Dear Island Neighbors,
No room for an intro, so ... vote, vote, vote!
That’s what you get to do on Tuesday, May 2, and up to that many times. Or more. You can vote for up to three candidates for Sullivan’s Island Town Council.
Three Council seats are up for election, and we are fortunate that four of our neighbors have stepped up to run for them – in alphabetical order: Summer Eudy, Ned Higgins, Carl Hubbard and Jody Latham.
These seats are three of the seven (including mayor) Council seats. Currently, they are held by Mayor Pro Tem Bachman Smith and Council members Greg Hammond and Kaye Smith, none of whom are seeking re-election.
If you’re registered to vote on the island, you can participate in this important election. Please do!
Our polling place on election day is again Sunrise Church on Middle Street at Breach Inlet. (Thanks, Rev. Polley and parishioners.). Hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 2.
In-person early voting is available at the County Election Board office Monday through Friday of the two weeks before the election – April 17to 21 and April 24 to 28 – from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. That office is in North Charleston near Leeds Avenue, at 4367 Headquarters Road. For more info: bit.ly/SI2023Election.
Celebrate Arbor Day on Friday, April 28
We should all be proud that for more than six years, we have been recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA community.
On Friday, April 28, the town will have an Arbor Day celebration at Stith Park, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. We’ll have free tree saplings, advice from experts on tending to your trees and guided tours of the Maritime Forest. Thanks to our Planning and Zoning Administrator Charles Drayton for organizing this. Come on out and learn about our island trees and how they make the island better.
For more info: bit.ly/SIArborDay.
Beach Traffic Info: “Know B4 You Go”
Every year, the beach traffic season seems to start earlier and last longer. Here’s a prediction you can take to Vegas: That will continue to be the case, as increasingly warm temperatures and an increasing tri-county (and beyond) population collide.
Last year, we worked with the municipal leaders of Isle of Palms, Mount Pleasant and Folly Beach and representatives of SCDOT to try to coordinate traffic management efforts for busy beach weekends. We had invaluable public outreach support in this effort from the folks at WCIV Channel 4, including station Vice President and General Manager Mary Margaret Nelms and their News 4 traffic and safety expert, “Trooper Bob” Beres.
The results were positive, although, as you may have noticed, we didn’t make the traffic vanish. As just one example, we had more interagency communication and coordination for traffic management, as exemplified by Mount Pleasant’s police and traffic staff adjusting the timing of the traffic lights that regulated traffic outbound from the island and IOP beaches.
The Channel 4 folks, in partnership with Explore Charleston, did an amazing job of pushing out info about current traffic conditions so that people considering a trip to the beach can learn to first check out conditions to and from their preferred beach. The hope is that on days when traffic is piling up, some people contemplating a trip to the beach will decide another time or day is better for an enjoyable experience.
It will take a while for this “Know B4 You Go” campaign to really take effect, but, judging from the number of related “impressions” last year at the Channel 4 website, app and social media pages, lots of people checked it out at least once. That’s the first step toward a habit.
I’m happy to say that this year, all of the aforementioned folks, entities and agencies are again working to assist a more positive beach day experience for visitors and residents alike.
“Know B4 You Go” will again be available this year to residents and visitors. Please encourage friends who visit the beaches to use it. And those of us who live here in paradise should use it when considering a weekend trip to or from the mainland. It can also help you access the live feeds from the traffic cameras on routes on and off of Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms, including the Causeway and Connector.
Says Trooper Bob: “My traffic tracker alerts don’t stop on the weekend – I continue working for you with information on traffic counts, peak drive times, a view of real-time traffic and the best time to go to the beach.”
You can access this great information source from lots of places: Download the WCIV News 4 app, follow them or Trooper Bob on social media or go here: bit.ly/abcbeachinfo
See you around the Island!
Pat O’Neil, Mayor
843-670-9266
Twitter: @oneilpm1
