Charleston County Council directs appointed boards, commissions to take state oath by Oct. 31

Charleston County Council voted to direct members of boards and commissions appointed directly by the council to take the oath of office specified in Article VI, Section 5 of the South Carolina Constitution by Oct. 31 and to have the clerk record each oath. Council member "Mister boy" moved the directive at the special finance committee meeting, saying, "I would move to direct all boards and commission members who are directly appointed by Charleston County Council to take the oath of office found in article 6, section 5 of the South Carolina constitution before October 31, and that the clerk of counsel complete a record of the oaths from each board and commission member." The motion also asked the clerk and county attorney to review the county code of ordinances and return recommendations about provisions inconsistent with the directive. The motion was seconded and survived a failed procedural effort to defer. A roll-call vote on the original motion produced seven ayes and two nays; the meeting record states, "Motion passes with 7 eyes and 2 nays." Why it matters: The council said the move will create an official record of oath compliance for locally appointed bodies and asked staff and the county attorney to identify any ordinance language or practices that must change to align with the directive. Discussion and next steps: During debate, Council members asked for clarity about whether existing ordinances conflicted with the motion and about enforcement. The motion’s text included a note that "failure to complete the oath may result in removal from office pursuant to rule 5 of the rules of counsel." The council directed the clerk of council and county attorney to review the county code and report back with recommended changes. No implementation timeline beyond the Oct. 31 deadline was specified in the motion; the clerk was ordered to complete a record of the oaths.