Pubdate: Thu, 05 Jul 2001 Source: Sun News (SC) Copyright: 2001 Sun Publishing Co. Contact: http://web.thesunnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/987 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. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh Sutcliffe