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After months of ‘Vote Yes’ and ‘Vote No’ throughout Charleston County, residents overwhelmingly voted against passing a third transportation sales tax with about 60% voting no.

As the 2004 half-cent sales tax reaches the end of its timeframe, this tax was proposed to replace it, leaving people paying no more than they were previously. The sales tax would have generated funds for over a dozen infrastructure projects including the long-debated Interstate 526 extension — deemed a priority by the Charleston County Council and Charleston Mayor William Cogswell.

The extension, also known as the Mark Clark extension, has been in planning for nearly 40 years and was planned to receive the most funding from the tax. Other projects the tax was intended to fund included:

Related: Got questions on the half-cent sales tax in Charleston County? Here’s a primer

Related: Groups clash over half-cent sales tax vote in Charleston County

Hesitation for the approval of the sales tax focused primarily on environmental concerns for marine life and various bodies of water, as well as impacts on small businesses along its path. Faith River James, executive director of the Coastal Conservation League, said there are other ways to solve the traffic issues in the area.

“We are so proud of Charleston County voters standing up for the environment in our community,” James said. “One of our opportunities now is to move forward with traffic solutions that will enhance the way of life for folks who are living on Johns and James islands.”

James said that the CCL intends to focus their efforts on more small-scale solutions to better traffic flow as well as safety measures. Additionally, they plan to contribute to completing the 2016 referendum project list such as the Main Road Corridor in Johns Island.

In July, the CCL filed a lawsuit with the Southern Environmental Law Center against the county regarding the language of the options on the ballots about the tax. The lawsuit was dismissed after the election and James said the legal team will look back into it soon.

“It was definitely a team effort, it was a successful grassroots campaign, and I think the people of Charleston spoke very loudly,” James said. “We hope council will hear their concerns and give us an opportunity to come back to the table to work on traffic and safety solutions.”

Charleston County Councilwoman Jenny Honeycutt said that since the tax wasn’t approved, the projects it was intended to fund will not go through at this time. She said Charleston does have a contract with the state to complete the Mark Clark extension so how to do it will be further discussed.

Honeycutt said the state views Charleston as self-sustaining, so it doesn’t typically send as much funding for projects such as these.

“This does not mean that the problems we were trying to solve don’t exist anymore,” Honeycutt said. “We will continue to look for solutions to solving those problems, mainly the impact that rapid growth has had on our region and keeping pace with infrastructure to address those needs.”

This story has been updated.

The Mark Clark Extension has long been promoted as the best chance to relieve traffic on Johns Island. But the referendum to fund that road failed to win a single precinct on the island.

It wasn't an isolated rejection.

Voters countywide sent the Charleston County sales tax referendum down in a crushing defeat, with more than 61 percent opposed.

In many areas — Johns Island, James Island, Mount Pleasant, Seabrook Island, the Charleston peninsula and others — the referendum didn't pass in even one precinct.

Opponents say that should be the end of the Mark Clark Extension, which would carry Interstate 526 from West Ashley to Johns and James islands as a lower-speed parkway.

"The reality is, it was a 526 referendum," said John Zlogar, a cofounder of Rational Roads for Johns Island.

He called the results "just astounding" and said he had hoped the referendum might fail by one or two percentage points, not more than 21.

County Councilman Larry Kobrovsky, who opposed the referendum, said after results were tallied that voters made clear their opposition.

"They said 'no' and 'hell no,' " he said.

Some supporters believe that voters weren't rejecting the road at all, but the proposed sales tax to raise $5.4 billion. The referendum was designed to fund the Mark Clark Extension, but was crafted to avoid any mention of that specific road project.

“My perception is, this was about voting down another tax," said County Councilman Joe Boykin, a Johns Island resident who supports the road plan. “It just means we need back up and find another way to fund it."

Charleston County voters supported two previous transportation sales tax referenda, together adding one percent to the county's sales tax rate. The referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot would have continued one of the half-percent taxes for up to 25 more years, when an existing one expires in 2027.

While the referendum question didn't mention the Mark Clark Extension, it was the only priority project listed in the referendum ordinance and would have consumed the largest share of the money raised.

“One thing that was clear to me last night is that we could do a better job of communicating," said Councilwoman Jenny Honeycutt, who supports the Mark Clark Extension and lives on James Island.

“I would have thought that the people who stood to gain the most would have supported it," she said, referring to residents of Johns and James islands.

Business and real estate groups supported the referendum, along with elected officials from the county, Charleston and North Charleston.

Charleston County needs more than $1.8 billion for it's share of the $2.33 billion project. The state's contribution to the Mark Clark has been capped at $420 million.

“We’re contractually bound to do this, so we’ll have to find a way to finance it," Boykin said. "It’s not going away."

Council Chairman Herb Sass said the referendum results surprised him.

“I thought we had a really good program," he said. "I had an awful lot of people tell me they were voting for it."

In Mount Pleasant, where Sass lives, the referendum failed by a more than two-to-one margin, a difference of more than 20,000 votes.

Opponents have long argued that residents would be better served if the county pursued less costly improvements to roads and intersections.

People on both sides of the issues expect the county to come back in two years with another tax referendum to put before voters. The potential sales tax money would also support green space preservation and mass transit.

"We look forward to working with citizens and Charleston County to come together to decide what road projects should be prioritized to create a better referendum in 2026," said The Coastal Conservation League, "one that prioritizes the completion of effective traffic solutions, restores the Greenbelt program’s purchasing power, supports public transit, considers flooding on our roadways, and promotes pedestrian safety."

The League has long been a vocal opponent of the Mark Clark plan, and took the county to court over the ballot question — a fight the county won.

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The League had argued that the referendum question was misleading because it didn't mention the Mark Clark Extension or inform voters how the money would be spent, among other things.

Boykin said he has talked to people who voted against the referendum because it didn't mention the Mark Clark.

Even on Kiawah Island, seen as a main beneficiary of the proposed highway extension, the referendum barely passed with just under 51 percent of the vote.

The remaining 10 voting precincts where the referendum received more "yes" than "no" votes were in West Ashley (four), North Charleston (five), and in Charleston's Neck Area.

County voters have rejected tax referenda in the past, but not by such huge margins.

Four years ago — during the height of the COVID pandemic in the fall of 2020 — voters rejected the county's plan for a modest property tax increase to fund affordable housing efforts. That referendum won 90 of 182 precincts and only lost by 3,466 votes in an election where 199,468 were cast.

The Mark Clark tax referendum lost by 47,456 votes, according to the Nov. 5 results that remain unofficial until certified.

Some come for the rides. Others, the animals. A few, the sideshows. Almost everyone, the food.

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The Coastal Carolina Fair brings hundreds of thousands to Ladson each year for more than a week of fun and thrills. And each year there are new attractions popping up to entice returnees, from this year's daring Fearless Flores Family to the Taylor Swift tribute concert taking over a local stage.

Among new offerings at this year's fair are some bizarre food experiments. That's part of what keeps it fun, right?

"These vendors are professionals," shared Coastal Carolina Fair Director of Public Relations Jay Wallace. "They do this all over the country, and they are always innovating and trying different things. ... The scorpion pizza was a big one years back, but it didn't seem to have the staying power that pickle pizza has. I'm excited to see what happens with some of this year's new foods."

Well, speaking of pickle pizza, pickles are certainly big on the agenda this year. New to the vinegar-soaked world are a gator and fried pickle mac and cheese, sweet-and-spicy cheese puff fried pickles and pickle funnel cake.

I tried two different pickle offerings, however, which you can see among my fair food tour below. Save some room!

Pickle Dr. Pepper

The Dr. Vegetable stand is making veggies cool at the fair by offering them up in fried and other bad-for-you ways. It wouldn't be the fair if not, am I right? This year, they're also offering pickle Dr. Pepper and pickle lemonade, two options that come with a stack of pickles and a little pickle juice in the bottom of a fillable cup. You take that to the soda fountain and add your choice on top. I went with Dr. Pepper, and this pickle lover approved. It's certainly not as refreshing as your typical bubbly soda, so I'd say follow this up with a big old slushie or a soda sans the pickles.

"It's like one of those things you'll try when you're at the fair, but if they made a 12-pack of pickle Dr. Pepper, I mean that would be wild," said Dr. Vegetable stand employee Cyle Hargrove. "The pickle craze is wild."

I suspected I was going to like The Archer as soon as I peeked at the beverage menu.

There’s at least one unusual element in each of the cocktails (all $14), and often it’s vegetal. There’s roasted bell pepper in the Remember Sarah Marshall, tomato alongside basil and peach in the Talking in Cursive, and charred corn in the See You on the Other Size.

If you’re going to put weird stuff like that in cocktails, they had better be really good cocktails. And The Archer’s are.

That charred corn plus a dose of coconut cream give the bourbon-based Other Side a rich, sweet body and a mild chili bite. The Freezer Door Martini finishes with a pleasant slickness thanks to a dose of olive oil, and brown butter has a similar effect in the Accidental Daiquiri, which is made from tequila instead of the usual rum.

Similar bold twists are found on the nine small plates that open the menu. Tender cubes of steak tartare ($17) are pressed into a baseball-sized mound then blanketed with what appears to be Parmesan but proves to be shaved horseradish. Those wispy shreds impart a strong, spicy zip, and the tender beef underneath is enrobed in creamy peppercorn aioli with a bright citrusy finish.

Food

Cocktails and appetizers converge in the G&T salmon crudo ($16). The G is for gin-cured salmon, and the T is for lemon-pepper tonic from local “sodary” Sweatman’s Garden. I suppose the tonic functions as a sort of dressing, but its flavor lurks subtly in the background. Out front is the clean, soft salmon and the crisp bite of cucumber. Both are diced into precise half-inch cubes and blended in roughly equal proportions, creating an orange and green assemblage that’s as lovely in flavor as it is in color.

The Archer is the second restaurant from Marc and Liz Hudacsko, the couple behind Berkeley’s in Wagner Terrace. It opened in August in the ground-floor space in the Meeting Street Lofts building that formerly housed Gale.

The new décor is striking but a little hard to characterize. The front window is adorned with a white and orange art deco logo that seems straight off a pulp novel cover. Red leather-capped barstools and U-shaped counter seats continue the retro Edward Hopper vibe.

The wallpaper above the bar, though, is adorned with frolicking rabbits and squirrels straight from a woodlands fable. Other walls are packed all the way to the high ceiling with framed paintings, posters and clocks — a throwback vibe of a different sort, more to the Victorian era.

Against all that, aggressive hip-hop thumps down from the speakers. The overall effect is a room that’s detached from any specific time and place but has plenty of mood and energy.

It’s also hard to buttonhole a single culinary style for The Archer. There are upscale comfort dishes — a braised short rib ($32), roasted half chicken ($28), a big burger draped in gooey Parmesan cream ($18). They’re balanced by preparations that seem more in the farm-to-table mode, like crisp fried eggplant with whipped buttermilk ($13) and charred cabbage fried schnitzel style ($24).

A big pizza oven is front and center in the kitchen, inherited from the previous tenant, but there’s no pizza on the menu. It’s used instead for roasting fish and charring florets of broccoli and cauliflower. Classic sauces like bearnaise and au poivre are joined by more contemporary finishes, like Thai chili garlic butter on the baked oysters ($20) and red daubs of cumin-laced harissa supporting the lamb and potato croquettes ($5 each.)

Those croquettes, by the way, are a delight. Inside the thick, golden brown crust, creamy mashed potatoes are dotted with bits of savory lamb. Each is topped with a scoop of pickled mustard and bright yellow turmeric-pickled scallions, which are brilliantly bright in flavor, too.

The larger plates aren’t always so consistently brilliant. Beneath a spray of microgreens, a filet of oven-roasted grouper ($32) hits with a big blast of butter and salt. It gets some much needed support, though, from florets of lightly charred cauliflower and a thick, flavorful celery root puree.

There’s nothing really wrong with the roasted half chicken ($28), which is layered over a mound of mashed potatoes and finished with dark brown jus. The white meat of the breast is a touch dry, but the leg has a pleasant dark flavor. The plate just doesn’t soar, and once the palate is primed by the big wows of the small plates, it wants everything to soar.

The seared duck frites ($31) comes to the rescue. It somehow manages to be simple, elegant, comforting and exciting all at the same time. Eight slices of rosy duck breast are fanned out around one side of the plate then smothered in a dark brown sauce. It’s billed as “citrus jus” but seems more a thick, starchy gravy. Either way, it’s perfect against the tender richness of the duck.

There’s nothing particularly special about the long, skinny fries that come alongside — until you start dipping them into the little ramekin of yellow béarnaise sauce, which has a wonderful surge of tarragon and sparkling kiss of acid.

There’s lots more duck to be had on the duck confit salad ($16), and it really shines there, too. The silky shreds are tucked inside a pile of chopped bitter lettuces that are slick with duck fat vinaigrette. Perched on top is a single poached duck egg, which upon slicing sends a gush of yellow yolk that adds even more richness to the bowl. As if that weren’t enough, there are also Hawaiian roll croutons — crisp but still soft in texture, dark and sweet in flavor — and wonderfully tart pickled shallots. It’s a fantastic salad.

JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - A majority of Charleston County voters said “no” to renewing a half-cent sales tax planned to fund transportation, drainage and greenbelt projects.

Charleston County general election results showed 61% of voters rejected the transportation sales tax and use referendum. Nearly 40% of voters chose ‘yes’ on their ballots.

The ballot question asked for the renewal of the half cent sales tax. The tax meant residents would fund $5.4 billion over 25 years. The plan would start in 2027 to support 22 large-scale transportation projects, drainage and greenbelt projects.

The ordinance planned for $4.9 billion toward transportation projects with $2.3 billion of that money focusing on the Mark Clark extension. The project would impact West Ashley, James Island and Johns Island areas if continued.

County councilman Larry Kobrovsky was against the referendum. Kobrovsky says the tax defeat would be “a historic vote from the grassroots level that was up against great odds.”

“This in my opinion was- and apparently in the opinion of most people in Charleston County- overwhelmingly thought it was a fiscally irresponsible plan, that didn’t address our needs countywide,” Kobrovsky says. “And we need to roll up our sleeves and you know come back in two years with something that is fiscally responsible and transparent and comprehensive.”

County council voted for the third and last time in July with a majority vote in favor of the tax. The final vote during the meeting was 6-2 with one council member absent.

Vice Chairwoman Jenny Honeycutt supported the referendum and advocated completing the I-526. She is among the 39% of voters that voted ‘yes’ on their election ballots. Honeycutt says officials will continue to look ahead to figure out solutions to issues.

“I think we all agree that we face some very challenging transportation and infrastructure issues with the amount of growth in our region and we have to address that,” Honeycutt says. “So we will look for whatever mechanism possible to continue our transportation program and meet those needs.”

Up-to-date election results are available here.

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