Chris Bizzell edges Elton Culpepper in run-off election
by Lorne Chambers | Editor
This year was not your typical election cycle on Folly Beach. Then again, when has anything ever been typical on Folly? But it was the first time in over a decade and a half that the City of Folly Beach would elect a new mayor. Tim Goodwin, who had held the gavel since first being elected in April of 2010—back when municipal elections were held in the spring and not on election day—announced that he would not seek a fifth term.
For nearly 16 years, Goodwin has held the seat as the top elected official on the island. During his tenure, Folly Beach’s popularity as a tourist destination exploded, creating larger coffers for the city along with more services and, with that, more headaches. Goodwin navigated plenty of rough waters, both politically and literally, having to deal with an increasing threat of sea level rise, beach erosion, king tides and hurricanes.
During Goodwin’s first term, the controversial decision to ban alcohol on the beach sparked uproar among locals and visitors alike. Then, in 2020, he aimed to protect the island during the COVID-19 pandemic, even going so far as to close Folly Beach to everyone but residents, something that ran afoul of South Carolina law and the state’s attorney general.
Perhaps the most controversial issue Goodwin faced during his tenure came in his last term, when a group of residents pushed the city to limit Short-Term Rental (STR) licenses. Many in the community, including the Folly Association of Business (FAB), urged Goodwin and the administration to do more in terms of economic impact studies and to seek expert outside opinion before moving forward with a cap, which could have a devastating economic impact on some homeowners. The referendum narrowly passed, and council adopted an ordinance in February 2023 to cap STR licenses at 800.
For better or worse, the island would forever be changed, and the chasm between those in favor of the cap and those against the cap has created a bitter divide that reverberated through every corner of the 2025 election cycle.
With Goodwin choosing not to run for reelection, five candidates emerged to succeed him, including three members of City Council: DJ Rich, Dr. Katherine Houghton, and Chris Bizzell. Also, longtime resident and local realtor Elton Culpepper and business-owner Ann Peets, who helped spearhead the STR cap initiative, both threw their hats in the ring.
While campaign issues ranging from public safety to infrastructure were debated, the STR cap remained at the heart of the election. The anti-cap crowd rallied behind Culpepper, who promised to roll back the ordinance if elected. Proving again how divided the city was over this issue, Culpepper cruised into the top vote getter slot on Election Day, taking 36.8 percent (459) of the vote. Bizzell was next with 30.7 percent (384), and the rest was divided up between Rich, Houghton, Peets, and two write-in votes.
Although Culpepper led in the Nov. 4 election, he fell short of the required majority, prompting a Nov. 18 runoff with Bizzell. During the first election, the pro-Cap vote seemed split among several candidates, including Bizzell, who remained a steadfast supporter of limiting STRs on the island. So, when the run-off election was held, Bizzell was able to secure 664 votes (54.5 percent) to Culpepper’s 555 votes (45.53 percent) and was elected the next mayor of Folly Beach.
Just 109 votes separated the two candidates, proving again just how divided residents remain over the STR issue. In the end, 1,247 residents voted for mayor on Nov. 4 and an impressive 1,219 turned back out again on Nov. 18 to vote in the runoff, showing just how important Folly residents felt this election was. Three days later, Bizzell was sworn in as the next mayor of the City of Folly Beach.
