Will Haynie
Do you believe the Town of Mount Pleasant should move to a strong mayor system, maintain its existing council-manager form of government, or do you prefer a third system? Explain why.
Having served as mayor for four years under our current council form of government (state law recognizes three forms: mayor-council, council, or council-manager), and now seeking another term, my willingness to serve under the current form is clearly demonstrated. However, our government belongs to the citizens and they deserve to have Town Council allow them to vote in a referendum on which form of government they want. I believe the vast majority think a town of 91,000 people should have a full-time mayor. I would support placing a referendum on the ballot to let the citizens choose their form of government.
As mayor, what will you do to support the growth and sustainability of the arts in Mount Pleasant.
I have demonstrated my support for growing the arts by working closely with our Culture, Arts and Pride Committee and at their request, started the Mayor’s Music and Art Program in Town Hall. This is where, on a regular basis, the work of local artists is displayed inside Town Hall and we have music and a reception to celebrate the importance of the arts. I have also performed (I play guitar and sing – a little) at a fundraiser for our arts program. Someday, our town will have an arts center, but the groundwork for such takes years of planning. I was part of such an effort in another state years ago and am familiar with how complex the development of the design for, and function of, an arts center can be. We will get there, but the honest answer is that it takes awhile.
Please present your views on affordable housing in Mount Pleasant.
My advocacy of affordable housing has been clearly demonstrated.
First, our current moratorium on multifamily housing units exempts affordable housing developments and such incentives resulted in the development of our first affordable housing development in a decade, Gregorie Ferry. This success was cited in the endorsement I received from the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce in this mayoral race.
Secondly, I sit on the One Region Roadmap Committee comprised of regional leaders designing an economic development strategic plan for our region. Affordable housing is an economic development priority because without a workforce, our economy grinds to a halt. I participate in this group’s affordable housing strategy meetings where we explore alternatives and ideas. I am the only candidate in this mayoral race who has consistently voted every time in favor of the moratorium in order to give affordable housing a chance.
As mayor, what type of Mount Pleasant business building construction will you support?
My uphill battle to preserve the charm of Mount Pleasant started many years ago and my stance on preserving our charm and quality of life was known by the public long before I entered politics.
The movement that I and many others are part of has resulted in a majority of council members who have voted to reduce residential densities in new developments, lower building heights so as not to take on an urbanized look and feel, and have stricter setbacks and greenspace requirements for commercial developments.
This is not an anti-business posture, but a reasonable guideline to protect the charm of Mount Pleasant and our quality of life before we become another over-developed generic municipality.
