Mount Pleasant Magazine July/August 2018

15 www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com | www.BestOfMP.com Vol. 8, Issue 4 • July/August 2018 Publisher/Editorial Director Bill Macchio Publisher@MountPleasantMagazine.com Managing Editor HELEN HARRIS Editor@MountPleasantMagazine.com Copy Editor Brian Sherman Art Director Dana Coleman Ad Designer KIM HALL Designer Cristina Young Webmaster George Conklin Internet Sherman Paggi Writers Pamela Brownstein • Krysta Chapman Eileen Casey • Michael Cochran Samantha Connors • Stacy E. Domingo Bill Farley • Denise K. James Colin McCandless • Kalene McCort Diane Pauldine • Brian Sherman Enid Spitz • Ginger Sottile Theresa Stratford • Anne Toole Ginger Sottile • Alli Steinke Erica R. Winters Photographers Jennifer Cady • Brandon Clark Brian Sherman • Thomas Runion Jeanne Taylor • Jess Wood Sales Manager Cullen Murray-Kemp Cullen@MountPleasantMagazine.com Independent Media Consultants Margaret Burns Margaret@MountPleasantMagazine.com Brandon Clark Brandon@MountPleasantMagazine.com Heidi Hein Heidi@MountPleasantMagazine.com Matthew Prosser Matthew@MountPleasantMagazine.com Bert Wood Bert@MountPleasantMagazine.com Administration & Bookkeeping Diane Pauldine Ginger Sottile Distribution U.S. Post Office, Harris Teeter, publix, CVS bert wood bert@mountpleasantmagazine.com MountPleasantMagazine is published locally by a team of independent contractors. Mount Pleasant Magazine is published six times per year by Media Services, Inc. 1013 Chuck Dawley Blvd., Mount Pleasant, S.C. 29464 Copyright © Media Services 2018. All rights reserved. Reproduction electronically or in print format without the expressed written consent of the publisher is strictly prohibited and a violation of U.S. copyright laws. Inquiries to: Mount Pleasant Magazine P.O. Box 22617, Charleston, S.C. 29413 843-881-1481 Info@MountPleasantMagazine.com P eople often say there are no guarantees in life, and, I guess, on the surface, that appears to be true. But there is at least one thing that is certain in our lives: change. With change often comes opportunity. As Mount Pleasant continues to grow, things will change, but we can use that change to strengthen our community. It’s all about communication and respect. As long as our elected officials communicate clearly about the challenges associated with our growing town, residents will be able to respond to and interact with our decision-makers, and we all will help make Mount Pleasant a better place to live, work and play. Mayor Will Haynie and the other members of the Town Council have a difficult job, but we are fortunate that our elected leaders and the professionals at Town Hall are passionate about their jobs and truly care about our town. Those that I know aren’t there just because it’s a job. They really do care about serving the town of Mount Pleasant and its residents. I recently had a conversation with a new addition to our town’s professional team – Emergency Manager Amanda Knight. Editor and writer Brian Sherman suggested we interview her, and, as a result of his insight and the conversation I had with Amanda, I can tell you that Town Administrator Eric DeMoura and Assistant Administrator Christiane Farrell did a great job finding a person who has a deep passion for what she does. As I talked to Amanda, it was easy to understand why she was invited to join the team at Town Hall. Our common ground was weather. Starting in 2004, she tracked weather for the Air Force. As our conversation became progressively engaging, I explained how I documented Hurricane Hugo in 1989, New England’s Hurricane Bob in 1991 and Florida’s Hurricane Andrew in 1992. I told her about a few of my adventures as a storm chaser and encouraged her to visit www.HurricaneMagazines.com . By the time our conversation was over, I knew the town of Mount Pleasant would be in good hands if we faced an emergency. I look forward to my next conversation with Amanda. Speaking of energized and passionate, Mount Pleasant Magazine readers are in for a treat. After considering more than 70 applicants, this will be our first issue under new Managing Editor Helen Harris. The quality of her work is evident, and it’s obvious she is passionate about her craft. She is a great addition to our publishing team, and her golden retriever, Beezus, is already making herself at home around the office. Please make Helen feel welcome. Send her an email at Editor@MountPleasantMagazine.com . Until next time, — B i l l M a c c h i o, Publisher Publisher@MountPleasantMagazine.com Using sales from Hurricane Andrew Magazine , hurricane chaser Bill Macchio donates money to the Perez family in Miami. Circa 1992. publisher’s note