41 www. ReadMPM. com | www.MountPl easantMagaz i ne. com | www.MountPl easantPodcas t . com As we begin the new year, it seems appropriate to check in on the direction our town is heading — and who will be steering it. The municipal elections two months ago ushered in two new Council members, along with the reelection of two incumbents and the town’s mayor. All the candidates are chosen at large and do not run on a party affiliation. Incumbent Will Haynie now begins his second term as mayor. During the November election, Haynie reminded residents that the town had four mayors over 10 years and asserted that Mount Pleasant was in need of the consistency that his second term would bring. When he won reelection, he said, “I can confidently say that the things I said I was going to do in my first term, I did.” When his first term began four years ago, he stated rampant urban development was “the only issue” and is now proud of the successes the Town Council has achieved in tamping it down with temporary measures, such as limiting building permits and a moratorium on construction of apartment complexes. But over the past two years, he has also overseen an unprecedented public health issue and felt the safety measures he instituted were reasonable and dictated by science rather than by partisan politics. In fact, he has indicated that many of the town’s day-to-day needs should not be determined along partisan lines, stating, “With COVID-19, we must take politics out.” Affordable housing and traffic congestion are only two immediate problems that require solutions through a team effort, and Haynie’s role is to facilitate that. He said he learned to be a leader decades ago as a Citadel cadet regimental commander, later exemplifying those skills when he served as executive director at the Lowcountry Land Trust and decades more as a nonprofit executive. Carl Ritchie may be new to the Council, but he’s no stranger around town. As Mount Pleasant’s police chief for the last eight years and a first responder for 32 years, he acknowledged “serving the town has been the honor of a lifetime.” When he retired, people told him they’d like to see his leadership continue. So, he thought, “What’s missing feature Mayor Wi l l Hayn i e.
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