Charleston city leaders sure seem to be doing a whole lot of talking and not a lot of acting in recent months. Every few weeks, they seem to reinvent the wheel. Defer this, study that. We understand there are a lot of important, urgent issues facing the city that leaders must be able to address head-on. But that’s just not happening.
Charleston seems to be adrift without a vision and without a plan. It’s not the mayor’s fault or any one leader’s fault, but city hall as a whole has failed to earn and maintain trust from Charleston residents new and old.
As reporters covering the city’s day-to-day business, we have a pretty good idea of what your leaders have been up to — at least more so than most residents who shouldn’t have to be worried about 80 Broad St. But even we can’t say for sure that city leaders have things under control. That’s sad.
All of this may be a fair assessment to some. Others may quibble on specifics. But we don’t think anyone can make the case that things are firmly in hand.
Whether that’s a problem of perception or reality, it’s a problem.
City leadership has undergone significant change in the past 10 years: Eight of the 11 members of city council have changed and Joe Riley, who served as mayor for 40 years as Charleston flourished, retired.
Mayor Joe wasn’t perfect, and most everyone expected a rough patch after his departure. There were going to be long-ignored projects that would need to be addressed. Parts of Charleston that got less attention under Riley would need extra attention.
But like him or not, and his foibles notwithstanding, people knew Riley’s vision to build Charleston as a successful, culture-rich city that’s beautiful and liveable for all.
Without Riley’s vision and stubborn force of will, city business has become something of a free-for-all. No one knows where they want the city to go, so nobody knows how to get there, leaving city leaders to fight in five-hour marathon meetings about the best strategy. Mostly, they just make it up as they go. The result: little to no progress on anything.
Take, for example, the proposed Human Affairs and Racial Conciliation Commission, a relatively straightforward city office devoted to rooting out systemic racism.
Not only is this a no-brainer policy item our city should be eager to back, but city leaders already have a mandate to do just that. A 2018 vote by city council to apologize for the city’s role in institutional slavery empowered its leaders to take the next steps to right the wrongs of the past.
Instead, city council members and the mayor have avoided any tough talk by dancing around the subject while detractors spew angry political scare tactics to stop progress. Worst of all: They’re winning; the city still hasn’t approved the commission.
The stalled commission is just one symptom of Charleston’s directionless leadership.
Our leaders seem to have forgotten they were elected and entrusted to make real and tough decisions for this city and its residents.
It’s time for them to step up and lead. Get past the current crises, and set Charleston on a course for the long-term future.
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