The beginning of a new year is a great time to amplify some of our continuing community objectives, which we call the Charleston Checklist. They’re listed in a box at right. Here are a few that need particular attention now:
On top of everyone’s mind, particularly on the peninsula, is dealing with the water that is rising thanks to global warming. A nasty December nor’easter reminded everyone of the power of water. We hope Mayor-elect William Cogswell and his incoming administration will continue to make progress throughout downtown and in the suburbs on more funding for infrastructure projects, such as the Low Battery renovation, drainage systems, pump stations and appropriate protection of the perimeter. It’s all a work in progress, but it needs to continue to progress to ensure the city’s continued vibrance as an economic and tourism hub.
Local governments also must work more closely with the state Department of Transportation to fix crappy, bumpy roads that tear up people’s vehicles. Improving roads and fixing traffic are big deals for bettering quality of life throughout the county. As part of its highway improvement plan, we again urge the county to dump the expensive $2.2 billion extension of Interstate 526 in favor of multiple reasonable alternatives to speed traffic along in ways that can be implemented more quickly.
Charleston County needs to be smarter about education and focus on improving educational outcomes for students in public schools. The county’s broken school board needs to regroup and resist continued bickering from the nation’s culture wars. Instead, they need to implement broad, moderate priorities to make sure students throughout the county get the education they deserve. We’re looking forward, for example, to recommendations from a new study group in North Charleston dedicated to bettering North Area schools.
Local governments must resist secrecy. Conduct public business in public, not in backroom, private secret sessions bureaucratically called “executive sessions.” State law does not require public bodies to have any executive sessions, but too many elected officials slide into bad habits of discussing what they want in secret when it should be done in the open.
Finally, 2024 will be marked by some sort of movement on the 70-acre Union Pier tract. Local officials must make sure to develop Union Pier at scale — it doesn’t need to become block after block of chunky, tall buildings as called for in the first plan that led to the developer being fired by the S.C. State Ports Authority. We’re encouraged by the seeming broad participation by professionals and advocates in developing an appropriate plan for Union Pier. Let’s hope they don’t slip into bad habits. (See paragraph above about doing business in public.)
This new year offers myriad opportunities to improve the Charleston area’s quality of life. Let’s make the most of the time to make our Lowcountry better than ever.
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