New faces, new roles on Hilton Head Town Council

By Kingston Rhodes

Contributor

Hilton Head Island Town Council welcomed two new members at its Swearing-In Ceremony this past month and elected a new Mayor Pro Tem.

New faces Melinda Tunner from Ward 6 and Steve DeSimone from Ward 3 on the Island township council joined Alex Brown of Ward 1, who was re-elected and also voted by fellow members as its new Mayor Pro Tem.

There are six members representing geographical wards on Hilton Head Island’s governing council plus a mayor, who is elected at-large. Three of the wards are elected every two years. Each council representative serves for four years.

Political newcomer Tunner bested two challengers to win the Ward 6 seat with 55% of the total vote.

DeSimone actually returns to the council after a 22-year absence. He previously served from 1995 to 2002 before returning to his business career as owner of a construction engineering firm and inventor of products associated with the automotive industry. He earned 58% of the voter over Amy Fee.

Brown easily won a second term to represent Ward 1 with 68% of the vote over newcomer Daniel Anthony.  During council business following the Swearing-In Ceremony, Brown was elected Mayor Pro Tem in a 4-3 vote.  He takes the place in that role from David Ames, who has retired.

Tunner has been an island property owner for more than 10 years and a full-time resident for eight. She lives in the Palmetto Hall community adjacent to Hilton Head Island Airport. She has served as president and treasurer of Palmetto Hall’s Property Owner Association and has volunteered as a Beaufort County Board of Registration poll manager.

Prior to moving to Hilton Head Island, Tunner was an insurance executive for more than 30 years with Allstate Insurance, the largest publicly held personal lines insurance company in America, with roles as Controller and Vice President Protection Finance.

In DeSimone’s previous tenure on the Town Council with Hilton Head mayor Tom Peeples, he championed major drainage projects across the island and renewed nourishment programs for the town’s beachfront. That initiative, along with his advocacy for the Cross Island Parkway, reflected his commitment to the overall quality of life for Hilton Head residents by balancing the island’s economic growth with environmental protection.

Brown is a fifth-generation native islander and has served on the board of the Gullah Geechee Historic Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation and the Northpoint Public-Private Partnership Housing Advisory Committee. Most recently, on the town council, he chaired the finance committee and was the liaison between the Island Recreation Center and the town.