Candidates for Mayor Seek Your Support

West Ashely Patch sent the same set of question to all five Charleston Mayoral candidates in an effort to help voters better understand what each hopes to accomplish in the office. Reprinted below are the question and the responses of the candidates.

1) What can or should the city do to foster an environment conducive to local job creation, and how would you proceed to make that happen?

David Farrow: The city should first cut taxes and fees as well as cut regulations to attract successful businesses to Charleston. I realize how cliché that sounds, but I have spoken to people with small businesses from James Island to West Ashley and all around that they are stretched to the max. Watch local television. Note how many businesses open branches in North Charleston and Mount Pleasant. The city of Charleston acts like business is a privilege not  a constitutional right. I would commission an independent forensic audit.  We have to know where money is allocated  before we can reallocate it where it belongs. I would eliminate redundancy and either eliminate or repopulate the scads of commissions created to rubber-stamp the current mayor’s “vision.” The current administration has the attitude that “if you build it, they will come,”  that the tourists will pick up the tab. While I will try to maintain tourism, either I or a member of my administration will meet with businesses all over to try to entice them to relocate to Charleston.

Dudley Gregorie: The city can and should get out of the way of local job creation and growth. Cutting the red-tape of Broad Street will be one of my highest priorities as it relates to economic development. Businesses know best what they need to do in order to grow, not government. I want to get out of the way of that process.

Craig Jelks: Removing the red tape for small businesses in our city will be an immediate priority if I am elected mayor.  I continue to hear how difficult City Hall makes it for local entrepreneurs to thrive in Charleston.  As mayor I intend to create more opportunities for them.  There is an abundance of talent in our city; we simply need to tap into it.  And who better to lead this initiative than a young and energetic educator with fresh ideas.  To start, I will give local entrepreneurs a seat at the table regarding ideas and suggestions to enhance local job creation.  This will result in open lines of communication and engender ways to foster a vibrant entrepreneurial spirit in our city.  Both creative imagination and critical thinking are required for this to occur—and it is unlikely this can be found with a 36 year incumbent.

Joshua Kennedy: I have a plan for the city to buy land and vacant buildings and then lease them to start-up businesses at reduced rates here in Charleston. These businesses will have to have sound business plans and capital. They will also have to be approved by the city council. After a predetermined time, their lease rate will be increased to the market rate or they will have the option to buy the property. This will instantly bring more businesses and jobs to Charleston.

Joseph Riley: We must do everything in our power to continue create a safe, beautiful, diverse, dynamic place that people want to live, work, and raise their families.  We have recently been named among the Best Cities in Which to Do Business, we’re in the Top 10 Cities for Technology Jobs, and we’re one of the Best Places to Live and Work for Young Professionals.  We’ll work closely with businesses from small local businesses to our large job providers such as MUSC and the State Ports Authority to ensure that Charleston continues to produce ever-new opportunities for job creation.

2) What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the City of Charleston and how do you plan to address it?

Farrow: I believe the biggest challenge is the economic situation headed our way. I have written for years that either 2011 or 2012 will be 1979 cubed. I believe that soon, municipalities will have to fend for themselves in a way unseen for 80 years. For decades, I have warned that enticing people to come to a city that relies on service economies is dangerous. While I understand the need for growth, there is an even greater need for sustainability. Yes, we have gotten trendy, but will some high-priced hip place on Upper King keep its doors open  like the 100-year old company it replaced so that  its employees can have work? What are we going to do with these people when the music stops? The smartest thing we could do is encourage entrepreneurship by cutting needless government expenditures thereby reducing the need for more taxes. What kept Charleston alive during the Depression of the 30s was small business. My administration would streamline the way for new businesses to open and try to save the existing businesses by letting them operate without needless intrusion. 

I have repeated over and over that there are people all over West Ashley having to cut cable and delivered pizza from their budgets. I argue that, as a city, we face the same thing. The thing is, you can watch television on your computer and make your own pizza. The end of big government doesn’t mean end of life.  It just means we need to reexamine how we do things. That’s true no matter how things play out.

Gregorie: I believe the biggest obstacle facing our city is failing infrastructure and a failure in leadership. The two go hand in hand in this city. Our current leadership, or lack thereof, has refused to address the flooding along the Cross-town and crumbling infrastructure across the city. The mayor would rather address less important projects that continue his legacy.

Jelks: The destiny of a city is determined by the education of its youth.  Unfortunately, the City of Charleston has some of the worst performing schools in the district.  It is assumed that the mayor has no authority to change this when in fact he does.  The current mayor clearly enjoys photo-ops in school buildings; yet he fails at helping the children of Charleston receive a quality education.  In fact he did not say a single word about student achievement in his State of the City Address.  As chief administrator and executive officer of the city, I will spearhead an annual conference of Charleston teachers who can generate, propose, and even implement solutions to the problems that plague our schools.  When you empower teachers, you empower students—who in-turn become productive members of our city.  If we continue to neglect the education of our youth today, then the consequences of tomorrow will ruin our quality and way of life.

Kennedy: The biggest problem facing Charleston is that we are short-sighted. We have been making mountains out of mole hills while the real problems are going unchecked. We, as a city, can fix the cross-town. We can decide the right location for a cruise terminal, and we can certainly find better ways to educate our children. So what's stopping us? Politicians! They have been trying and succeeding for years to make seem like only they have the answers. They have made their jobs look difficult so we will leave it up to them. It's not hard to listen to people and do what's right and I'm going to prove it!

Riley: Charleston is a City that works and the accolades Charleston has received for its high quality of life and strong business climate are well known.  The biggest challenge is continuing to improve on the high standard of quality we have set.  Maintaining the strong fiscal condition that made us the first city in South Carolina to receive a AAA credit rating and continuing our emphasis on public safety will ensure that entrepreneurs and businesses that want to grow will seek out Charleston as the city of choice when they want to invest in our economy and create jobs.

3) What is your philosophy on government?

Farrow: I tend to agree with John Galt. I am a Conservative-Libertarian and believe the government which governs least  governs the best.

Gregorie: I believe in government that is transparent, less intrusive and a government that works for everyone. Some say that is conservative, I’m not going to concern myself with labeling my philosophy – but will say that I think our current philosophy is hurting Charleston.

Jelks: I have earned two degrees in politics from both Howard and Columbia Universities.  I also studied politics at Oxford University in England.  What I know to be sure is that when citizens become complacent regarding their government, a sharp decline in that society is sure to follow.  One must believe there is better to be had.  From the record player to the I-pod, advances in technology and every aspect of society are guided by the sentiment that there is better to be had.  After 36 years of Joe Riley, who has certainly keep the music playing, Charleston must believe there is better to be had.  To be clear, I am not running for mayor because I think Riley is a bad mayor, I am running because I know I can be a better one.  At the heart of my philosophy on government is this: those in power are not entitled to it until they die.

Kennedy: My philosophy on government is quite simple. For the people by the people. Term limits are essential for this. Career politicians have got to go, even the good ones. It's the only way to get fresh ideas and new thinking into our government. Political office should be a public service not a cash cow that you ride until it dies. I believe that our government should be taking lessons from the cell phone industry, by getting smaller and making our lives easier, not the other way around.

Riley: Government must foster an environment that encourages private innovation and investment.  It starts with creating a safe community. Our highly professional police department has reduced Charleston’s crime rate by more than 50% in the last 3 years. Then we can create partnerships with job-generators such as the Ports Authority, so important to our future prosperity, and MUSC, with whom we are working to create a new district focused on bio-technology jobs. We also support the growth of knowledge-based companies like those in the Charleston Digital Corridor, which now has 70 businesses creating more than 3,000 jobs.  Just last week, a new high-tech company announced its $18.8 million investment on upper King Street that will result in hundreds of new jobs.

4) In your opinion what is Charleston's best asset and how would you protect it and leverage it to improve the quality of life for Charleston residents?

Farrow: I think Charleston’s best asset is her citizens. We survived three  revolutions, two major wars, countless economic setbacks, numerous hurricanes and a major earthquake. We did so not because of government, but in spite of it. A commodity falls apart in the face of adversity. A community can thrive. Hard times band a community together to find solutions that will benefit all. As I mentioned above, we have a lot of brain power who has cast its lot here.  I would do what I could to harness the power of the people to make things function through persuasion not coercion.

Gregorie: Charleston has many assets, but its number one asset is her residents. This city is great not because of the current mayor, it’s because of the people that have chosen to live here over other places in the state or country. Protecting the quality of life is pretty simple, you listen. Something our current mayor is not doing. The facts show the mayor has wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to incorporate James Island and enjoined the city in a lawsuit against residents. Do we really need another four years of a mayor that ignores the needs of residents? I think it is time for a change.

Jelks: Charleston’s best asset is undoubtedly its people.  Anyone who thinks otherwise has never lived here.  To ensure the quality of life for Charleston residents I would regulate the cruise industry.  How can the current mayor allow the historic nature of Charleston to be threatened by an industry for the sake of an economic boost?  Riley obviously puts the wants of tourists before the needs of residents.  So here is what I propose:  All the tourists can vote for Riley, and all the residents can vote for Jelks.

Kennedy: Charleston's greatest asset is its people. I have traveled around enough to know that we have the best people in the world living right here in the low county. Friendly, charming, good hearted people make Charleston a place that others want to visit and live. We can keep it that way by allowing their voices to be heard. We can fix the problems we have by using common sense and compassion thereby insuring we stay true to who we are. I plan on keeping people happy by actually listening to their needs and making decisions based on what's best for our community.

Riley: Charleston’s greatest asset is our wonderful citizens.  You are responsible for helping create the wonderful quality of life we have in Charleston, a city that continues to attract new and innovative people every day.  We leverage that success by ensuring first that we have a safe community, and then that we listen to the citizens of the community about their priorities.  We know that citizens want us to continue to invest in public safety and infrastructure such as drainage, parks and bike and pedestrian facilities.  We must do all that while continuing to keep our taxes low and our fiscal condition strong.