No funds for flood-relief, but Millions for the Gaillard Renovation

Lee Walton

As Charleston watches with timorous dread, another string of tropical storms and strengthening hurricanes are beginning their annual march across the Atlantic to once again threaten the Lowcountry. Images of extensive property loss and extreme destruction wrought by Katrina five years ago and similar devastation by Hugo over twenty years ago remain seared in the minds of many whose property and livelihoods were devastated by these massive hurricanes. Nonetheless, Mayor J. Pericles Riley remains content to play his annual game of Russian roulette with the lives and property of Charlestonians. Riley continues to divert critical funding from the proper maintenance of Charleston’s aging storm drainage infrastructure to his high visibility, world-class monuments of dubious value, including his latest gilded vision to renovate the Gaillard Auditorium for $142 million.

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Posted by Warwick Jones at 09:13 PM | Comments (0)

HCF running out of excuses and time for McLeod Plantation

Lee Walton

Sunday’s Palter and Chatter lead editorial, “Move quickly on McLeod”, accentuated the increasing urgency to place this last intact, nationally prominent Sea Island plantation in the credible, dedicated public care of Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC). Now that the Town of James Island’s threat to acquire McLeod has been dropped by its newly elected mayor and council, HCF needs to quit stalling and act before the remaining structures either fall down from neglect or mysteriously burn to the ground some dark, windy night.

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Posted by Warwick Jones at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)

How to improve the conduct of Council members?

An ordinance, intervention of the Mayor, or self discipline?

Council member Mallard had center stage at yesterday’s Council meeting. You would never know from observing the Council member or listening to the speeches of other Council members. He remained impassive during their speeches and his name was never mentioned. Bit it was he that inspired Council member Alexander to draft an ordinance that attempted to define rules of decorum and penalties for breaches by Council members at City meetings.

Continue reading "City Council, August 17"

Posted by Warwick Jones at 01:02 PM | Comments (0)

Cycling Enthusiasts – share the load to share the road

Lee Walton

Over the past decade or more, local cycling enthusiasts and their elected proponents have become more organized, better politically connected, and increasingly vocal in their demands for the construction of dedicated bikeways in all new roadway and on bridge projects throughout the Lowcountry. Their most visible and costly accomplishment to date is the very successful, highly visible, and politically prized addition of bike and pedestrian lanes on the Ravenel Bridge. With all this dedicated attention and taxpayer funding now devoted to this relatively infinitesimal segment of the commuting public, its only fair that cyclists return the favor and “put a little skin in the game.”

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Posted by Warwick Jones at 11:34 PM | Comments (0)

Sea Island Greenway killed again

County will proceed on Safety Measures only

The Sea Island Greenway (SIG) is dead, for now. It has been killed a couple of times in the past, but has somehow been resurrected. And maybe it will rise again to haunt the island. Its death last night was slow and extended over the major part of the two hour Finance Committee meeting. And indeed, there were times where it seemed the Sea Island monster would live to stretch its tentacle across the island. Ultimately, the Committee agreed only to Safety Improvements which include changes and modification to a number of intersections.

Continue reading "County Council, August 12"

Posted by Warwick Jones at 12:44 PM | Comments (0)

I-526 Parkway – a nightmare waiting to happen

Lee Walton

SCDOT’s recent selection of a cobbled-together hybrid alternative for the long-suffering completion of the I-526 Loop promises to be nothing short of a nightmare for James and Johns Islands. Consider the scale and complexity of notorious at-grade intersections in West Ashley and on Johns and James Islands that currently handle tens of thousands of vehicles daily and then imagine them handling four to five times more volume at the proposed intersections of the I-526 Parkway with Folly Road, Riverland Drive and River Road. Consider the tens of thousands of additional vehicles wanting only to cross over James Island becoming snarled in the sea of red taillights backed-up halfway from the Folly Intersection to the Harbor View Road Overpass during westbound evening rush hour traffic. Notwithstanding that Mayor Riley would predictably be “extremely happy with the wonderful solution”, what other renowned mystical gurus have thought this latest “compromise” through to a logical, defendable conclusion?

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Posted by Warwick Jones at 11:17 PM | Comments (0)

Riley’s Sofa Super Store Cover-up Conspiracy

Lee Walton

Glenn Smith’s explosive article in Sunday’s Palter and Chatter finally exposed the Riley Administration’s bungling attempts to muzzle its own handpicked panel of fire experts hired to investigate the Sofa Super Store fire that needlessly killed nine CFD firefighters. Against all odds and contrary to anything Charlestonians could imagine, a few Palter and Chatter editors and at least one brave journalist have finally mustered the courage to confront Riley head-on and very publicly. By publishing a factual account of e-mails between panel members, the Palter and Chatter finally exposed an intense three-year conspiracy by Riley and his administration to ignore, dismiss, deflect and cover-up the findings and recommendations of the city’s own nationally prominent panel of fire experts.

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Posted by Warwick Jones at 12:12 AM | Comments (0)

CSO faces inevitable Banquet of Consequences

Lee Walton

Given the rather grim impasse now existing between the Charleston Symphony Orchestra’s Board and its unionized professional musicians, there seems little hope for a workable consensus between the two that will avoid either bankruptcy, a protracted internal legal dispute, or both. Sunday’s Palter and Chatter article, “Symphony may plan concert”, was a lengthy, albeit well-written synopsis of the inevitable train wreck now facing the CSO Board. A former board member publicly lamented what hundreds within the Greater Charleston artistic and business communities have recognized for years – “The current business model has proven over ten years not to be viable.”

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Posted by Warwick Jones at 09:52 AM | Comments (0)

Too much posturing by some Council members

Bicycle ordinance approved though parking paragraphs to be amended

Is it the fact that meetings are now televised? Are some Council members planning bigger things like running for Mayor and seeking greater visibility? Or is it something else? Whatever, we have noticed conspicuous posturing by some Council members in recent meetings.

Continue reading "City Council, July 20"

Posted by Warwick Jones at 01:12 PM | Comments (0)

Casino “cruise to nowhere” vessels – serious environmental threats

Lee Walton

As the latest in a series of articles on the subject, Sunday’s Palter and Chatter “Casino boats gain support” left little doubt that casino cruises will soon be running out of North Charleston’s old Navy Base at the rate two trips per day. This may not sound like much of a concern compared to larger 3,000 passenger cruise ships calling weekly at the Market Street Cruise Ship Terminal until one considers the number of passengers gaming vessels can carry. The environmental threats that these floating casinos will create to near-shore waters just three short miles off Charleston Harbor and the surrounding beach resorts are potentially far greater than a weekly cruise ship visit.

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Posted by Warwick Jones at 08:54 AM | Comments (0)

Riley’s Beer Bust hypocrisy

Lee Walton

Charlestonians can always tell when Mayor J. Pericles Riley has had his nose tweaked to the breaking point over an embarrassing municipal incident. Invariably, Riley has to have the last word as he rationalizes city blunders or covers up for the inappropriate actions of his city employees. Such was the case when Riley cajoled the editors of the Palter and Chatter for their recent chastising “Heavy-handed enforcement” editorial. Riley then condescendingly whined in a two full column rebuttal and rationalization for his defense of a city police officer’s recent arrest, cuffing, and jailing of a retired tourist caught with an open can of beer on a city street. Sometimes the less said in such circumstances is best, but not for Riley. True to his thin-skinned character, he just has to have the last word on such issues to demonstrate his superior knowledge and intellect to all who will listen, even at the expense of confirming his own self-serving hypocrisy.

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Posted by Warwick Jones at 11:10 PM | Comments (0)

More applications for Grants

CARTA Budget, and Accommodation Tax allocations

It was a reasonably long agenda before the Finance and other Committees yesterday afternoon. The Finance Committee and the full Council meet only once a month over the summer and it was four weeks since the last Finance Committee meeting.

Continue reading "County Council, July 8"

Posted by Warwick Jones at 12:05 PM | Comments (0)

July 4th - tempered by words of warning from Thomas Jefferson

The following are selected quotes by Thomas Jefferson that are as applicable today as they were during his lifetime:

“When we get piled
upon one another in large cities, as in Europe,
we shall become as corrupt as Europe.”

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Posted by Warwick Jones at 10:04 AM | Comments (0)

Why support the Tea Party?

Lee Walton

As a child whose parents were of the Greatest Generation, I’m probably a typical Baby Boomer having matured during the turbulent and dynamic decades of the 1960’s and 1970’s. Like many young people of that era, I served in the military and witnessed, first-hand, the political and ideological conflicts precipitated by the Viet Nam War. These same socially dominant, post-Christian era “isms” continue to guide our nation down the slippery path toward European-style socialism at best, or, at worse, ultimate destruction as a representative republic. Like many of my generation, I am deeply concerned about the current path that our national government, guided by the current Obama Administration, seems dedicated to follow, regardless of the consequences or growing opposition now fermenting throughout America.

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Posted by Warwick Jones at 08:00 PM | Comments (0)

Victor is Greene – one with envy, the other with astonishment!

Lee Walton

Once in a while, the stars align just right and poetic justice is served to those deserving a lesson in humility - swiftly as a cold, bitter banquet of consequences. Such was the case in the recent Democratic Party Primary Election for the U.S. Senate race in November. Literally out of nowhere, Alvin Greene, an absolute unknown rural African American veteran with no prior political experience, no campaign organization, no funding and apparently no effort, trounced the Democratic Party’s hand-picked favorite son by over 30,000 votes in a astonishing defeat that left Victor Rawl and the state Democratic Party covered in Jack-Ass excrement from the Greenville foot hills to the Lowcountry.

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Posted by Warwick Jones at 11:32 PM | Comments (0)

Gaillard Center project gets unanimous approval

An energy efficiency program and an ordinance regulating “events”

We were looking to some action over the proposed $142 million Gaillard Center project. Certainly, there were many citizens who spoke at the public hearing. Most were in favor but some were concerned about the cost and the need for spending in other areas. But when it came for discussion on Council, there was little. Considering the magnitude of the project, and the proposed funding, we expected spirited debate. There was none and the project and the proposed funding were endorsed unanimously by Council with some minor amendments. At least that is how it seemed.

Continue reading "City Council, June 15"

Posted by Warwick Jones at 12:48 PM

The “New Gaillard Center” for no new taxes – The Big Lie

Lee Walton

U.S. Representative Joe Wilson had it right when he blurted out “You lie” during President Obama’s State of the Union Address. The same can and should be said for Mayor J. Pericles Riley’s ridiculous claim that the sources of the $71 million for the public’s share of his latest $142 million world-class “Gaillard Center” would come from existing city revenue sources and new borrowing that would not impact taxes.

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Posted by Warwick Jones at 01:12 PM | Comments (0)

Agrees to forego TIF revenues to help finance the new Gaillard

A referendum to form a Commission to study consolidation in County?

Warwick Jones

At issue was the request from the City of Charleston for an extension of the King Street Gateway TIF (Tax Increment Financing) district for 10 years to 2023. The City needed the money from the TIF to help fund the proposed new Gaillard Auditorium. Agreeing to the request effectively means the County gives up revenues of about $1.5 million a year for 8 years beginning 2015. The recommendation of staff was no! The Finance Committee, and later Council, eventually voted yes, with conditions that were hardly onerous.

Continue reading "County Council, June 10"

Posted by Warwick Jones at 12:48 PM | Comments (0)

Clap-hat Spoleto

The following poem was first published a year ago as one in a series of related poems comprising the Swimp Mon Chronicles. With a few edits and additions to reflect current events, it’s the author’s contribution to the special poetry of Spoleto 2010.

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Posted by Warwick Jones at 11:36 PM | Comments (1)

Memorial Day – a day of tribute to our Nation’s Fallen Defenders

As we celebrate Memorial Day weekend with family and friends, pause to remember those who, over the past two centuries, have given the full measure of their lives to protect and defend the basic freedoms we often take for granted.

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Posted by Warwick Jones at 10:56 PM | Comments (0)