Cayce councilman votes to delay indigenous person and former rival’s city appointments
In an unusual move, a Cayce councilman pushed to delay typically-routine appointments to public positions for an indigenous person and his former political rival.
In a packed city chambers with about 100 people in attendance Wednesday evening, Councilman Hunter Sox called for a vote to postpone appointing a Pee Dee Indian Tribe member to the city’s museum commission. The vote also called for postponing the appointment of a former council candidate who ran against Sox earlier in the month and lost.
The former council candidate, Kelly Wuest, hoped to be appointed to the city’s beautification board, a group that mostly plans art projects around the city.
The council voted 3-2 to wait until January to appoint people to the volunteer positions, which don’t deal with core function of the city. Sox and councilmen Phil Carter and Tim James voted for the delay. Mayor Elise Partin and councilman James Jenkins voted against the delay.
“I don’t feel comfortable adding anyone at the moment until we as a council understand” the appointment process, said Sox, who took his seat on council earlier this month. “This is about the process not the applicants ... Both applicants have great qualifications.”
Sox questioned the whole appointment process and expressed a desire to build a bigger pool of applicants. He also said he wanted “to further think about this and make a more informed decision.”
Partin said during the contentious meeting that the process for appointing people to boards and commissions has been the same for decades. Council votes to approve or not approve appointees.
The mayor said that appointing a Pee Dee Indian Tribe member to the museum commission would add diversity.
“By not appointing these people on these committees for two months, we’re not moving forward,” Jenkins said.
After the meeting, Wuest, who attended, said she just wanted to serve and stay connected to the city of Cayce. She was disappointed that she would have to wait.
Wuest was the only applicant for the open beautification board position, according to the council’s agenda.
Marcy Hayden, a member of the state recognized Pee Dee Indian Tribe with a background in anthropology, archaeology and government affairs, was the only applicant for the museum commission listed on the council agenda. But museum chair Archie Moore said at the meeting that another applicant was on file.
The vote to delay the appointments and council’s divided position on the postponement is the latest ruckus for the Cayce City Council.
Last week, the council was told about an allegation that a now-former museum commissioner, Marion Hutson, made a racially insensitive comment on Nov. 2 about the candidates for Columbia mayor. The council, with the same members split 3-2, let Hutson keep his position.
Hutson later resigned from the museum commission. He has not commented on the allegations after multiple attempts at being contacted by The State.
The accusations didn’t stop there.
An email sent to council members that accused Hutson of making another racially insensitive comment was read aloud during Wednesday’s meeting. The email was sent by someone who said he had known Hutson for decades.
The email claimed that while campaigning for Sox in September, Hutson said the Cayce City Council had “too many colored” people in positions of responsibility. The person who sent the email was not identified during Wednesday’s meeting, but he was described as a long-time Cayce resident.
At the time of the reported remark, Sox was running against sitting council member Ann Bailey-Robinson, who is Black. Jenkins, who is also Black, is council’s longest serving member.
In a myriad of votes and discussions from the last two council sessions, members have battled over whether to have an investigation into Hutson’s comments. James originally brought up the idea Nov. 9, and it was not supported by Partin at that time. On Nov. 17, James rescinded his desire for an investigation, saying that Hutson’s resignation ended the matter. In an unexpected turn, Partin called for the investigation to see if comments such as Hutson’s were more widespread in Cayce’s government. In the end, council finally voted unanimously to have such an investigation.
Moore, the museum commission chair, spoke in defense of Hutson Wednesday, saying “In all the years that I’ve known him, I’ve never known him to say or do anything improper.”
Robinson, the former councilwoman, attended the meeting and expressed disappointment with Hutson. She said Cayce public officials “Have to represent everyone.”
Council’s next meeting is scheduled for Dec. 7.
This story was originally published November 19, 2021 at 7:00 AM.