Know your Candidates (part 1 of 6) — Leon Stavrinakis

This is the first in a several-week series of profiles of the six candidates to succeed Joe Riley as mayor of Charleston. The candidates are Ginny Deerin, W. Dudley Gregorie, Toby Smith, Leon Stavrinakis, John Tecklenburg, and Maurice Washington.
Leon Stavrinakis is a married father of three, and a downtown attorney who was born and raised in West Ashley. A graduate of the College of Charleston, he went on to earn a law degree from University of South Carolina and now practices law in Charleston.
Stavrinakis served two terms on Charleston County Council, chairing it for a spell, and went on to be elected to his current office, as a representative in the S.C. General Assembly representing West Ashley as a Democrat.
Long considered not only a candidate for mayor, but also a front-runner, Stavrinakis’ campaign message focuses on fixing area roads, keeping taxes low, and public safety. Another plank in his campaign, improving local schools, seems a bit out of place, as schools are primarily a county issue.
Stavrinakis is a well-known name locally, having come from a successful restaurant family. In Columbia, Stavrinakis is known for having friends on both sides of the political divide, and that seems to hold true in Charleston, where he received the blessing of the local Chamber of Commerce for this election.
After nearly 16 years in office, Stavrinakis has been viewed as a team player, with most of his political trophies coming from group efforts. He also has benefited from not having made any major gaffes while in office.
While on Council, Stavrinakis said he was most proud of his leadership and role in getting the half-cent sales tax passed, funding from which is now being used to transform local infrastructure. He also touted his role in securing funding for the Palmetto Commerce Parkway, which now leads up to Boeing and Mercedes plants.
While many of the other candidates may say they support the completion of Interstate 526, Stavrinakis fought for the funding while on Council.
In the legislature, Stavrinakis cast a crucial ballot in the squeaker of a vote to fund the construction of the Cooper River Bridge. Additionally, he helped lead the charge for a bill to combat gun sales to mentally ill people after an armed woman showed up on the campus of a local private girls’ school.
For more information on Leon Stavrinakis, visitleonformayor.com