Midlands businessman William "Bill" Stern was elected chairman of the State Ports Authority board Tuesday for a two-year term, taking the helm at a critical time for the agency that oversees one of the state's main economic engines.

Stern, an appointee of former Gov. Jim Hodges and president of a Columbia-based commercial real estate firm, said he plans to see through efforts already under way to build a $600 million terminal on the former Navy base in North Charleston and dispose of excess land in Port Royal and Daniel Island.

Stern succeeded Harry Butler Jr., an appointee of Gov. Mark Sanford whose two-year term as chairman of the nine-member board ends this month. Butler, a real estate developer who represents Georgetown, was elected treasurer Tuesday. Whit Smith of Charleston was elected vice chairman and SPA newcomer David Posek of Greenville was elected secretary.

The votes for the new slate of officers were unanimous.

Stern was appointed to the SPA in December 2001 by Hodges, a first-term Democrat whom Sanford, a Republican, unseated in 2002. "Mr. Stern has been a tremendous asset to the port board," said Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer. "We look forward to his continued service and leadership going forward."

Under Butler, the SPA reported record revenue, record cargo volume and a strengthened balance sheet. But the port also got into a political scrap on his watch, accusing regulators from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of stymieing the North Charleston expansion project, a showdown that triggered a public shouting match between officials of the two agencies in 2004.

Stern said his management style will differ from Butler's, but their priorities for the port are very much the same.

"I don't think you'll see many changes," he said Tuesday. "We have important issues that need to be addressed. We'll get them addressed."

The to-do list this year includes obtaining clearance by late summer for a 280-acre container terminal the SPA wants to open by 2011 on the former Navy base. The authority has said the expansion is critical to ensuring it has enough space to keep growing and compete with rival ports.

Stern also said the SPA plans to dispose of two major properties, including the Daniel Island tract it bought in 1990s for its ill-fated Global Gateway terminal. He said a planning firm is working to determine the "highest and best use of the land." Once that's done, the board intends to seek proposals from private companies, Stern said.

The other deal centers on the future of the tiny SPA terminal at Port Royal, near Parris Island. In 2003, under Sanford's plan to reduce costs and increase revenue at state-run ports, lawmakers ordered the 40-acre facility closed by the end of this year and sold.

Port Royal officials already have released a detailed plan of how they'd redevelop the property. The SPA has hired its own experts to draw up a vision for the land, but no details have been released, making some local officials and residents impatient.

In fact, several made the 80-mile ride to drive home that point at Tuesday's board meeting in Charleston.

In what was described as a coincidence, it was announced that Sanford's office called Tuesday morning to authorize the SPA to release its master plan to Port Royal officials.

"I'm looking forward to seeing it," said Van Willis, the town's manager.

Sanford already has seen the SPA's preliminary plan, which was not available Tuesday for public review. The governor's only stipulations were that it include more open space and more access to the water, his office said.

Reach John McDermott at 937-5572 or jmcdermott@postandcourier.com.