Voters Choose Moody For District 11

CHARLESTON - Bill Moody will be the new Charelston City Council District 11 representative.

With all precincts reporting Moody beat Laura Dukes Beck in the runoff election for the seat 746 votes to 492 votes. Moody pulled in 60.26 percent of the vote, up from the 43.39 percent he got two weeks ago during the regular City Council election. Beck wound up with 39.74 percent, up more than 8 percentage points from her showing in the first round.

"It's a big win," Moody said. "We had a good opponent, actually two good oppopnents but we outworked them."

While the candidates held different positions on finishing I-526, which seemed to be a big concern to voters, Moody said he didn't think a single issue turned the election, rather he said he thought it was differing approaches between himself and Beck - and Andy Brack in the first round of the election - that swayed the election.

"I kept telling everyon that 526 wasn't our call anymore, but they still asked 'Where are you on that?'" Moody said."Traffic is a huge concern all over this district."

Moody said he questioned where the money would come from the fix the Crosstown, and is opposed to a multi-million dollar renovation of the Gaillard Auditorium, and wants to send additional funds to the police and fire departments to ensure they have all the equipment and support necessary to do their jobs.

"I really think it was just different approaches," he said.

Beck said she congratulates Moody on the win and that it was a good race.

"It's just one of those things," Beck said. "In a runoff it depends so much on people's willingness to go out and vote after they've already voted once, and he did a better job of getting people out to the polls."

Beck said she doesn't know if she'll run for office again at this point.

"I've learned you don't know what the future holds," she said. "There will be other doors open for me."

Beck said she plans to support Moody on council and asks her supporters to do so as well.

Moody did best in the West Ashley precincts, winning all but one precinct, loosing only St. Andrews 16, which voted at Stono Park Elementary School, 9-5.

Beck did better in the James Island precincts winning four of the five districts there, but by much smaller margins than Moody's West Ashley wins. The West Ashley precincts accounted for 5,690 eligible voters while only 2,034 voters were eligible to participate in James Island.