My mother, God love her, was one fine coyote. Her name was Brenda Coyote, but everyone called her Shiney. Shiney Coyote. And shine she did. She raised all of us to be good little coyotes. Her word was her honor. And if we did anything wrong in coyote school…boy, did we get it when we got home. When I think of her, I think of honesty, truth, faith, and that wry little sense of humor she had.
It’s the ‘truth and faith’ part that has me whining today, and another happening on Sullivan’s Island requires my communication to you, fellow islander. Stay with me.
My island friend and I attended the June 2 Council Workshop. Each council member chairs one of seven committees - Finance, Administration, Land and Natural Resources, Public Safety, Public Facilities, Water and Sewer, and Recreation. And it is the Recreation Committee, chaired by Mary Jane Watson, that I want to discuss with you today.
As my island friend and I first learned at the Council Workshop on June 2, Town Council wants to make massive changes to Stith Park and the Mound. At the Workshop, Mary Jane Watson stated that she wanted to make sure that $14,500 would be budgeted to the Recreation Committee for an engineering study of the Mound. She said that the Park Foundation has absolutely wanted to do something with the Mound for some time, such as--wait for it---LIGHTS and TERRACING.
An email from Andy Benke further describes several other Mound “enhancements”. To wit: The road going up to the Mound would be graded for safety, security, and ADA requirements. There would be a children’s trail and an adult exercise trail. The side of the Mound would be terraced. (To possibly connect with an amphitheater or Performance Lawn? But I digress..) Plans also include installing a huge slide going from the top of the Mound to the bottom. This slide would be on the southern face of the mound and visible from Middle Street.
After reading last week on SI CI that Town Council was considering lights on the Mound, Mary Jane emailed my friend and requested that she call her about what Mary Jane referred to as "misinformation." When my friend called her, Mary Jane adamantly denied saying anything about lights at the Workshop and insisted that there will NOT be lights on the Mound. Wow. Touchy, touchy.
She further stated that she had told my island friend and me 4 TIMES that there would be no lights on the Mound. That was somewhat puzzling to me, since I have never had even one conversation with her. I have tried to email her a couple of times, but have never received an answer back. Mary Jane was apparently irritated that the Post and Courier and several concerned islanders had contacted her to ask about lights on the Mound. Mary Jane said during the conversation that she had told at least one islander that my island friend and I were lying about the lights on the Mound (Yes, she used that term!)
As you probably guessed, we knew it was important to CHECK and VERIFY the facts, so my island friend and I went to Town Hall the very next day and listened to the tapes of the June 2 Workshop. And folks, there it is on the tape--Mary Jane can be heard very clearly, asking for her $14,500 for an engineering study on the Mound, for terracing and lights.
The truth matters to me and to my island friend. If I write an article to you about this council and their agenda--the agenda that they are repeatedly trying to hide from you, the voter--I want it to be factually correct. Of greater importance to me is how I view the role of a mayor and his council members. They should be ethical and honest. Mary Jane Watson is clearly not being honest when she denies her very words in order to cast us as “liars”.
Our elected officials must be effective communicators, which demonstrates good interpersonal connections with the folks they should be representing. Council members must be consistent and fair so that we can maintain our sense of trust in them. Elected officials must not have their own personal agenda, and they must not be influenced by special interest groups. No group should have greater access to a town official than any other group.
Sadly, I would have to give Mary Jane Watson a failing grade in her job as Council Member for the Town of Sullivan’s Island. She is not telling the truth about what she said at the Workshop. She is not fairly listening to all islanders. She is strongly influenced by a special interest group. And she clearly has a personal agenda of re-defining herself when necessary.
What can we do? Well, I guess we could all join the Park Foundation, but a better choice might be to insist that our council members do their part to maintain a sense of trust in Town government. We should remember past councils and the excellent jobs they have done in maintaining the charm, history, and protection of this island treasure.
We must look past the efforts of this Council that is turning our island into something ugly, dense, ill-conceived, and unwanted by most islanders. (Why do I keep getting this queasy feeling that this Council wants to turn the entire island into some sort of county park largely for the benefit of visitors--mostly at the expense of residents?)
The next election is less than a year away. Think about that. Think about what you and I- all the hundreds of folks who get this communication - can do to get our island back. Call me. Let’s do lunch. I make a delicious sautéed raccoon.
Whiney Coyote (Karen Coste)
