By Josh Gibson
Obviously, I would hope that I could win everyone’s vote. Based on Bill Rauch’s column, I didn’t win his, but maybe that’s because he didn’t do his research when he said he couldn’t find the smallest thing I had done for this city.
I was the Chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals for six years. I served on the Municipal Planning Commission. I was the President of the Old Commons Neighborhood Association. I’ve built three new houses in the city limits, and won an award for restoring another historic home. I’ve run small businesses and lived in neighborhoods throughout all parts of Beaufort. Several years ago Michelle and I moved her parents here and we built a home for them, where they could live closer to us for the last years of their lives.
As a child, 30 years before Bill Rauch left his job in New York politics and bought The Castle, I watched the Waterfront Park get built. I learned to fish, throw a cast net, rake oysters, and carpooled to school with Pat Conroy’s brother. I’m an actual Beaufortonian.
The reason I’m running for office is to make sure that Beaufort maintains the beauty, lifestyle and culture that brought Mr. Rauch to the Lowcounty in the first place.
Next time, before he decides to offer his endorsement of a candidate, maybe he’ll make an informed decision, equivalent to the weight of his responsibility as a columnist and actually speak to the candidates before he forms a judgment. I’ve taken and returned every phone call I’ve gotten since I started my campaign. Unfortunately, none of them were from Mr. Rauch. And unfortunately for you, you didn’t get the truth from him. I’d consider that next time you want to decide the value of his opinion.
Josh Gibson is running for Beaufort City Council.
