28 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com RETIRED MOUNT PLEASANT WATERWORKS GM ELECTED TO WATER COMMISSIONER In Mount Pleasant, newly-elected Water Commissioner Clay Duffie sees water not only as a resource to maintain the area’s high standard of living, but as a critical factor in sustaining the area’s growing population. “It’s really important to conserve water and to use water wisely,” said Duffie, who won election in a landslide with 6,065 votes, more than the other four ballot candidates combined. “We have a lot of people and a lot of businesses compacted into a small area, and having a sustainable, long-term source of water is really, really important.” Since 2021, Duffie and leaders with the Department of Natural Resources have been developing a longterm state water plan, which Duffie sees as “the future of our water resources for the next 50 years.” “I’ve been an advisory member of the plan for the last threeplus years,” said Duffie, who served 32 years as the general manager for Mount Pleasant Waterworks before coming out of a two-year retirement to run for water commissioner. “And it’s important that our state General Assembly adopts that plan.” The plan is expected to be ready by 2027. And Duffie wants to see the plan through to full adoption. “We’ve had explosive growth over the last three decades, and nobody ever wants to run out of water, or pay too much for water,” expressed Duffie in a Mount Pleasant podcast prior to the election. “And having a plan that will help sustain that resource and be sure that it’s allocated properly to all the different users will help us protect our water environment and make sure our water utilities are available when more growth occurs.” And going forward, both water and growth are issues that are expected to influence Mount Pleasant voters in future elections. “A total of 13,974 ballots were cast by eligible voters in the Town of Mount Pleasant’s 2023 municipal elections,” said Matt Dillane, marketing and communications coordinator with the Charleston County Board of Voter Registration and Elections. “This represents a turnout rate of about 17.46 percent, while voter turnout for all of Charleston County was slightly higher at 22.91 percent. And because the future of Mount Pleasant depends on the choices of its community members, we urge all eligible voters to keep exercising their democratic rights in every election they can.” our town Clay Duffie
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