City Council - Regular Meeting

Yes, they're supposed to sit at their desks. I would like to call this January 13th meeting of city council to order. Madame clerk, would you please call the role? Council member Greg here. Council member Sheiley

here. Council member McBride here. Council member elect Poke here. Council member Brady present. Council member elect Allesandro here. Council member Wearing. Council member Seekings. Council member Tinkler. Council member Bowen. Council member Appel. Council member elect mayor Cogwell here. I'd now like to ask Council Member Wearing to give the invocation and lead everybody in the pledge of allegiance.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Let us pray. Eternally Father, as we come for you today and for you today, we thank you for the many blessings of 2025 and even for the failings, let us learn from that. Let those be teachable moments. We thank you for the bounty that mother earth provides. Though we abuse it, the bounty continues to expand. We pray for our country and we pray for peace across the world. Let your teachings take hold in our daily lives. We pray for our staff, this mayor and council. And as we welcome three additional colleagues to this council, let us all extend the hand of fellowship towards one another. As we go about doing the business with the people that we represent for the city of Charleston, we ask that we bring forth the best of our intellect as we do that and integrity. We pray for those in the military who put their lives on the line and our first responders, all of them. Let them know that they're not taken for granted. These prayers we bring forth in your name. Let us all say, amen.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. All right. Before we get started on the swearing in, we do have one presentation or an award. I'd like to ask members of the neighborhood commission to join me up on stage as well as council member Tinkler to join me up here. Come on up, guys. Come on up. I'll give the background. Each year, the city of Charleston honors a resident who has shown ex uh exceptional commitment. They can't read it. Um exceptional commitment to volunteer work. This award is named after Robert Ballard, a longtime neighborhood president and community leader who is instrumental in improving the livability of Charleston. I'd also like to I believe Sally Ballard might be here. She's here. All right. There he is. Right. Sorry, passed you um um to join me up here. So, Mr. Ballard advocated for improved street sweeping program. He opened up uh his home for groups of residents to use for meetings. He was viligent about tracking issues he cared about and making sure his neighborhood was heard through the political process. This year, we we received many impressive non nominations and honores. The neighborhood commission reviewed them all and voted to honor one of our longtime neighborhood presidents, Jan Harmon. So, Jan has served as president of Heathwood Oldtown Neighborhood

Association and Council Member Tikller's district um for a long time. And I'm lost my place in line here. There's so many things to talk about here. For many years, she's coordinated community events like Halloween pumpkin walks, Fourth of July parades, holiday decorations, and quarterly neighborhood meetings. She drafts, prints, and distributes newsletters quarterly. She works closely with elected officials to push for improvements to Lenovar Park and has worked to bring Piccolo Spalato events to the neighborhood. Recently, the neighborhood went through a difficult period. She has coordinated resources to help the community heal. Like Robert Ballard, Jan has made our city a more resilient place by helping to strengthen relationships between residents. She quietly does the work behind the scenes to keep our community ties strong. Therefore, it is my honor to present Miss Harmon with the Robert Ballard Award for Excellence and Volunteerism on behalf of the city of Charleston. Thank you for all of your hard work and please come and join me up on stage so we can give you a round of applause. Give you this beautiful Thank you very much. You you want to say anything or absolutely

I I want to I'll be very brief. I want to thank Robert William Tinkler and the commission for giving me this award. It is a great honor. I grew up in smalltown Missouri. My parents were very active. There wasn't an event that they didn't volunteer for. And as I've moved around the country over the years, I've always believed in volunteerism. Being president of the Oldtown Heathwood Neighborhood Association has been wonderful. And as I've seen our neighborhood grow and get younger with more children, we're still a diverse neighborhood, but we love it. And I really think this award goes to all the volunteers that show up to deliver those 380 newspapers to um show up for events, bake sales, and whatever to benefit our neighborhood. So, I'm going to share this award with them. Thanks again.

Thank you. And we also before she escapes, we got to give a shout out to Becca Hopkins for all the work she does with the commission. Uh we truly uh are blessed to have her on our city staff. So thank you, Becca. Um okay, now we need a drum roll or something like that uh for the swearing in. Um, so first appreciate you giving me these notes. Uh, I need you to be official. Madame Clerk, would you please read the certification of election results?

State of South Carolina, City of Charleston, Charleston County Board of Canvasers, statements and returns of votes for the City of Charleston general election held November 4th, 2025. We the county board of canvasers certify that all proper procedures for canvasing votes in this election have been followed and we have received written confirmation of the same from county voter registration and elections offices staff and upon such confirmation and any further review of our own. We certify the following results of this election are correct in all respects. City council district number two Abraham D. Champagne 332, Kevin Sheileely 608 and was elected right in one city council district 4, Robert M. Mitchell 495, Aaron P 830 and was elected Lukeman S. Rasheed 31 right in four city council district 6 Ben D. Alessandro 977 and was elected William Dudley Gregory 667 right in three city council district 8 Mike seekings 894 and was elected right in 22 city council city council district 10 Steven Bowen 143 and was elected William Connor 486 6 right in five city council district 12 Annette Begner 310 Deanna Miller 705 Leslie Scarden, 1447 and was elected Wrighten 9 Commissioner of Public Works Barbara

Dunie Akobe 4,78 Kathleen G. Wilson 7,322 and was elected write in 152. These are the results certified November 6, 2025 by Christine C. Bernado, Dan H. Martin, Katherine Lefond, Ryan Hehheart, F. Elliot Quinn IV, and Maryanne Taylor.

All right. Um, well, since she got the most votes, I'm going to ask Councilwoman uh Scarden to go first. No, in all seriousness, as a point of personal approach, she has two wonderful children with her tonight. Uh, her her two twins. Um, and they would really appreciate it if we allowed her to go first so that um they can go get ice cream afterwards. But, uh, I'm going to ask Judge Morrison to come up. This will be the, uh, order and sequence. Uh we will have Councilwoman uh Scardan go first. Then we will have Sheileely, then Councilman Elect Poke, and then uh Councilman Electandro and then Councilman Elect and wrap up with Councilman Seekings. So, Judge,

come on up. Come on up. Bible, please. I do solemnly swear I do solemnly swear that I am duly qualified that I am duly qualified according to the constitution of this state according to the constitution of this state to exercise the duties of the office to exercise the duties of the office to which I have been appointed to which I have been appointed I will to the best of my ability to the best of my ability discharge the duties thereof discharge the duties thereof

protect preserve protect and defend protect and defend protect, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of this state the Constitution of this state and the United States and the United States. As council member of the municipality of Charleston as council member of the municipality of Charleston, I will equally I will equally fairly and impartially fairly and impartially to the best of my ability to the best of my ability and skill and skill exercise the trust proposed in me exercise the trust proposed in me. And I will use my best endeavors And I will use my best endeavors preserve the peace to preserve the peace and carry into effect according to law and carry into effect according to law

the purposes for which I have been elected the purposes for which I have been elected. So help me God. So help me back. As always,

well, first and foremost, I want to start with a note of gratitude. Thank you, Chief Justice, Mr. Mayor, and fellow council members. I'm excited to work with you. I could not have done this without my husband, Sam. You are the best partner and father I could have ever asked for. Thank you to our boys, Lewis and Lawson. You are the light of our lives. Thank you to my parents, my Charleston family, and of course, our incredible volunteers and the voters of District 12. Service to you all is my top priority. Lucky for you all, I wrote this to be a short speech with the attention span of our four-year-old twins in mind. Um, because if they're not already running around, they likely will be soon. So, there are three quick items I want to touch on. Service, a moral obligation to the future of the city, and a theory of government. First, service. I want to start with a quick story. This Bible that I was just sworn in with belonged to the Reverend Stephven Scarden, my husband's grandfather. It was given to him in 1947 upon his ordination into priesthood and was used at groundbreings of housing projects, schools, medical clinics, churches, and community service initiatives all over the Low Country. Both sides of our family come from a line of service to others and a deep belief that we should all make the world a little bit better before we leave it. That belief in service is why I ran for city council. I believe that city council should be your first call. Whether it is a pothole or flooded ditch or unsafe intersection, we are here to serve our community and our constituents. These are not glamorous issues, but they are the building blocks of our communities. And at the end of the day, they all come back to quality of life and safety. As some of you may know, I kept a list of every issue I

heard about on the campaign. Now, I knocked 4,000 doors, so that list is quite long. And I've already started working with the incredible staff at every level of government to provide solutions. And as my husband knows very well, once something is on my list, I do not rest until it gets done. I have been so impressed by the city and the staff's commitment to customer service. It's something they talk a lot about a lot. Customer service. Our constituents and our neighbors are our customers. And I will bring the same drive, focus, and determination to fixing these issues as I have brought to every other aspect of my life. Second, a moral obligation to the future of Charleston. This city is a team and I'm here to work with council, the mayor and staff as we plan for the future of this city. When I think of city council, it isn't just service to neighbors, but it is also ensuring a future where [laughter] our twin boys can come back to visit us in 30 years or also raise their own families here. Beyond intersections and sidewalks and ditches and recreation updates, there are existential issues and threats facing our city, including flooding and housing. We have a moral obligation to address those issues now to ensure a safer and better future for every resident. We cannot be afraid to think big just because conventional wisdom has told us no. We must be bold in our solutions. We should be thinking of ways to connect James Island to the Ashley River pedestrian bridge. We should seriously consider better ways to get cars off of James Island, including a flyover between the connector and the cross town. We must be thinking of ways to connect the rapidly growing Cane Hoy Peninsula to downtown. We must improve life so every resident, regardless of what neighborhood that they were born in, has a chance to succeed. So, how will we do this? This brings me to a theory of government. In this era of our

country, we know there is a deep skepticism of government. I believe part of this frustration comes from people too often being told why something cannot be done. There is not enough funding, there is too much red tape, or it is not that particular department or jurisdiction's responsibility. I am so excited about serving on council because I do believe that local government can make a difference. I believe that part of leadership is always providing solutions. It is understanding how the system works and when there is an obstacle, bringing a sense of innovation, determination, and entrepreneurship to make the system better. It is about bringing together the right stakeholders to build coalitions to change the status quo and deliver results. Throughout my career, I have been coached that you never simply state a problem. You bring a solution and a recommendation. I will work every day to find ways to yes, so we can deliver the quality of life that every resident deserves. In summary, thank you for this opportunity. I am here to serve and be part of an amazing group of leaders to ensure the future of our city for generations to come. And I'm here to get to yes and deliver results for not only James Island, but the city. Thank you. All right, Council Member Sheileely, you're up.

Come behind. Thank you. Your right hand, please. I do solemnly swear I do solemnly swear that I am duly qualified I am duly qualified according to the constitution of this state according to the constitution of this state exercise the duties of the office to exercise the duties of the office to which I have been appointed to which I have been appointed and that I will to the best of my ability and that I will to the best of my ability charge the duties thereof discharge the duties thereof preserve protect and defend preserve protect protect and defend

the Constitution of this state and of the United States. This state and of the United States. As council member of the municipality of Charleston as council member of the municipality of Charleston, I will equally I will equally fairly and impartially fairly and impartially to the best of my ability to the best of my ability and skill and skill exercise the trust proposed in me. exercise the trust proposed in me. And I will And I will use my best endeavors use my best endeavors preserve the peace preserve the peace and carry into effect and carry into effect according to law according to law the purposes for which I have been elected the purposes for which I have been elected. So help me God. So help me God.

Thank you sir. Thank you.

Thank

Oh thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Thank you. I am really really honored um and grateful to stand before you today uh to take this oath for the third time for Charleston City Council. Um certainly want to thank the residents of West Ashley, the people of Charleston uh once again for placing their trust in me. Um I don't take that trust lightly. I hold it to a very very high regard and I appreciate the trust that they've given me. I want to thank my colleagues on council. Want to thank our mayor. Um, thank our dedicated city staff, all of our first responders who work tirelessly every day and every night, and everyone who helps to serve our community. I want to thank my family, especially my wife Stacy, um, for their patience, for their support, their encouragement. And I appreciate my staff and my insurance agency. You wouldn't believe the number of calls that they take and how they take care of s the city as well, just because my business has my name attached to it. So, I want to thank um my insurance agency staff as as well. Um public service is is uh not a solo effort and uh I can tell you my family and the people in my in my business um live out this as well. So, thank you to them. Uh the city of Charleston is a very very special place. Um and the work we do in this room really really matters. Um, I remain committed to listening, to working collaboratively, and to making thoughtful decisions that's going to keep our city moving forward while we preserve what makes Charleston so special and unique. Um, it's an honor to continue serving. I look forward to the work we have ahead. So, let's get to work. Thank you.

Next up, we have Councilman Elect.

Left hand the Bible. Right to right hand, please. Sir, I do solemnly swear I do solemnly swear that I am duly qualified. I'm duly qualified according to the constitution of this state according to the constitution of this state to exercise the duties of the office to exercise the duties of the office of which I've been appointed over which I've been appointed that I will that I will to the best of my ability to the best of my ability discharge the duties thereof discharge the duties thereof and preserve protect and defend and preserve protect and defend constitution of this state and of the United States the constitution of this state and of the United States as council member of the municipality of Charles as council member of the municipality of Charleston. I will equally I will equally equally fairly and impartially

fairly and impartially to the best of my ability and skill to the best of my ability and skill exercise the trust impos proposed in me exercise the trust proposed in me I will use my best endeavors and I will use my best endeavors to preserve the peace to preserve the peace and carry into effect according to law and carry into effect according to law the purposes for which I have been elected the purposes for which I've been elected so help me So help me God.

Thank you, your honor, for administering these oaths, these long oaths, and your distinguished uh service over the years. And Mr. Mayor, I've thoroughly enjoyed getting to know you over the last few weeks, and I very much look forward to working with you, especially to make our hometown uh more inclusive and affordable. Uh fellow members of council, I'm honored uh for the opportunity to serve with and learn from each and every one of you in our collective charge to make Charleston a better place for all. And to the people of District 4, thank you for the opportunity to serve. When I was a teenager, my mentor Ephenegator forever etched a maxim in my heart. For to whom much is given, much is required. That principle comes from the book of Luke and was uplifted by President Kennedy in a 1961 address. In that same address, President Kennedy prescribed four principles for leadership: courage, judgment, integrity, and dedication. In representing my district 4 neighbors and all Charlestonians, I will strive to be mindful of the duties that God's blessings engender. And I commit as my church covenants before we take communion to be just in my dealings, faithful in my engagements, and exemplary in my department. As you all know, District 4 is quite used to honorable representation. Council member Robert Mitchell is a paragon of decency and selflessness, and we owe him a debt of gratitude for his lifetime of service and sacrifice. I would also like to commend Council Member William Dudley Gregory. He served the public with distinction for 49 years at federal, state, and local levels. Charleston and our country are better places because of his courage and commitment. We live in an age where some relegate acknowledgments of our society's beautiful tapestry to playing identity

politics. Yet for centuries in this city of first, we have acknowledged that those who are here or came here create the community that we love. We acknowledge that our earthwall indigenous cultures, we acknowledge them in the names of our rivers and islands. We are proud of our history of religious tolerance. As an example, we have the only independent Hugenot church in the United States. We properly make institutions out of our ethnic immigrant history. As an example, Hiburnian Hall right across the street. We honor our abundant African-American and Gulligi heritage. Among the priceless portraits and bus here in this chamber, you'll find trailblazers like Daniel Joseph Jenkins, Septum MClark, and Vanessa Turner Maybank. And yes, those who are fond of the four years out of our city's 355 year history when it was under the jurisdiction of the Confederacy memorialize their fallen ancestors far and wide and unapologetically embrace their own brand of southern identity. So might I beg for your indulgence this evening as I offer an identityoriented acknowledgement of my own. For well over 100 years, my family found its way on this peninsula, especially as the cards were and in many ways continue to be stacked against African-Ameans. We should hope the same for all of our neighbors, fully inclusive of what family means to them. So moments to go together, we shared in a family moment that has never before occurred in this chamber. Tonight, the first openly gay Charlestonian elected to this council stood before you with his husband to take the oath of office.

And that occurred without fuss or fanfare. In no small part due to the pain and sacrifices of tens of thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Charlestonians who over the course of this city's centuries of history fearfully blended in or disappeared out of necessity. As the historian Harlon Green wrote, and is my honor that he's here with us this evening, people like me could have paid and often did pay dearly for being different. They could have lost their homes. They lost not only of respect but of profession, of houses, of families, positions in society, and even life and liberty. We owe them a debt of apologetic acknowledgement, appreciation, and celebration. So in closing, we are aware that Charleston is in the midst of a major economic and demographic transition. It's good that growth is the private primary driver of this transition for history proves that a community that is not growing is dying. We also know that too many of our neighbors are being left behind, cast aside, or severely inconvenienced by this growth. Consider from the mid 1970s to the late 1990s, half of the seats in this chamber were occupied by African-Americans. Tonight, we are too. It is societal. Is it societal best practice for white folks to only vote for and be represented by white folks and for black folks to vote for and only be represented by black folks? Of course not. Our goal must continue to be the beloved community. Is race a proxy for economic class when it comes to gentrification? Absolutely. White people of moderate means are having a hard time to afford living here as well. But it is a legitimate concern that we are destined for a council where no African-American will ever sit here

again, which was the case for most of our city's history. Yes, we should be concerned. And might I add that we should also be concerned that only one woman seats is seated here among us. And that would be a shame with respect to African-Americans considering that Charleston of African descent built this city. It simol economy of rice and indigo the unrequitted toil that erected the grand historic structures that make our city the envy of the world. The first strains of jazz music. dectibles like she crab soup and red rice that we serve the legions of visitors and much much more. So if I do my job right, if we do our job right with courage, with judgment, with integrity, and with dedication, I as the 21st African-American since reconstruction and the first openly gay man to serve here must not and will not be the last. And I ask you to join me in making it so. Thank you.

All right. I'd now like to call on Councilman Electandro. of the right hand, please. I do solemnly swear I do solemnly swear that I am duly qualified that I am duly qualified according to the constitution of this state according to the constitution of this state to exercise the duties of the office to exercise the duties of the office to which I have been appointed to which I have been appointed that I will

that I will to the best of my ability to the best of my ability discharge the duties thereof discharge duties thereof preserve protect and defend and preserve protect and defend Constitution of this state and of the United States. the Constitution of this state and the United States. As council member of the municipality of Charleston. As council member of the municipality of Charleston, I will equally I will equally fairly and impartially fairly and impartially to the best of my ability and skill to the best of my ability and skill. exercise the trust proposed in me. Exercise the trust proposed in me. I will. And I will

use my best endeavors. Will use the best of my endeavors preserve the peace to preserve the peace and carry into effect and carry into effect according to law according to law purposes for which I have been elected. The purposes for which I have been elected. So help me God.

So help me God. Thank you. Thank you, judge. Thank you, mayor. Thank you, Madame Clerk. Thank you, fellow council members. Thank you, city staff. You've all been so helpful and accommodating to me for the past couple months. Um, I just want to recognize and acknowledge a few people and then I will step off of here. My amazing family, my wife Jennifer, our kids Mal, Wolf, Nova, and Sky. My parents, mom and dad. Uh, my amazing brother up there, Nick. Uh, some people that have been very helpful in the past five months include Ed Sutton, Lachlan Mintosh, Jen Mierz, Erica Harrison, and Amy Bren Amy Brennan. Um, some early and consistent supporters I'd like to acknowledge were are John Park, Steve Ramos, Missy Fox, uh, Josh Lamb and Emily Nelson, Teddy McCracken, and SD Pearl Mutter, and Wesley Fletcher. And one of my earliest supporters was the legendary Will Moroc, who wrote for the City Paper. Um, I'd like to recognize all the staff at the pizza shop who uh like Councilman Schile, they uh also have to help out with this. Uh, including the most amazing person in the world, Kristen Frasier, back there.

Um, I would also like to acknowledge the District 6 neighborhood presidents, Liz Soul, Bernard, Marian Hawkins, Sarah Spangler, Kevin Eberly, and Jarrett Nicholson. Uh, two of the first people I met when I arrived in Charleston, Nick Scover and Brian Walter. Uh, they are here. Um, amazing people. And if you uh ever get tired of Dlesandre's pizza, please try uh Paisano's and Gilroyy's pizza as well. Uh my neighbor, Miss Doris Haynes, showed up. I appreciate her for that. Um, and I'd like to recognize all my fellow poll clerks and managers, especially uh, Miss Carmen Gaston, who pulled me aside on election night and gave me an amazing hug, and uh, that meant the world to me. Lastly, um, it took a little time, but I was able to get permission to mention these last three names. um whether it be through family or them themselves. Um Brenda Scott, Wendell Gilliard, and William Dudley Gregory. Those are the three people that have sat in that seat since the realignment in 1975 occurred. This seat was created in order to give all people in the city of Charleston a voice here on in council chambers. And without a doubt that will continue with me singing that seat. Thank you very much.

Councilman Ben, you're up. right hand. I do solemnly swear I do solemnly swear that I am duly qualified that I am duly qualified according to the constitution of this state according to the constitution of this state to exercise the duties of the office to exercise the duties of the office to which I have been appointed to which I've been appointed that I will that I will the best of my ability best of my ability discharge the duties thereof discharge the duties thereof

and preserve protect and defend and preserve protect and defend constitution of this state constitution of this state and of the United and as council member of the municipality of Charleston. As council member of the municipality of Charleston, I will equally I will equally fairly fairly and impartially and impartially to the best of my ability and skill to the best of my ability and skill exercise the trust proposed in me. exercise the trust proposed in me. And I will And I will use my best endeavors use my best endeavors to preserve the peace to preserve the peace and carry into effect carry into effect according to law according to law purposes for which I have been elected purposes for which I have been elected. So help me God.

So help me God.

Excellent. Thank you, your honor and mayor. Thank you to my fellow members of council, honored guests, of course, the exceptional staff of the city of Charleston. Most importantly, thank you to the people of Charleston, especially the residents of District 10, for once again placing your trust in me. I'm deeply grateful for it and I will never take it for granted. I'm a very different person than the one who stood here four years ago. Shortly after I was elected, my wife had our first child and shortly thereafter we welcomed our second child. They have both changed me in ways big and small. I've learned to serve my constituents better by learning from the experience and perspective of the folks sitting here now and the folks who were here when I first joined who I am deeply grateful uh for their their patience with me as I came along. And now and I I now have an ankle that's mostly metal. There's a joke in there somewhere about my steely resolve to fight for West Ashley, but uh the reality is I'm clumsy. One of the really great things about this job is the opportunity to stop every four years and think about why we do this. Are we being effective? And what can we accomplish in another term? When I was thinking about those questions this time around, I thought about my stepdad.

He passed in in 2024. And he loved everything about my first campaign and and the work we were doing here. He knew about each of you. And I remembered he he owned a construction business. And I remembered driving around in his truck and when I was a kid and he would point out things around town that he had worked on or helped get there. And he spoke with this immense pride in his voice. And it wasn't pride in himself. It was pride in the people who helped him get there, who helped him build these things in his community that he could pass down to his children. used to say we built that. I'm not as talented as he was. But this weekend, I found myself doing something that really put it all into perspective. I took my kids to a park, a beautiful new playground in this in the city of Charleston in the middle of our neighborhood that so many people here tonight worked so hard on had the vision to create out of a nightmare that was people's lives who had flooded repeatedly. It's now a place where everybody who walks in has a smile on their face. and and I felt that same pride to have some small part of building the community that my kids are going to grow up in. My neighbors couldn't have been happier to be out there. I don't know that any of them stopped to think about what their prior neighbors had gone through and the vision of the staff to get it to a place that they can enjoy. But we know

that and that's what we work for and that's why I show up every day. It's government at its finest. It's all too popular right now to look at the challenges our city faces and assume that government can't work, that problems are too big, that the best we can do is manage decline. I reject that view. What I saw at Bridge Point was proof that when we refuse to fall victim to cynicism, when we approach challenges as opportunities to build resilience, to strengthen neighborhoods and improve quality of life for the people that we serve, we can accomplish great things. West Ashley is facing real challenges and this is a moment that demands serious leadership. We're dealing with traffic on roads that were not designed for the growth we're experiencing. We're dealing with flooding that impacts homes, schools, commutes, and businesses. And we're dealing with development pressure that can either strengthen neighborhoods or overwhelm or overwhelm them depending on the choices that we make. Over the last four years, we haven't ignored those challenges. We've risen to meet them. We have a long way to go. And my commitment to you, my colleagues, and to the citizens of the city of Charleston, is that in a second term, I'll keep fighting to build the community that our kids deserve. Thank you for the privilege of serving with you. Sir,

raise your right hand. I do solemnly swear I do solemnly swear that I am duly qualified that I am duly qualified according to the constitution of this state according to the constitution of this state to exercise the duties of the office to exercise the duties of the office to which I have been appointed to which I have been appointed and that I will and that I will to the best of my ability to the best of my ability discharge the duties thereof discharge the duties thereof and preserve protect and defend defend and preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of this state the Constitution of this state and the United States and the United States. as council member of the municipality of Charleston as council member of the municipality of Charleston,

I will equally I will equally fairly and impartially fairly and impartially to the best of my ability and skill to the best of my ability and skill exercise the trust proposed in me exercise the trust proposed in me. And I will And I will use my best endeavors use my best endeavors preserve the peace preserve the peace and carry into effect and carry into effect according to law according to law purposes for which I have been elected purposes for which I have been elected. So help me God. So help me God.

Sir, thank you judge. Uh Mr. mayor, fellow colleagues, all of you are here tonight. Um, listening to those who've come before me and really have given me inspiration and reminded me of the many reasons why it's such an honor to be here. And I don't have this written down, but for those who've been around here for a minute and council member Wearing, you'll certainly remember it. Um, I wouldn't be here tonight if it wasn't for my mom. And my mom sat every meeting in that corner for about 15 years to sort of cheer us on and sort of recognize. And she would always give me the postmortem and tell me what was going on. She was the best political scientist I knew. And this will be the first time that I've been in these chambers since being elected that she's not with us. So to her, I dedicate my service and thank all of you. Um, to all my friends and neighbors in District 8, I I brought this out of the Sheiley speech, by the way. Um, thanks uh for reposing your trust in me once again. Uh, while what we do up here is certainly not a game of perfect by any means, the aim is to earn that trust every day. Uh, I really am, as we embark, I call this Seekings 5.0, and if you do the math, you know how many years that is. Uh, I really am excited to still be part of this team that makes Charleston the greatest city. and it is the greatest city on the planet. Um to city staff, many of you are here tonight. Um my thanks and my deepest and most sincere apologies for what you're about to endure for the next four years. Um none of us, particularly me, um could do it without you. Uh each and every one of you is appreciated more than you can ever know. Um thank you. I look out there and see so many friends. Um, and I can just tell all of you who've not seen it from the inside out, without them,

this city would not be what it is. So, really, thank you. Um, to our and my colleagues who's here tonight, I could not be more honored to continue this adventure with you. And it is an adventure notwithstanding um, the level of comfort of our seats. Um, and I'm talking both figuratively and literally as those who just got elected will learn. Mayor, uh, wherever you might be, thank you in advance for your leadership, for your guidance, and for keeping our meetings short. Um, that is a reference to a number of things, not uh, notwithstanding and including the aforementioned chairs, which I notice you've got one, but spend very little time in. So, thank you. Uh, and finally, if I might, as I guess now by tenure, the longest serving member of this council, uh, to our new newest members of the council, thank you for your willingness, uh, and by the way, some questionable decision-making to serve your city. Um, thank you. There are many who will tell you, if they haven't already, and I'm sure many have, that you have some big shoes to fill. Forget it. You can't. Don't try. That's not the objective. What I would say is this. Pave your own path. Pave your own road. There will be many bumps and potholes. Be true to yourself. Vote. Be humble. And most importantly, be devoted fiercely to serving the public good. Thank you all very much. It's a great honor.

Thank you, Mr. Thank you. That was a tough act to follow on all of these speeches. So, I'm not even going to try. We're going to jump right into the meeting because we do keep it short, right, gentlemen? Ladies and gentlemen, okay. Uh, we are on to approval of the minutes. Nope. Nope. Sorry. Approval of council committee meeting. Committee council committee. Any further discussion on this? If not, all those in favor signify by saying I.

I. Opposed. Eyes have it. Now we are on to appointment of the 2026 mayor pro Tim, council member Carl L. Brady. Motion made.

Properly seconded. Any further discussion on this? If not, all those in favor signify by saying I. oppose eyes have it. Congratulations, Councilman Brady. Um, we are we have let's see no public hearings. We need approval of council minutes. That's where I was jumping to. We have a motion made, properly seconded. All those in favor signify by saying I. Opposed? Eyes have it. We're now on citizens participation. This is 30 minutes long. Madam clerk, how many people we have signed up? We have four.

So, we'll give everybody a minute and a half. Um, and I'm going to just remind everybody the rules of decorum. Please honor them. If not, I will give you one warning. If you do not adhere to the warning, we will ask you are removed from council chambers. Madam clerk, please call the first speaker.

Anthony G. Bryant. I remember Terry Poke telling me this little Bobby gonna do something great. Terry Poke K and I sacred heart together walking up and say my mama having a little a little brother and I knew Aaron before Aaron knew himself. He said he was going to do something great. I bear witness to that today. That that is true. His brother has got foresight and direction and love for little Bubba. I lost my little brother when I see my little brother. My mother was sick August in before she became elected. Aaron was always there for me and my mother and my brother. He got a big heart. He cares about people. That's what you need here, brother. Let's care about folk. They'll take care of you. Remember that. We ain't got to worry about you staying black that easy. But but what we going to talk about now is the disparities. from August to the Supreme Court had my complaint that had unfamiliar lawyers. What this letter would say in Charleston, familiar lawyers with US attorney, attorney general, and also the solicitor's office. Also, the corner and I talked about a house I did years ago. Well, there's 2,000 corners in America. And if you got a you got 20% black folk in the jesterial system, I don't know how black going to get a fair trial now. I'm the real one that come to me. I don't care about popularity. My answer is popular. It was a happy day when the first unhappy slave landed on these shores. Duke Ellington said that. So we still not happy. Some of us

time we still not happy. Here's my documents, my friend. God bless. God speed to you.

Muhammad Idris. evening. I passed out some information to you all. I wish you would read it. I have a flyer here from the new councilman and he knew my name Mohamd Dre and he said he would work with us in the community. I hope you don't be like Mr. Coswell. We are suing him and we have some witness they made perjury. They did perjury. I don't know if his lawyer got approval from him because he wasn't in the court, but they purging themselves. He did make a promise to me and God is the witness and I am going to fight him to the end because I do not appreciate being used like being misused like Mr. Coswell did me. Thank you.

Fran Clary

Clasby, I'm sorry.

Clasby, it's okay. I figured it out. Um, my name is Fran Clasby and I live in Wagner Harris and I've been before this board many times. In fact, one time I won what was the Award for my work in the community. Uh, we built the Hampton Park Recreation Lane, Corine Jones playground, and the James Simmons Monastery School. And all of this has to do with connectivity. Uh, I was asking for ways to connect neighborhoods like bike paths and sidewalks and bridges. And that's partly why I'm here tonight because all of us are pedestrians at some point during the day. and our candidates all walked doortodoor and so they know about our sidewalks. One specific sidewalk which is beside Food Lane on Grove Street, the northern side of the street does not have a sidewalk. It's all mud. So my neighborhood has been disenfranchised and marginalized because we have to walk through the mud to get our groceries. So thank you Tilly. Good evening. My name is Key Dutilly. I'm the preservation planner with Historic Charleston Foundation. Um, I'm here to give comments on agenda item I1.

And can you speak into the microphone just a little closer? Thank you.

I'm here give comments on agenda item I pertaining to the appeal of the B decision regarding the fiberglass window installation at 218 Routage. While mediation can serve an important important role, we are concerned that is being used too frequently to circumvent B and BCA decisions. When projects are resolved through mediation and brought directly to city council, it diminishes the role, expertise, and credibility of these boards that are established to evaluate these matters. Preserving the integrity of these processes is essential to consistent transparent decision-making. As such, we are advocating for the enforcement of the AR's decision. Thank you.

And those were all the speakers that signed up this evening. We did receive two comments online or I'm sorry, one comment from Mr. Bryant online, which was sent to city council in full. And one email was received from Kimberly Croc opposing the annexation of Zero Folly Road and stated that the current infrastructure could not support a development of this size, that development would worsen flooding and other dangerous conditions, and that it would cause environmental damage. And those were all the comments that we received.

Okay. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Um, moving on, we are now on to petitions and communications. U, can I entertain a motion for the first item, the mediation settlement between 218 Rutledge LLC and city of Charleston? We have a motion made, properly seconded. Any further discussion on this item? If none, all those in favor signify by saying I. Opposed? Eyes have it. Uh, item number two, approval. Motion made properly. Do I have a second? Motion made probably second. Any further discussion on this item? If none, all those in favor signify by saying I. Opposed? Eyes have it. Move on three as well.

Move on three. Laurel Island Pud just extending that for one year. The vesting period. We have a motion made probably seconded. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. Opposed. Eyes have it. Uh and item number four, uh authorization for me to execute a quick claim deeds conveying a 20ft portion of an abandoned rideway as shown in exhibit A to okay. Motion made properly seconded. Any further discussion? If not, all those in favor signify by saying I.

Opposed? Eyes have it. All right. No council communications. We are on a consent agenda items. Uh wreck is the only report that has a consent item. Um this is do we do we need any? No sir. This is just for information only. Okay. And um is anyone giving this report? No. Uh no sir. It's just a consent agenda item. Okay. There we go. Um all right. So then moving on. Uh maybe very quickly just explain the difference between the two as we've got three new council members. Um, just very quickly between consent agendas and then reported agendas. Well, I'm gonna let the clerk go through this go.

I mean, I'm still kind of new, right? [laughter] So, the uh consent agenda items, this was something that actually council member Brady, mayor pro Tim Brady um suggested a a couple of years ago was to add a a section onto our council agendas for consent agenda items. These are basically items that do not require any action. So, it's just council is accepting the report. Um, and it was just a introduces a way to um sort of consolidate our agendas and keep everyone informed, too. Yeah. Yes. Um, get you out of those seats quicker.

That's right. All right. So, we're now on to committee reports, which typically do have a motion or or a need for a vote. And I'm going to call in Council Member Sheileely for the report on public safety.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh Committee on Public Safety met on December 9th at 4 PM. We voted to accept a grant and also apply for a grant uh to combat uh underage drinking drug use with ID software and field intelligence training. And um we also uh voted we had a uh SCROF grant um that the city had in favor low country will be reimbursed up to a total of 93,150 for services using funds from the CBD's year3 score grant aotment. So that concludes my report. I would ask that we approve that. Please move for approval. A motion made properly second to adopt the report. All those in favor signify by saying I.

I opposed. Eyes have it. Now on Councilman Wearing for Committee on Public Works and Utilities. All actionable items that you see reported before you passed unanimously and I move the adoption of the report. Motion made properly seconded. If there's no further discussion, all those in favor signify by saying I opposed. Eyes have it. I'd now like to call on council member Seekings for the traffic transportation report.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I'll try to be brief. The committee on traffic and transportation met on December 16th, 2025, almost a month ago. Um we had a number of presentations. The first was on um adoption of the safe streets for all safety action plan. Um just a couple things really quickly for those of you who weren't there. Um couple of facts that you might like to know. There was a six-year study done to sort of think about what we need to do to make our streets safer. And over that study period from 2018 to 2023, there were fill in the blank here. How many crashes within the city of Charleston? 37,000. 37,000 which cost the city and the people who live here somewhere near three billion dollars, many injuries. We've had some deaths. Um they also contribute to 15% of all traffic delays across the city. So adop studying and adopting a safety plan is a really good idea. The safety plan study was funded by a federal grant. Um there will be some recommendations that come out of it. It is um available online. We can get you copies of it. Um and we will then be seeking some monies to implement some of the safety plans that need to be put in place so that we can maybe lessen the number of 37,000 by some percentage point. Um 10 seems like a pretty good idea. So that will need you all to agree and adopt that. We also, for those of you um who weren't there, and for those who just got um elected, we had a report on the Folly Road, Maybank Highway, and Harborview Road traffic signal timing project um which is been completed. Um and um Mr. Turner gave us a really fascinating report on the methodologies used to identify intersections that needed to be rettimed. They um I don't remember the number of intersections um that they did ret time, but it was a whole bunch of them. Um and it's really they um put drones in the air before and after to sort of show you the effect of the re just the retiming and the traffic

movement difference is better and dramatic. So just a simple retiming project instead of going out and replacing everything or rebuilding roads has helped with the traffic over there. We hope to see more not just in that area but around the city. And then finally, we had a report on the Oldtown Road Sam Rittenberg maintenance agreement and an approval for that on top of the Sam Rittenberg Boulevard redesign plan update which was presented by Mr. Pullman and Mr. Mitchell. Sam Rittenberg effectively from Orange Grove Road to the um bridge has been studied for some reconfiguration to make it safer and more efficient. Um, I don't remember, Robbie, if you're here, what the final upshot of that is in terms of when it's going to actually come to fruition, but it's sooner rather than later. And again, um, was a really worthy study and I think we'll make that corridor much safer and more importantly much more attractive to business and people who live there. So, um, that's my report. I do need a vote on adopting the safe streets for all um

presentation. Please second. Motion made probably seconded. All those in favor signify by saying I. I.

One other point I just wanted to make relating to that committee report is we we have been talking a lot about and TNT of course the priorities for transportation sales tax. Um, I recently co-signed a letter with the mayors of Mount Pleasant and North Charleston uh asking for the county for a small extension on delivering that. We are ready. I want to be clear, our report has not changed from what this committee and what has been discussed very publicly. Um, those priorities remain the same. We're simply just trying to be uh collaborative with the other municipalities to make sure that they have their package together and we submit it all as one. I do believe we're going to be able to uh beat the deadline that we had asked for of February 6. I believe we'll be able to deliver it before the end of this month. So, just wanted to give you all an update on that front.

Thank you. Um, now I'd like to move on to Councilman Greg for uh Committee on Ways and Means. Second motion made, properly seconded. Y'all will understand, you'll quickly learn as new council members that ways and means is the one that always goes the fastest, right? It's because it's most efficiently second time. Second time around all the Did I Did we vote on that? Okay, we motion made probably seconded. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. Opposed. Eyes have it. Uh we're now up for bills for uh second reading. We have 11 bills. Move 1 through 11 for approval. For approval.

We have motion made take 1 through 11 for approval. U properly seconded. Any further discussion on that? If none all those in favor signify by saying I I opposed eyes have it. So move for third reading. Uh motion made for third reading on items 1 through 11. Uh prop did we get a second? Motion made properly seconded. All those in favor signify by saying I opposed. Eyes have it. Now we are on to bills for first reading. There are two bills up for first reading. We're going to take them separately. Um, uh, Councilman Scordon, I believe you have an amendment you would like to suggest. Yes, sir. Or

this is a point of order. Uh, we should probably go ahead and move it and second it to put it into discuss. Parliamentarian. I'm going to take a um mo move for approval on item one. That is seconded. Further discussion. Council member Scott.

Yes. Thank you, members of council. Mayor, as you um are all aware, zero folly um has been a controversial issue in District 12. Um I know that in December the city moved to annex the 3.12 acres. Um and I've heard from constituents that there is concern that those acres would not be used for the intended storm water purposes. And so to help alleviate constituent concerns and after discussing this with staff, um I would like to amend the first reading instead of having it be zoned as rural residential be zoned as conservation um to provide those further assurances to the constituents in district 12 that the annex property will be used solely for storm water as intended um when council made those actions in December. I was gonna second it.

Good job. That's a great great point. Really appreciate your uh uh suggestion there. We have a motion made for an amendment uh to change the the zoning of this parcel um to conservation. Properly seconded. Any further discussion on this item? If none all those in favor signify by Mr. C Mr. Council member, can you Thank you, Madam Cliff. It'd be good for Mr. Morgan explain the differences in the two uh in particular conservation. Mr. Morgan.

Yes, sir. Mr. Wearing. So, um conservation is a very low density zoning category of one unit to every acre and a half. So in the case of this lot, it would only allow maybe two residential units. It would still allow the storm water ponds, things like that. What had been proposed was RR1, and that allows 3.5 units an acre. So substantially different density on the site. I just have a quick question. So if we're going to amend this, I mean, the property owner is uh asked to be annexed. Uh is the property owner still okay with with this zoning? They have no intent to build on this. This is literally for a storm pond. This is just a bit of belts and suspenders to make residents feel comfortable that uh if something were to

you know fall through the I don't know uh that that this is um the the least dense zoning that we have. Got it. All right. Thank you. So we have a motion made properly seconded. All those in favor of the amendment uh signify saying I I oppose. Eyes have it. Uh, and now we need to vote. I'm sorry, Madam Clerk. If I can just recuse myself from that vote. There's one recusal from council as from council member Tinkler and then I think we need to vote on the original motion now that it's amended as amended. So, I have a motion as amended. Move for approval. There's already a motion on the floor. There's a motion on the floor. All right.

We're voting on it. I mean, I'm getting a little rusty, guys. I mean, new year. Uh, sorry. Uh all all those in favor signify by saying I opposed eyes have it. Uh item number two is a zoning ordinance that is we are proposing to lift the tech overlay on 99395 Morrison Drive. This is the property that you all recall we had previously under contract with the county. This is a good faith effort to show the county that we are sincere when we tell them that we want to work with them to help them get the highest value they can for the property, but also uh want to work with them to ensure that affordable housing uh a significant number of affordable housing goes on that site. There's a lot still to be worked out with this, but uh as a measure of good faith, we wanted to put this out there as a as a good faith effort. So, we have a motion made, probably seconded. Any further discussion on this council seeking?

Very quickly, Mr. Mayor, for those who were around when we did this, the intent of putting the tech overlay on these two parcels, which are very large parcels along Morrison Drive was to promote um that area, that region, that corridor being sort of a tech hub. Um, now with our needs, wants, and desires really clearly focused on some other needs that we've got around here, which is affordable housing, removal of this tech overlay will allow for more density, more height, and housing in on those parcels where otherwise with the tech overlay that might not have been possible. So that's the purpose of this. It will be in the end, I think, for a purpose that we all can collectively say is a needed one. Well, absolutely. I I will say just one point of clarification. The tech overlay really did restrict almost any residential uh on the properties. Uh it doesn't really impact the height uh or density. It's really just usedriven. Um so this would be the first step. We do we have proposed reszoning it into the new MUW3 zoning classification that we are working on. same thing that we would be looking on putting our own property and the housing authority properties uh that we're contemplating a joint venture on. So, a lot going on here, but just wanted to express kind of what's going on behind the scenes there. County has been very good to work with. Again, this is a measure of good faith. Shows collaboration between government bodies. So, appreciate the support. Did we vote? I can't even remember now. We need to vote. We've made a motion properly seconded. All those in favor signify by saying I opposed. eyes have it. And that was quick. Uh we have no other order of business. So the next city council meeting will be on Tuesday, January 27th. uh this meeting.