agenda:
http://media.islandpacket.com/smedia/2011/05/03/14/RedevelopmentComMay52...

Beaufort City Council members will again discuss a proposed resolution stating its desire that Riverview Charter School find a permanent home in the downtown area.

Where council thinks the school should locate — the draft resolution endorses Beaufort Elementary School — could be up for more debate, Councilman Mike Sutton said last week.

The meeting starts at 5 p.m. at Beaufort City Hall, 1911 Boundary St.

Beaufort City Council members have said they want Riverview Charter School to find a permanent home in the downtown area — specifically at the existing Beaufort Elementary School site — and will meet with charter school board members today to discuss the issue.

Council members and school board members are scheduled to discuss a draft resolution outlining the city's endorsement of the Beaufort Elementary site at a meeting tonight.

The City Council workshop begins at 5 p.m. at City Hall, 1911 Boundary St.