MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) - The Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce hosted a mayoral and town council candidate forum Thursday night.
With dozens of residents in attendance, the forum brought all the candidates for mayor and town council together to share their vision for the town’s future, as well as their priorities and solutions for challenges the town faces. There is one mayoral seat and four town council seats open during this election.
The candidates shared priorities, including solving traffic issues, raising pay for first responders, increasing civic engagement, developing better infrastructure and looking into flood resiliency programs.
John Meissner, a Mount Pleasant resident for the past 25 years, says he gained a better understanding of where all the candidates stand.
“I thought the forum was great,” Meissner says. “It gave me a better idea of who was keeping things organized in Mount Pleasant. All of them seem to be very well qualified.”
Candidates for Mayor include Will Haynie, who is a two-term incumbent, and Curt Thomas. Haynie was first elected in 2017.
Haynie, who is running for his third term, introduced himself as a lover of the town and a mayor who gets things done.
“If you love the town and you love its people, everything else falls in place and I fell in love with this town, I’m in love with this town now and I try to do everything for this town out of that love for you and the town we all love,” Haynie says.
Thomas defined himself as new and said the town needs to change.
“We’ve been told to be patient while our town’s traffic gets worse,” Thomas says. “Our infrastructure is an issue. Patience is costing us and it’s the very reason why we are here. Let’s be clear, the real risk isn’t change, it’s having the same four years of this leadership.”
Candidates for town council include Alexandra Crosby, Jenny DeSart, Brianna Harmon, Perry Rourk, Craig S. Russack and Kathryn Whitaker. Incumbents running again include John Iacofano, Gary K. Santos and Mike Tinkey.
All of the candidates were invited to participate, but three of the town council candidates were unable to attend.
Residents were able to submit questions for the moderators to ask the candidates. They brought up concerns regarding economic development, infrastructure, projects focused on resiliency and affordable housing.
“The nurses, the firemen, the policemen, a lot of them are not able to afford to live here,” Meissner says. “It’s like the problem is in the rest of the country, having affordable housing for people in the middle class is really important to me and I hope they find a way to make that happen.”
Many are also concerned about the traffic on Highway 41 and whether the town is going to widen it, build on top of marsh or go forward with Charleston’s Road to Compromise . Many of the candidates said they were against the Road to Compromise project and instead want to find another practical solution. Charleston County the plan amidst pushback from the town of Mount Pleasant this summer.
Candidates also had the opportunity to share their views on Mount Pleasant Way, a of connected multi-use pathways throughout the town for non-motorists. All the candidates said they supported the project, but some also brought up the importance of private property rights for communities and protecting the wetlands during construction.
The early voting period for this election began on Oct. 20 and ends on Oct. 31. The general election is on Nov. 4.