“Stunned” public
After years of acrimonious debate and considerable expense, Hilton Head Town Council pulled a stunt in the special council meeting on June 28 that blindsided the audience but provided SCDOT the municipal consent they craved.
Council appears to have choreographed the usurping of democratic due process.
Along with Secretary of Transportation Justin Powell, they created an “emergency incident” thus avoiding giving the public 24-hour notice of deletions from the published agenda and the addition of two new resolutions.
Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, announced Powell had texted him to demand a clean municipal consent in compliance with SCDOT’s standard template.
Mayor Alan Perry had earlier presented Powell’s letter of June 27 (SCDOT wrote on May 16) in which he demanded a “clean” municipal consent.
Powell acted expeditiously and presumably used privileged access to the agenda which had been withheld until after close of business on June 26.
Town Council granted a “clean” municipal consent.
Those from the public who were present were stunned.
Earlier lively debate had ended when the council approved a memorandum of agreement to present to Beaufort County accepting SCDOT’s modified solution but with stipulations and conditions.
Bizarrely, the meeting ended with council approving a resolution addressed to themselves which formalized as a ‘wish list’ those stipulations and conditions.
Davis earlier repeated what mattered most was to deliver a solution supported by the majority on the island.
It seems the council does not agree.
Christopher Cliffe, HHI
Paradise lost?
The bridge “consent” has been approved by Hilton Head Town Council with only 30% of the plans’ drawings completed. So we have another two to three years before that whole governance process will be approved and completed.
Then what? Five to seven years for construction?
A long way to fruition.
Will the current bridge become a safety hazard in the meantime?
The new bridge monstrosity will just push travel congestion onto the Island. And those business owners who think this new bridge will solve their employee problem are sorely mistaken. There is no guarantee for any smooth travel coordination with this new monster bridge.
You will not be saved from bridge accident backups as that will depend on what kind of pileup and lane-straddling happens as well as what kind of rescue equipment will be needed.
And what about hurricane evacuation?
Political mismanagement has led to a standard bridge replacement project becoming an enormous cost-overrun, unsightly end product.
Destroying areas and putting cement in its place with this attack on paradise will be an indelible reminder to all of us as we traverse back and forth to the Island.
Lyn P. Bullard, HHI
Democrats’ opportunity
Prior to the recent presidential debate, a majority of the voters did not want a rerun between Trump and Biden. Both candidates were very unpopular. Following the debate, these negative feelings have been exasperated.
Now is the opportunity for the Democratic Party to take advantage of President Biden’s poor performance and replace him on the ballot. A new, younger, vibrant Democrat could legitimately proclaim President Biden’s policies and echo the successes of the administration’s past four years.
A valid excuse exists for President Bidden to step back, accept the deserved accolades of his many years of service, maintain his legacy and save both the country and his party from disaster.
Meanwhile the extremely negative aspects of a Trump presidency would remain front and center. He would continue to be disliked and untrusted by a majority of voters and we would not be faced with an unpopular rerun of an election.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a proven winner in a purple state, would make an excellent candidate for president. Governor Wes Moore, as a candidate for vice president, could deflect the Black voter’s concern about dropping VP Kamala Harris from the ballot.
Take this opportunity and be prepared to declare victory in November.
Bob Hooper, Sun City
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