The Road to Unity on Sullivan’s Island 

Where to start in responding to Wayne Stelljes, who insists that certain people should not be allowed to speak at Town Council meetings and workshops? Does Wayne think that a rule like that should ever be applied to him? Who exactly would decide who gets to speak and who doesn’t--and when “enough is enough?”

But there is no doubt that Sullivan’s island residents want more information than they are getting from this Town Council! The response to Sullivan’s Island Community Impact (sicommunityimpact.com) has been overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic. We have heard from so, so many islanders who are relieved beyond measure to have a source of timely information about changes impacting their neighborhood and the entire SI community. And the most enthusiastic response is to Whiney Coyote!

 So why not stream SI Town Council meetings, as is done on the Isle of Palms and by the Berkeley and Charleston County Councils and the Charleston City Council? And why not post the minutes of all of the various committee meetings (Water & Sewer, Public Safety, Public Facilities, Park Foundation, etc.)? Surrounding municipalities do that as well.

 Why does SI remove meeting agendas and attachments from the Town website almost immediately after a Town Council meeting, thereby denying residents access to the information until the meeting minutes are posted—usually a month later? Why not keep all of the agendas and the accompanying background information posted on the Town website for residents to easily access throughout the month? All of these things are routinely done in surrounding municipalities. Why not on Sullivan’s Island?

As residents have sadly learned over the past few years, no SI neighborhood seems to be safe from the destructive reach of this Town Council. Apparently Wayne Stelljes is content to sit back and watch—and often cheerlead-- as our community and quality of life are degraded by the actions of this Town Council. But rest assured--Wayne represents an extremely small minority of island residents!

The road to unity is truly paved with transparency.

Barbara Spell