Did rift between Beaufort City Council and historic foundation lead to mayor’s resignation?

The long-simmering and public dispute between some City of Beaufort elected leaders and preservationists over downtown architecture and land use may have played a role in former Mayor Stephen Murray’s decision to abruptly resign Friday morning.

In a vote on an amendment that has been in the works since before June, the City Council decided to stop giving the City’s Historic Beaufort Foundation a say in filling a seat on the Historic District Review Board.

Murray’s resignation comes just days after a website published by an organization that calls itself the Beautiful Beaufort Alliance alleged a confrontation between Murray and the Historic Beaufort Foundation’s Executive Director Cynthia Jenkins shortly after a council meeting they both attended.

Longtime development critic Graham Trask, who runs the Beautiful Beaufort Alliance website and Facebook page, was told by Jenkins about Tuesday night’s confrontation.

According to Trask, Murray followed Jenkins’ car across the Woods Memorial Bridge after the City Council meeting ended around 10 p.m. Tuesday. Murray then pulled to the left side of Jenkins’ car at the next traffic light, “gloating” about the meeting’s outcome and “harassing” her, Trask said.

Tuesday night’s alleged run-in directly precipitated Murray’s resignation, according to Trask.

When reached for comment Friday afternoon, Jenkins said she wouldn’t characterize the event as a “confrontation,” but called it “unprofessional” and “uncalled for.” She was on the phone with her husband at the Lady’s Island Drive traffic light when Murray pulled beside her, telling her “Glad you drove back from Greenville today. Hope you enjoyed tonight’s council meeting,” Jenkins said.

Murray was clearly mocking her after “getting what he’s wanted for months” at the meeting, Jenkins said. Although it was late at night, she did not feel fearful during the interaction because she had her husband on the phone, she told The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.

Jenkins said she received a text from Murray apologizing for the interaction. “It was unprofessional, it was uncalled for, but it was a mistake,” she said, adding that Tuesday night’s event could have contributed to Murray’s resignation but likely wasn’t the only reason.

On Wednesday morning, Murray sent an email to Jenkins, city manager Scott Marshall and the rest of City Council in which he denied the allegations of harassment and requested Trask retract his statements.

“I was surprised and disappointed to see this blatant slander and misinformation from Mr. Trask,” Murray wrote in the email. “(Jenkins and I) had a cordial exchange at the traffic light while I was on the way to my mother’s house, that ended with each of us saying, ‘Have a great night.’ I in no way tailgated you or intimidated you (Jenkins) and frankly was surprised to see you sitting at the light next to me. I would appreciate you asking Mr. Trask for a retraction and setting the record straight. I hope we can remain civil and factual in our respective roles.” Murray signed the email as “Mayor.”

When asked about the Wednesday morning email, City Council member Neil Lipsitz said, “He (Murray) was upset that his reputation was being attacked.” “His reputation meant a lot to him.”

Historic district

The historic district covers a roughly 300-acre area over what was the original town of Beaufort established in 1711. The area reaches from Boundary Street in the north, Hamar Street in the west and the Beaufort River in the south and east.

The Historic District Review Board is charged with vetting applications for renovations and demolitions in the Beaufort National Historic Landmark District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.

The Historic Beaufort Foundation, a not-for-profit and the leading preservation organization in the city, previously was allowed to nominate a potential member to fill one of the city board’s five seats. The city granted that power in its city code in 1972. The foundation was the only group the city allowed to submit nominations.

All of that changed with Tuesday’s vote that ended the HBF’s ability to recommend a member to the review board. The vote came after a lengthy war of words between the two sides.

In Murray’s Facebook post he wrote: “This progress within city government has not come easy. Change is hard for a lot of people. Especially people who’ve had their hands on political levers for a long time. People who have advocated for their interests at the expense of many others. People who are not duly elected or operate in a transparent way. I’ve been actively fighting against some of these folks and the status quo for almost nine years. And while I’m proud of the work and I know there is still much to be done, I’m tired. I’m tired of the daily barrage of uncivil and rude people accusing me of impropriety without a shred of proof. I’m tired of the ‘he said, she said’ middle school drama that is present among many of the folks that I’m required to work with outside of Team Beaufort. I’m also tired of prioritizing my civic job at the expense of my health, my family, my friends, my businesses, and my reputation.”

Murray responded to a text shortly after the release of his statement saying he would not be commenting any further.

This story was updated at 3:40 p.m. with quotes from City Council member Neil Lipsitz and at 4:00 p.m. with comments from Cynthia Jenkins.