Copyright Charleston Post and Courier
Today voters in Charleston, Mount Pleasant and other municipalities will go to the polls to decide who should lead their respective municipalities for the next four years. Voters in five of Charleston’s 12 City Council districts — the even-numbered districts with the exception of District 8, where incumbent Mike Seekings is unopposed — will decide contested races. In Mount Pleasant, all voters will choose a mayor and fill four at-large council seats. Voters in both also will fill seats on their water and sewer commissions. Voters in several other cities and towns across the region also will settle races, and we encourage all to vote; lines at the polls will be short, if they exist at all, and those who get elected may do more to influence your quality of life than those who hold higher office and receive substantially more media attention. Voters can go to scvotes.org/voters to check their registration status, find their polling place or view a sample ballot. Here is a recap of our endorsements in races in two of the region's largest municipalities. Charleston In District 2, we endorsed incumbent Kevin Shealy for a third four-year term in the West Ashley area between Interstate 526 and Bees Ferry Road. He vows to work on traffic problems, such as the choke point where Glenn McConnell Parkway crosses Magwood Drive, and supports the mayor's goal to build more affordable housing. In District 4, which covers the northeastern corner of the Charleston peninsula, we endorsed incumbent Robert Mitchell for a final term but acknowledged his challenger, Aaron Polkey, would be younger and more energetic voice on council. In District 6, which covers the northwestern peninsula neighborhoods, incumbent William Dudley Gregorie brings valuable experience, including great familiarity with WestEdge, an important site for new housing and infrastructure upgrades. He also promises to work hard on protecting the city against sea level rise. In District 10, West Ashley's northernmost district, incumbent Councilman Stephen Bowden deserves a second term. He pledges to support a comprehensive city zoning rewrite that properly orients density toward the peninsula and along current and planned transit corridors. He also vows to work to ease flooding in the Church Creek basin and to start planning work to extend a Lowcountry Rapid Transit bus line to West Ashley. The District 12 race on James Island is the only contest without an incumbent, and we believe newcomer Leslie Skardon, head of the statewide nonprofit Sustain SC, stands out. She pledges to be a proactive voice to help the city grapple with sea-level rise, James Island challenges and zoning changes to clarify where additional density should and should not go. Mount Pleasant We recommend Mount Pleasant voters reelect Mayor Will Haynie to a third term because his experience will help guide the town as it wrestles with development challenges, seeks new ways to pay for needed drainage and resiliency work, and addresses the constant challenges of traffic management and attainable housing. He also vows to continue efforts toward purchasing at least part of the Republic Tract, a major undeveloped parcel at S.C. Highway 41 and the Wando River. He supports fixing the dysfunctional intersection where Johnnie Dodds Boulevard crosses Houston Northcutt Boulevard but not by building a flyover, "as overpasses are unsightly and create commercial dead zones." And he supports Mount Pleasant Way to continue to connect the town through a network of bike-ped trails. Unlike Charleston and North Charleston, the mayor of Mount Pleasant is not the city's chief administrator but holds power similar to any of the eight Town Council members (though the mayor does make council committee appointments, too). So the outcome of the town's four council races will be critical in deciding its growth. We recommend voters elect incumbent Mike Tinkey, who was elected earlier this year to fill the unexpired term of Carl Ritchie, who was elected as Charleston County sheriff. Mr. Tinkey successfully urged the town to create a tree task force to find ways the town can plant more trees and take better care of existing ones, and he has a civil, collaborative approach to working on the town's greatest challenges. We also endorse three newcomers: Kathryn Whitaker, a longtime member of the town’s Culture, Arts & Pride Commission who helped establish the Community Arts Center set to open later this year; Jenny DeSart, a nurse anesthetist who moved to Mount Pleasant five years ago and vows to create innovative ways to communicate about town issues and events; and Alex Crosby, a young mother who works with her family's insurance business and vows to focus on getting growth right, addressing flooding and improving roads. Turnout in municipal elections tends to be less than half that of general elections held in November of even-numbered years, and that's yet another reason to become informed and vote: Your vote in these races is much more likely to sway the outcome.
