27 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com our town Remaining a familyoriented town while in the midst of decades of growth has not been easy for Mount Pleasant. But everything in life that isn’t easy becomes possible through commitment. Though I wasn’t born here, my family moved to Mount Pleasant in 1966 when the population was only 6,000. There were only a couple of suburban neighborhoods at that time and the city limits were small. Commercial activity centered around Coleman Boulevard with small shops on Pitt Street in the Old Village, where I went to kindergarten. Shem Creek at the time had countless shrimp boats but only one or two restaurants. Our family moved here from a small mill town in Upstate South Carolina in which my father, grandfather and great-grandfather had all been family doctors. The town was half the size of Mount Pleasant and very much like Andy Griffith’s Mayberry in every way. Leaving everything we knew behind, plus grandparents and cousins, felt traumatic to my sister and me. I remember my mother telling me to give Mount Pleasant a chance, that there were friendly people here who would welcome a new 5-year-old boy and make us feel welcome. After the move, my mother – as only mothers can do – went to great lengths to help me develop friendships, get to know the town and feel at home. My parents bought me my first fishing pole, a Zebco rod and reel from the local drug store, and with my dad, I caught my first flounder fishing from the old Pitt Street Bridge on a day that lives fresh in my memory more than half a century later. Fast forward to September 2020. After moving away from Mount Pleasant twice, I relocated here for the third time, became mayor and there were then about 92,000 residents. I saw a mother’s post on Facebook about having moved here from out of state, and with no friends or family here, she was looking for suggestions for her son Connor’s 5th birthday on Oct. 3. That hit me right in the heart. So I reached out to Connor’s mom and next thing we knew, the Town of Mount Pleasant police, fire and public services teams had planned the coolest “Welcome to Mount Pleasant” birthday event for Connor that any 5-year-old could have. His mom, Danielle, brought him to town hall where the parking lot was full of police cars and fire trucks with lights flashing and sirens wailing and dump trucks honking their horns. Even our police dogs joined in welcoming Connor to his new town. Connor came up to the mayor’s office where he was declared “Mayor for a Day,” and sat at my desk signing commemorative documents. Mount Pleasant today with 97,000 residents can be as welcoming to families as it was when it only had 6,000 residents if we are determined to keep it that way. I know two 5-year-old boys, albeit half a century apart, who can vouch for that. BY WILL HAYNIE MAYOR OF MOUNT PLEASANT Mayor’s Message Family Matters
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