It is hard to believe that election day on Sullivan's Island is just a few days away--this coming Tuesday, January 6! In the interest of getting information out to Sullivan's Island voters about the election, SI CI is encouraging islanders to send in comments and candidate endorsements.
Below is a letter from former council member and Mayor Carl Smith, endorsing Pat O'Neil for mayor:
Below is a letter from former council member and Mayor Carl Smith, endorsing Pat O'Neil for mayor:
A letter to the voters of Sullivan’s Island
When I vote for the next mayor of Sullivan’s Island on January 6th, 2015, I WILL VOTE FOR COUNCILMAN PAT O’NEIL. I will not vote for Councilman Jerry Kaynard for several reasons, listed below.
In 2007 the town was in the process of hiring and paying consultants a large sum of money to provide a development plan for our Commercial District, I was Mayor at this time and suggested that Councilman Kaynard, might want to recuse himself from taking part in the development plan since he owned commercial property on the Island.
When he refused it became necessary for me to appear before the South Carolina Ethics Commission in Columbia, who issued a formal advisory opinion on January 16, 2008. In this opinion the commission concluded that Councilman Kaynard should not vote or participate in drafting or amending ordinances that affect the Commercial district.
Had Councilman Kaynard done the honorable and right thing to begin with, the Ethics Commission opinion would not have been needed. As Mayor, I did not want the town to spend its money on a plan only to have it challenged and rejected due to a conflict of interest on the part of one of the council members.
During the mayoral public forum, Councilman Kaynard talked about the need for transparency in government. Yet, it was he who engineered the amendment to our ordinances that changed a process that required three readings and ratification (usually a two to three month process) to a process that can create or amend an ordinance in seven days.
If transparency is important to councilman Kaynard, then why shortcut a process that limits public review. What was his motivation for this?
For the past several years Councilman Kaynard has received what amounts to an $8,000.00 to $10,000.00 a year income from the town by way of paid Health insurance benefits, the same afforded town employees. He has made no overture to repay the town and in effect, his actions have cost the taxpayers from $8,000.00 to $10,000.00 each year. During the mayoral public forum Councilman Kaynard told us he did not receive any compensation from the town.
In my 26 years on the town council we always rejected the idea of any income. Instead, we took pride in just serving the Island selflessly.
I have always believed in community service, not community self-service.
Please join me and VOTE FOR PAT O’NEIL, our next mayor, on January 6th.
Respectfully yours,
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