Hilton Head Monthly Magazine

THE RACE IS ON ON NOV. 2, AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 15 YEARS, Hilton Head Island voters will go to the polls in a nonpartisan election to select a new mayor.

Seven candidates have lined up — figuratively and, below, literally — to replace Mayor Tom Peeples, who isn’t seeking re-election, and they are: Ed McCullough, former host at local station WHHI; Jim Collett, a former chairman of the town Board of Zoning Appeals; Ward 3 Councilman Drew Laughlin; Dave Myers, part owner of Kigre Inc.; Ward 1 Councilman Bill Ferguson; Ward 4 Councilman John Safay; and Tom Crews, architect and town Planning Commission member. Learn all about the candidates on the following pages.

MONTHLY’S GUIDE TO THE 2010 ELECTIONS

WHERE THEY STAND
The seven mayoral candidates on the airport, recycling, tree trimming, off-shore drilling and tourism taxes.

THE TOWN COUNCIL RACE
The six Town Council candidates weigh in.

THE ROAD TO THE FUTURE
In December, Mayor Peeples drafted 13 of the island’s most influential leaders to serve on a new task force charged with two things: re-evaluating Hilton Head’s core values and offering guidance to a town coping with a shifting identity. Nine months and 1,000 hours of work later, here’s what they found.

Go to Mayor Race web site to read the complete Q&As with all mayoral and Town Council candidates, and to view the complete report from the Mayor’s Vision Task Force.

PHOTO BY BO MILBOURN / 33 PARK PHOTOGRAPHY

About the photos

For our October cover and opening photo spread, photographer Bo Milbourn of 33 Park Photography in Park Plaza assembled the mayoral candidates at the ruins of the historic Fort Walker in Port Royal Plantation, with the idea of utilizing an iconic-feeling Lowcountry locale that didn’t involve a lighthouse, golf course or marsh. “We wanted to do the shoot on location, not in a studio,” Milbourn said. “And we chose Fort Walker for its historical signifi cance.”

Getting all the candidates on location at the same time was obviously the first challenge, Milbourn said. But there were a few technical hang-ups to deal with as well. “Well, first everyone had to find it,” Milbourn said with a laugh. “But we also had to work with the nature of the terrain. The uniqueness of the remaining turret structure provided some height differential for posing purposes, but the getting the lighting right was a trick.”

See more of Milbourn’s work at www.33parkphotography.com and keep up with his blog at 33parkphotoblog.com.