Reviewing the list of 79 mayors who have supported Charleston Mayor Joe Riley and his call for the Gov. Mark Sanford to actually spend $700 million in federal stimulus aid (instead of Sanford’s proposal to pay off debt or refuse the money), we noticed that Isle of Palms Mayor Dick Cronin was not on the list.
Cronin told us that he never received a copy of Riley’s letter. He’s opposed to the idea of the federal government handing out this money, but Cronin tells the City Paper that he would rather see the money spent in South Carolina than somewhere else. Sanford has said that he doesn’t want the stimulus money if the White House refuses his debt proposal.
“I’d feel bad if the money goes somewhere else,” Cronin says.
Other names absent from the list include Mt. Pleasant Mayor Harry Hallman and Kiawah Mayor William Wert. Hallman is considering writing his own letter to the governor, says Town Administrator Mac Burdette. Wert could not be reached for comment.
Regional mayors who have signed on to Riley’s letter include: Hanahan Mayor Minnie Blackwell, Folly Beach Mayor Carl Beckmann, North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey, Seabrook Island Mayor Frank McMulty, Edisto Beach Mayor Burley Lyons, Awendaw Mayor William Alston, and Sullivans Island Mayor Carl Smith.
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