North Charleston councilwoman voted off property

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A member of North Charleston City Council will have to find a new place to live after a vote by the North Charleston Sewer District Monday night.

The district voted unanimously to terminate a contract that allowed Councilwoman Rhonda Jerome and her husband to live on the district’s property in exchange for security services.

Jerome said she and her husband have lived on the city’s sewer district’s property free of charge since 1989. She said she wonders why, after 20 years, it is now suddenly an issue.

“I don’t get mad, I get even. I’m running for mayor, I’m sure that plays a lot into this,” Jerome said. “And they’re not going to get rid of me.”

She said she and her husband live in a double-wide mobile home on North Charleston Sewer District-Owned property for free with the sewer district also paying for their electricity and water.

In exchange, Jerome said she and her husband provide security for the property. She said her husband walks the property every day, checking up on the buildings and equipment.

“Found out from the news media this was on the agenda for tonight, nobody called us from the sewer district or the commission,” Jerome said.

The North Charleston Sewer District voted Monday night to end their written contract with Jerome from 2012 without discussion among the commission.

Jarred Jones, the Executive Director of the North Charleston Sewer District, said the commission discussed terminating Jerome’s contract during a private executive discussion. He said he could not comment on the reasoning for the termination because he was not there but said he was not aware of any outside influence.

The City of North Charleston provided the following statement:

The North Charleston Sewer District is independent of the city, just like the North Charleston Housing Authority. Regardless, as Mr. Jones says, the mayor had no input on the issue.

No members of the North Charleston Sewer District Commission have responded to requests for comment about the reasoning for the termination of the contract.

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