The steady growth of Charleston County has made it more difficult — and more important — for county leaders to get people engaged and involved in local government, according to County Council Chairman Herb Sass.
“The county is a big place,” he said, emphasizing that the needs of Mount Pleasant don’t always align with the needs of North Charleston or the sea islands. Across all of its municipalities stretching 85 miles from McClellanville to Edisto Island, the county boasts a population of 419,000, according to U.S. Census estimates, and as the fastest-growing county in the state, that number is expected to keep rising.
“The level of leadership we have right now is really an accomplishment between council members,” he said. “We all get elected from our own district, but I can’t get anything done if all I care about is my own district. I have to pay attention to everyone, and this is something I’ve been very adamant about since I was first elected in 2011. I’ll talk to anybody who calls me, no matter whose district you’re in. We’re all fair game. That’s the job.”
Strategic plan outlines goals
The county’s draft strategic plan for 2025-2027 outlines the vision and goals for county leadership in several areas, including public engagement. County council outlined three general goals with multiple strategies for reaching them.
The first goal is to enhance public communication and outreach, with strategies including improving online systems for user friendliness and exploring new notification systems for agendas, newsletters and general county-level updates.
The second goal is to deliver consistent, equitable county services, with strategies including identifying gaps in and opportunities to expand existing programs and fostering open lines of communication between municipalities and neighboring counties on a more consistent basis.
The third goal is to promote county services across wider demographics by evaluating current participation in outreach events and being more intentional and strategic with its future impacts.
“[Public engagement] is something that most of us have all wanted to be more transparent and responsible with ever since I started in public service,” Sass said. “We want to answer to the constituents, and I’m glad engagement is becoming more of an up-front issue than it was before.”
Challenges to overcome
Sass said the biggest challenge in getting people involved is getting them to care in the first place.
“A lot of people just aren’t paying attention,” he said. “People pay attention most often when things happen that they think need to go differently. But we need people to pay attention when things go right, too. I don’t know how we’re going to increase that number exactly, but we’re definitely going to stay available.”
Being available for the community members that are already engaged is a top priority, Sass explained.
“You’re never going to get everybody involved,” he said. “But a lot of people already are, and that’s good news. They’ll bring stuff to our attention, and sometimes it’s a nice email saying, ‘I like your stance on this,’ or ‘I like that you’re spending time on this issue.’ Other times they’ll tell me they’re unhappy, but that’s important too. People can come right up to us in meetings and talk to us and say anything from, ‘Hey, I don’t like the kind of shoes you’re wearing,’ to ‘I don’t like that you’re building this road.’
“We’re the closest representation to a lot of folks,” Sass added. “The guys in Columbia — they’re in Columbia. The guys in Washington — they’re in Washington. We’re out here every day, and I like that contact with the people. We’re going to the gas station, the fast food restaurant, to Publix and Harris Teeter. The level of engagement we can have with people is so important.”
Other issues on the table
Several other priorities are outlined in the county’s strategic plan, including infrastructure, workforce, quality of life, financial stability, public wellbeing and the continued use of American Rescue Plan funds.
“We live in a very special place, and we have to make sure to balance all the things we need to bring in with all the things we need to keep,” Sass said. “We have to keep the things that make this community special while still bringing in those improvements everybody needs.”
Sass said the county is going to have the largest amount of money for greenspace projects it’s ever had — twice as much as the last budget.
“We need to take advantage of that,” he said. “We have a real opportunity to make a lot more greenspace on the sea islands and elsewhere, so we don’t lose it all. That’s really important.”
Help keep the City Paper free.
No paywalls.
No subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations.
Help support independent journalism by donating today.