In a highly contested race, Kiawah Island Town Council filled the three open seats on the Town’s Council in the municipal election that was held on Dec. 6. Current Council Member Daniel Prickett was running for a second term but was defeated by Bradley Belt by more than 230 votes. Belt will serve a two-year term. The two other seats that were open to serve four-year terms, taking the place of Dr. Scott Parker and Maryanne Connelly’s seats – both who left their terms early – were filled by Russell Berner and Michael Heidingsfelder. Berner received 333 votes and Heidingsfelder received 345 votes.
Belt’s background is in executive roles in investment banking and asset management. He served as the head of a federal agency under the Bush administration and worked as counsel to the SEC and Senate Banking Committee. He has lived on Kiawah Island full time since 2020 and serves on the boards of the River View POA and Preserve Kiawah. His main concerns are the recent development projects that he said, “have not been designed with nature” and that the Town had failed to provide appropriate oversight of the projects. Information posted by Belt on the Town’s website state that he will “strive to engage the community on important policy and development initiatives and work collaboratively with all stakeholders to preserve the unique natural ecosystem and quality of life on Kiawah.”
Berner also became a full-time resident of Kiawah Island in 2020. He currently serves as a trustee on the Kiawah Conservancy and is a member of the Town’s Board of Zoning Appeals. He is a part of the Turtle Patrol as well. His professional experience has been in engineering, which as he noted in his bio on the Town’s website, has made him “ideally suited to help navigate current issues on Kiawah.” He noted that his goals on Town Council will be to “strengthen Kiawah’s image as a premier community; preserve Kiawah’s natural beauty; monitor and ensure that the remaining development is planned and executed with community input per development agreements; work with Andell West; promote road safety; work with neighboring communities; and increase communications with KICA, KIGR, developers and the community as a whole.”
Heidingsfelder has been living on the island full time since 2015. His background is in engineering as well and in business. He has volunteered with the Lowcountry Food Bank, worked as a member of the Town’s Noise Ordinance Work Group and he is currently a member of the Town’s Planning Commission. Heidingsfelder also finds the island’s current state of development as a priority issue. In his statement that appears on the Town’s website, he said, “We have seen positive development in the past, but today we are facing challenges triggered by both man and nature. There is an increasing sense of over-development; a lack of cooperation among certain stakeholders; concerns about traffic and the environment; and inadequate consideration of the community’s opinions.” He promises to work closely with the community on these issues. This election marks the Town’s 18th administration since the island was officially incorporated in 1988.
The swearing in ceremony took place December 12 at 9 a.m. in Council Chambers by the Honorable Judge Sanford Ain.
