News 12 @ 6 o'clock -- January 5, 2009

NORWAY, S.C. ---One South Carolina town is without a mayor and another without a police chief after Ehrhardt's Chief James Preacher is sworn in as mayor of Norway.

He resigned at the end of the meeting in Norway but get this the South Carolina Attorney's General Office tells News 12 as soon as Preacher was sworn in as mayor he abandoned his job as police chief.

It's official, there's new man in charge in the town of Norway, well at least there was until newly-elected mayor James Preacher was sworn in and resigned.

"I think Jim Preacher did the right thing," said Ernest Smith who lives in Norway. But Preacher's resignation wouldn't come without him first making some changes in town business.

"Well it was a lot of issues that needed to come up and he brought them all up, everyone of them," said Smith.

Some of those issues:
-charging town officials with a misdemeanor if they don't follow ordinances
-reinstating the town Christmas parade and town festival
-promoting the town's only police officer from part time to full time and name him chief
-confronting a councilman about putting his finger in his wife's face almost 10 years ago all before resigning from the position.

"I wish he would've stayed because he'd get somethings done in Norway that need to be done, but that's his wish and you've got to go with everybody's wishes," said Smith.

But the law also says he can't serve two positions at the same time, as chief in Ehrhardt and mayor in Norway, but for Preacher, he seemed to find a way around it.

The good and the bad come with everything. People like you today and don't like you tomorrow. That's just small town politics," said Saundra Stoller who lives in Norway.

Now as the town of Norway once again prepares to find a new mayor, they say they're sure this election will have a lasting effect on them.

"This is a town with a lot of history and a lot of things to remember," said Stoller. And after the first town hall meeting of the year, it's one no one this town will never forget.

Whatever James Preacher did in his short time in office as mayor of Norway will stand. As for his job as police chief in Ehrhardt, the South Carolina Attorney General's office says James Preacher is no longer the chief.

They say in order to get his job back he'll need to be re-appointed by the town of Ehrhardt. So right now, that town has no police chief. They say if preacher makes an arrest or does any work as police chief since being sworn in last night as mayor, that work can be challenged in court.