COUNCILMAN SHOULD BE SUSPENDED

Gov. Jim Hodges should suspend Vander More Gore from his office as a
member of Atlantic Beach Town Council until Gore is cleared or
convicted of federal drug charges.

Gore is presumed innocent until his trial. In the meantime, town
officials need to be able to function without being tainted by Gore's
arrest. Gore, two of his sons and two other men were arrested on
charges of conspiracy to distribute powder and crack cocaine.

The arrests came after an investigation by the Drug Enforcement
Administration, the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and the State
Law Enforcement Division.

The five men waived detention hearings Friday and are being held at
the Florence County Detention Center. If convicted, they could face
sentences of 10 years to life imprisonment, a $4 million fine and a
five-year supervised release. They have pleaded innocent.

This is not Gore's first arrest on drug charges, but there is no
record of him being convicted of 1986 or 1990 charges. The 1990
charges were dismissed.

Gore has served eight years on Atlantic Beach Town Council. In a
joint written statement Wednesday, the council said: "I'm sure that
Councilman Gore will exercise his legal rights and the town will move
forward with its business."

Gore is entitled to his day in court, but it is vital that the town
go forward during this time. That will be difficult if Gore is not
temporarily removed from office.

Gore's indictment could reflect negatively on the town and cause the
public to lack confidence. As Edgar Dyer, professor of political
science at Coastal Carolina University, told The Sun News earlier
this week, the indictment could result in cynicism and damage the
town's credibility. Town Council is facing difficult decisions and
needs to be able to continue with the town's business. The governor
should suspend Gore from the council until the case is resolved.