Beaufort is my hometown and has been very good to me. When I first decided to run for office, I felt I had much to contribute, having always been very engaged in the community.
I served as chairman of the Palmetto Chapter American Red Cross, Residential Campaigns for United Way of the Lowcountry and board chair for the Greater Beaufort Chamber of Commerce and USC Small Business Development Advisory Board.
Over the last years, I am pleased to say that the city is very financially sound, with five years of excellence in accounting practices, AA rating with Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s, and enjoys the highest credit bond rating of a city our size.
Fiscally responsibility means much more than just holding the line on taxes. Responsible planning and thoughtful and deliberate action translate into a viable and sustainable future and positive growth for the city.
Twenty years ago, the city had no long-term Capital Improvement Plan, no vision as to how the city would look, or perform, in five or 10 years.
Today we have a nationally acclaimed Civic Master Plan, and a long-range Capital Plan for our assets and civic spaces.
Additionally, we have partnered with the Charleston Digital Corridor to develop the Beaufort Digital Corridor and relationships with the Don Ryan Center for Innovation, to grow our tech business base and retain some of our younger talented population that over the years have had to relocate to find viable jobs.
We are also implementing incentives in our downtown to help encourage rejuvenation of important neighborhoods that have vacant and abandoned homes, both important aspects of growing our population base and expanding our economic diversity.
Join me in promoting this good work on Nov. 8.
