The only real way to ensure that the right-wing extremist group Moms for Liberty doesn’t get a toehold on governance in Charleston is to vote in the Nov. 21 runoff for two reasonable, moderate leaders — John Tecklenburg for mayor and William Tinkler for city council. Their opponents, William Cogswell and Mike Gastin, respectively, are the extremist group’s preferred candidates — although its secretive leaders will squawk about that characterization until the cows come home.
Everyone in Charleston County is a firsthand witness to the narrowness, division, turmoil and dysfunction brought by candidates supported by Moms for Liberty. Just look at the Charleston County School District Board of Trustees, where five M4L-backed candidates hold a majority and use it to freeze the voices of reason. And who suffers while these petulant, elected zealots who support divisive, uber-conservative positions? Our children.
Let’s not allow that kind of narrowness to infect governance in the Holy City. Even if Moms for Liberty hadn’t inserted itself in city elections — albeit quietly through dark money and stealthy text chains to try to avoid public scrutiny — the choice for Charleston’s next mayor is easy.
Tecklenburg, who has eight years of solid experience and accomplishments behind him, has delivered progress to stanch flooding, build and renovate public spaces, fund a long dreamed-for bike-walk bridge over the Ashley River and take down a controversial statue in Marion Square.
In contrast, Cogswell merely offers empty platitudes that fill the airwaves in a desperate attempt to corral more votes. He says over and over that improvements to this or that can be made, but offers little that is solid to explain what he would do as mayor. In short, he’s little more than style over substance. He presents well, but there’s little behind the headlights.
Big talk about changing Charleston rings hollow, especially when you consider how he represents developer values in a city that doesn’t need more old-school development. And for someone who touts political acumen, he missed a whole lot of votes as an undistinguished member of the S.C. House of Representatives, where he was primary sponsor of eight bills over six years. (Zero passed.)
Cogswell’s campaign has been marked by big media buys and critical ads, but little real attention to inclusivity or diversity. On a scale of one to 10 on whether Cogswell is prepared to be mayor, we’d give him a half point only.
On Nov. 21, let’s not give Moms for Liberty the keys to our city. Reelect Mayor John Tecklenburg and elect William Tinkler in District 9.
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