Nearly 1,000 people turned out for special election to fill vacated city council seat last month
by Jenny Peterson | Current Staff Writer
The votes are in and new council member Skip Fink will be Folly Beach’s newest council member following a special election held Tuesday, April 23 to fill the unexpired term for Eddie Ellis, who announced in January he was moving out of the state.
According to official election results, Fink received 556 votes. Jody Lynn Rogers, who also ran for the open seat, received 416 votes. There were two write-in votes. Fink will hold the seat until the council term expires in April 2026.
Fink, originally from St. Petersburg, FL, spent a 25-year career as a Marine Corps Officer and retired as a colonel. In a statement to the The Folly Current he stated that he was humbled by Folly residents’ vote of confidence in him as an elected official.
“I am both humbled and motivated by the opportunity to serve in this important role, and pledge to represent ALL our city residents, employees, businesses, and visitors as fairly and as best I can,” he wrote. “To my supporters, you made this happen, but to those who favored my opponent, I will continue to hear your concerns and will commit to bring collectively intellect, compassion and diligence to the issues we face moving forward. As a community, we may disagree on specific solutions, but let’s do so agreeably as friends and neighbors with civility; that’s what makes Folly both funky and functional! My first order of business will be delving into the budget discussions for 2024-2025, which begins as soon as I take office! A special thanks to the City staff for continued diligence in our governance and preserving quality of life for all. Let’s press on together!”
