Municipal Elections Tomorrow!! Myra Jones and Will Haynie

Supporters of this petition, 

With the passage of S. 40 into law earlier this year, much of the problem surrounding beach access created by some South Carolina beach communities was cleared up.  This success, a tribute to public involvement and competent political leadership by many members of the General Assembly, county councils AND the Secretary of Transportation, is a great advance from the serious loss of public access to our beaches caused by outrageous actions by the Isle of Palms, Sullivans Island and Folly Beach, etc.  The success is not complete, however, and state wide municipal elections tomorrow may result in an ever greater effort by several island towns to privatize the beaches and significantly limit public access.  

MOUNT PLEASANT VOTERS:

Imagine if there was a state-owned and maintained boat ramp located in the Town of Mount Pleasant.  People from many parts of South Carolina would probably use the boat ramp to access our navigable waters.  Now, further imagine if the Town of Mount Pleasant declared that only residents of the Town could use that state-owned boat ramp.  Signs could be posted by the Town warning non-residents of heavy fines and perhaps towing of their vehicles if they dared to use the boat ramp they owned and paid for.  What is going on at the Isle of Palms right now is no different from that incredible situation – the City of the Isle of Palms is restricting right of ways owned and maintained by the State of South Carolina to parking only by residents of the Isle of Palms.  Their justification is that these rights of way are in front of houses and the occupants of those houses should be allowed exclusive use of this state property for their families.  How is that different from a town seizing control of state-owned boat ramps?  How is that different from what all three of Charleston’s beach communities did last year when they seized control of state-owned roads and bridges to completely exclude anyone who did not live on their islands from driving over to those islands?  It doesn’t differ.  It’s the same thing.  State property is state property is state property, whether it is a boat ramp or a bridge or a road, including its full right of way.

The Isle of Palms continues to purport to exclude non-residents of that City from parking in the rights of way of state roads where they have designated them “residential parking only.”  This is outrageous and is a denial of the legally guaranteed full benefits of shared ownership of these rights of way by all of the residents of South Carolina.  We are confident that the Secretary of Transportation will keep her eye on this important issue and act to restore to all South Carolinians their full rights to use state property for proper purposes, including parking for the purpose of accessing our state beaches. BUT we also need support from other local politicians now more than ever.  In Mount Pleasant tomorrow you can support two candidates who will support our cause.  Mayor Will Haynie AND Myra Jones, who has been the biggest advocate for public access and restoring parking on our beaches, for town council.  Please consider giving both of them your vote!   

There is genuine reason for concern that the Isle of Palms is not done trying to curtail public access to the beach on that island by people who do not live there – or pay to rent a vacation property there.  Recently, some residents of the Isle of Palms wrote an op-ed piece severely criticizing the current mayor of the IOP for not preventing the passage of S 40 or the creation of 60 additional parking spaces on Palms Boulevard.  This sentiment is not isolated.  There continues to be an arrogant determination by residents and property owners on the IOP to keep non-residents from coming to the island – to turn it into a private enclave for their exclusive use.  It is completely outrageous that people hold such exclusionary views about our beach islands, but they do.  This means increased vigilance by all of us is necessary to fight back against this effort to rob us of our right to access our beaches.  Stay alert and stay involved.  If we all do that, we will stop the continued interference with our rights to use state property and to access our beaches.