Here are the candidates vying so far to be the next Hilton Head town councilors and mayor

The filing period is open for municipal elections, and three people so far have thrown their hat in the ring for Hilton Head Town Council.

Ward 5 councilman Tom Lennox and Ward 2 mayor pro tem Bill Harkins are not running for reelection.

Steve Alfred is running in Ward 5, and Stephen C. Arnold and Patsy Brison are running in Ward 2.

A candidate also has filed to run for mayor. Alan R. Perry submitted paperwork to face incumbent Mayor John McCann.

McCann said he had not decided whether he will run for reelection and will announce Tuesday whether he will seek a second term.

Perry, a local businessmen who works for Mortgage Network, announced his candidacy in February. He previously ran for mayor in 2018 but lost to McCann.

Alfred, 87, enters the race with a long resume in local government. A lawyer with nearly 40 years of practicing experience, Alfred was a town councilor in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and also served as mayor there.

He currently sits on the Hilton Head Island Planning Commission, and the Sea Pines resident said land management, workforce housing and improved traffic flow on the island would be some of his priorities. Alfred added he is in favor of the one-bridge proposal for the U.S. 278 Corridor Project.

“The cost to do two bridges, another maybe $50 million, and maybe three to five additional years of construction. It leads to some environmental problems, and where’s the money?” he said. “So it’s not realistic, I don’t believe at this point, to think about anything other than one bridge.”

Brison also has experience in Hilton Head government. She is the current chair of the town’s Board of Zoning Appeals, according to a press release. An attorney from North Carolina with over 30 years of experience, Brison also has experience as a real estate broker and served on the National Board of Directors for the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.

A local businessman who serves as general manager at the Palmetto Dunes General Store, Arnold filed Monday to run for town council. He also currently serves on the island’s Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee.

“I am running for Town Council to bring a younger voice to the table,” Arnold said in a press release announcing his candidacy. “It is critical that those who live, work, and are raising families on the Island have someone who represents their voice, especially in Hilton Head Plantation, where many families have chosen to make their home.”

Lennox said he had only wanted to serve two terms on the council.

“The highlight of my eight years on council was meeting people that I never would have met, had I not been involved,” Lennox said.

Harkins said he believed it was time to step aside and allow a younger generation to lead the town into the future.

“It was a privilege to serve,” Harkins said Thursday. “It was an opportunity to meet people.”

The filing period ends at noon Aug. 15. The election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 8.