State lawmakers ousted a sitting Coastal Carolina University board member Wednesday, an unusual move that replaced him with an alumnus.
Legislators elect board members of the state colleges, who must first receive approval from a screening committee. Challengers to sitting members are rarely elected.
Charles J. Hodge of Spartanburg, a former chairman of the college’s board who has served for 10 years, was voted out 87-69 in favor of Will Turner of Greenville, a graduate of Coastal who grew up in Conway.
Turner gained the support of Upstate lawmakers as well as most of Horry County’s delegation. Senators Dick Elliott, D-North Myrtle Beach, Yancey McGill, D-Kingstree and Luke Rankin, R-Myrtle Beach were the only Horry County lawmakers to stick with Hodge.
Unopposed and re-elected to Coastal’s 17-member board were Natasha M. Hanna of Myrtle Beach, Oran P. Smith of Leesville, William S. Biggs of Anderson, Samuel J. Swad of Gaffney, Gary W. Brown of Florence, Eugene C. Spivey of Conway and Daniel W.R. Moore of North Myrtle Beach.
Read more here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2011/02/23/1999275/veteran-member-ousted-from-ccu.html#storylink=cpy