By Graham B. Trask
This is the annotated public comment given by me on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026 to Beaufort City Council at its annual strategic planning retreat.
1. Focus on the three primary core functions
The City Of Beaufort government should focus on the three primary core functions of any city government:
• Public Safety — includes the police department headed by Chief Stephanie Price and the fire department headed by Tim Ogden.
• Public Works and Infrastructure Maintenance — includes roads, town hall, and other core city asset maintenance headed by Nate Farrow.
• Land use – zoning, building permits, and planning headed by Curt Freese.
2. Decide between competing visions for Historic Beaufort
Two opposing visions now exist for downtown Beaufort. The first vision is to monetize Beaufort. This vision is driven by the desire for money by private individuals and companies. The second version is the Livibility Vision promoted by those groups and individuals, like me, who want to live and work in Beaufort and balance growth with quality of life.
The Monetize Beaufort Vision focuses on how to bring as much business, tourists, events, and convention groups to downtown Beaufort. It’s about creating an “entertainment or social district” for amplified music whereby downtown Beaufort literally becomes the stage upon which people have a good time. It’s about allowing cruise ships and tour buses and four-story hotels, along with four-story parking garages. It’s about bringing convention groups during the week so conventioneers can party at night.
In stark contrast, the Livability Vision focuses on residents living and working in downtown Beaufort. This vision supports and promotes vibrant live, work, shop, eat, and drink enterprises downtown but not at the sacrifice of residents’ quality of life. Tourists and tourism are the cherry on top; tourists are not the reason for being.
The Monetize Beaufort Vision seduces Beaufort to become akin to the downtowns of Nashville, Charleston, Savannah — or even New Orleans (Bourbon Street) or Las Vegas (The Strip) or Orlando (Disney World). All are great places, but all have allowed themselves to be monetized and, in my opinion, destroyed.
Is this important? Yes. Is it worth fighting for? Yes.
3. Key priorities to move City of Beaufort forward
Only three key priorities exist in order for Beaufort to move forward:
• Fix the waterfront park now! It’s been 10 months since the citizen board was appointed. The City needs to secure a conceptual quote from McSweeney Engineering and a qualified marine contractor to a) replace the platform as is and b) backfill to the seawall all by raising, in total or in part, the park’s elevation by 3 feet for resiliency. The design of the park is an iconic Robert Marvin design. Leave it as it is; fix what’s underneath. It’s that simple.
• Cancel the downtown marina lease held by Safe Harbor and its new owners, the $1.5 trillion dollar Blackstone Group. Hire a professional marina operator. Open our marina to Beaufortonians; don’t gate it off.
Ironically, the City has spent almost $1 million building a day dock and a dinghy dock. We’re now spending hundreds of thousands of dollars more to re build the dinghy dock and provide access to the day dock, yet, we own a marina.
• Sell all assets which are not aligned with the core function of our city government to include: City commerce park; the Boys & Girls Club that is rented to USCB for $1/year; 701 Craven Street; 2153 Boundary Street; and 500 Carteret Street. Use the money, which could be $7 to 10 million, as seed money to fix the waterfront park.
4. Stop doing nonessential activities now
Stop throwing festivals.
Stop thinking the City government is the social chair for residents of Beaufort.
Stop thinking that the City government can save downtown businesses through band aid type subsidies – fix the waterfront park!
Stop believing that the City government is an economic engine for downtown Beaufort or for Beaufort generally; it is not!
Stop looking for money to do projects other than to find money to fix the waterfront park. Suspend or cut deeply your capital projects.
Stop all spending on further parks until the Waterfront Park is repaired.
Stop competing with the private sector.
Graham B. Trask grew up in Beaufort and continues to be a resident of Beaufort. He owns a home in Beaufort’s landmark historic district. He also owns several businesses as well as residential and commercial real estate located throughout the City of Beaufort and specifically in the historic district. He adds value to almost 50 different resident business owner tenants to help them grow their enterprises. He is also the president of Protect Beaufort Foundation, Inc., and Beautiful Beaufort Open Land Trust. Contact him Graham@grahamtrask.com.