Nov. 17 – Please Vote This Time!

Sure, I was very disappointed that my choices for Mayor and City Council, Maurice Washington and Aubry Alexander, were not successful on Tues., Nov. 3. They are both Republicans and conservatives, extremely accessible and have a vision for making West Ashley a better place to live. But my biggest disappointment on Election Day was the 25 percent voter turnout. We had the opportunity to vote for the first new mayor of Charleston in 40 years. We had the opportunity to vote for someone capable of governing a rapidly-growing city of 125,000 people, managing 1600 city employees and overseeing an operating budget of $180 Million.
In the days leading up to the election, I canvassed several West Ashley neighborhoods. The vast majority of people I talked to either didn’t know who they were voting for, weren’t sure if they were going to vote or hadn’t taken the opportunity to research the candidates or the issues. One nice lady in her 60s even told me that she had never voted before and that it was too late to start now. How do you even respond to that?
If you want to know how much your vote counts, in City Council District 1 on Daniel Island, challenger Shawn Pinkston garnered eight more votes than incumbent Gary White. Because 10 people cast write-in votes, Pinkston just barely missed getting 50 percent of the votes cast and will have to face a runoff Tues., Nov. 17.
There will also be a runoff for mayor. On Nov. 3, commercial real estate broker John Tecklenburg was the leading vote getter with 35.6 percent of the vote. State Representative and attorney Leon Stavrinakis was the runner-up with 34.5 percent. Non-profit CEO Ginny Deerin finished a distant third with 17.5%. Deerin has endorsed Tecklenburg in the Nov. 17 runoff.
I will not endorse either Mayoral candidate because they don’t share my limited government philosophy. I will vote, however, and encourage everyone to do the same. All of the polling places from the Tues., Nov. 3 election will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 17. Several people told me that their regular polling places were moved and couldn’t get to the new polling place on time. For example, the St. Andrews 20 precinct was moved from the Jewish Community Center to the former Middleton High School. If you have any doubt about your polling place, call 744-8683 and find out.
I talked to some registered voters who going to be out of town and couldn’t get to the polls on election day. The Charleston County Election Commission headquarters will be open from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. right up until Monday, Nov. 16 for those who wish to cast absentee ballots. If there is any doubt about whether you can make it to the polls Nov. 17, drive to 4367 Headquarters Road (near the Leads Avenue and Dorchester Road intersection in North Charleston) and cast your vote. All registered voters, including the 75 percent who didn’t vote on Nov. 3, are eligible.
My Councilman Aubry Alexander in the Old Towne District was defeated by attorney Peter Shahid by less than 80 votes out of more than 2,400 cast. Alexander was a great Councilman for eight years and always returned my phone calls and e-mails. I haven’t met Mr. Shahid yet, but I hope he will join the weekly coffee group Thursday mornings at 8 a.m. at Sojourn Coffee (1664 Old Towne Road) along with County Councilwoman Colleen Condon.
In Council District 5, incumbent Marvin Wagner defeated attorney Brian Byrd. Incumbent Keith Waring handily defeated firefighter Joe Johnston in District 7. Councilman Waring is a fiscal conservative and understands that improving aesthetics in West Ashley will help fill vacant retail space. He said, “Driving into West Ashley should feel like driving into Mt. Pleasant.” Incumbent Bill Moody defeated tour operator Chris Cannon in District 11. Moody and Wagner are both accountants and work to hold the line on spending.
I urge all West Ashley voters to cast ballots in the Mayoral runoff Tues., Nov. 17. A lot is at stake. Mr. Tecklenburg’s website is TecklenburgForMayor.com. Rep. Stavrinakis’s website is LeonForMayor.com. Do your research and vote for the candidate who best reflects your vision for Charleston. Contact the campaigns if you have any questions, and hopefully they will respond. Exercise your civic duty!
John Steinberger is the former chairman of the Charleston County Republican Party, a leading Fair Tax advocate, and a West Ashley resident. He can be reached at John.steinberger@scfairtax.org.