MONCKS CORNER - Berkeley County Council decided Monday to take a resolution off the table that would have forced a question on the November ballot asking voters to eliminate the supervisor form of government.

Longtime county Supervisor Jim Rozier pledged last month during the primary campaign for his re-election that he would recommend Council put the question on the ballot.

Dan Davis, who beat Rozier in a runoff for the Republican nomination by 167 votes, focused his campaign on eliminating the elected supervisor position and replacing it with an appointed administrator.

"It's obvious this is political-ly motivated," Davis said of Rozier's effort to put the resolution on Monday's County Council agenda. "It's vindictive and ill-conceived."

Rozier said he was fulfilling a campaign promise and does not support changing the form of government.

He announced council's decision to remove the resolution from the agenda during the meeting without discussion.

Council Vice Chairman Bill Crosby said some members were worried that a vote from council would look like an endorsement for changing the form of government. The issue probably won't be discussed again until the beginning of 2007, he said.

The question can either be placed on the ballot during a general election by County Council or by a petition of 10 percent of the voters.

If elected, Davis, a former Hanahan city administrator, said he plans to spend the first two years in office educating resi-dents on the choice and collecting signatures for a petition in time for the 2008 ballot.

Davis will face Democrat Ben C. Coker Jr. in November.

Coker said he agrees that Rozier's action was politically motivated.

Councilman Jack Schurlknight of Moncks Corner said he did not support the resolution because it does not give residents enough time to become completely familiar with the choices.

Schurlknight, who said he supports the administrator form of government, said he asked the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce to plan nonpartisan forums next year to teach the residents about the pros and cons of each form.

Berkeley is only one of three counties in the state that still has a supervisor form of government.

The other two are Union and Williamsburg counties, although Chester County will return to the supervisor form in January.

Reach Yvonne M. Wenger at 745-5891 or ywenger@postandcourier.com.