Laurens City Council begins appointment process for Commission of Public Works; mayor recuses, Martin Lowery named chair pro tem

The Laurens City Council opened consideration of a vacancy on the Laurens Commission of Public Works on a motion Friday, with the mayor announcing a formal recusal and the council electing Councilmember Martin Lowery to serve as chair pro tem for the appointment process.

The matter matters because, the mayor said, "Under South Carolina law, Title 5, Chapter 31, the authority to fill a vacancy on the Commission of Public Worksrests solely with the City of Laurens City Council." That statutory assignment means the council, not the utility's management or the commission itself, makes the appointment.

Parker Moore resigned his seat on the commission after more than two decades of service. The mayor said Moore's resignation was effective July 15 and that the city did not receive his letter until Aug. 13; after receipt, the mayor informed the Commission of Public Works general manager that the city would conduct an open process to consider interested candidates. "No formal vote or resolution of the Commission of Public Works has ever been taken to nominate or recommend a candidate," the mayor said.

The mayor announced a recusal from deliberations and voting on the appointment, citing a personal relationship with one of the candidates and providing a written recusal statement for the clerk to enter into the record. "I am formally recusing myself from all deliberations and voting related to this appointment due to a personal relationship I have with one of the candidates," the mayor said.

Councilmember (unnamed) nominated Martin Lowery to preside over the appointment process. Counsel Campbell seconded the nomination, saying, "I concur." The council then voted to elect Lowery as chair pro tem; the meeting transcript records the result as "Martin Lowery is elected chair pro tem." No roll-call vote tally by member name was recorded in the public portion of the transcript.

After electing Lowery, the council approved the consent agenda on a motion and second; the clerk recorded the consent agenda as approved without a roll-call tally in the excerpted record. The council then voted to enter executive session for the stated purpose of "discussing a personnel matter related to the appointment of a commissioner to the Laurens Commission of Public Works, District 2, Seat 4." A motion and second carried, and the council proceeded into executive session.

Lowery, speaking after the gavel was passed, thanked his colleagues: "Thank you all for your trust," he said as he began to preside.

The council indicated it would reconvene in open session after completing the executive-session discussion. The transcript excerpt does not include any final public appointment or the outcome of the executive-session deliberation; the council's public actions in the excerpt are the mayor's recusal, election of a chair pro tem to preside over the appointment process, approval of the consent agenda, and entry into executive session to discuss the appointment.