Mount Pleasant Magazine Sept/Oct 2021

39 www.MountPl easantPodcas t . com | www. ReadMPM. com | www. I LoveMountPl easant . com Councilwoman Landing: Over the years, I have built a successful business, raised a family and had the opportunity to serve as a volunteer for many nonprofits and on numerous wonderful boards. I felt a strong duty to take my skill set and expand it to public service. I ran for Town Council and was honored to be elected in 2017. Public office is not easy, but I am a positive person and can manage through some of the negativity. I consider the political score- settling that often occurred to be a huge waste of time that really distracted from our focus areas. We need better direction and less negativity. With a Council-strong government, the mayor’s role …. becomes about leadership and strong communication skills. It’s important to be as transparent as possible with our public so they know we are trying to stay on top of things. I want to serve as mayor for all Mount Pleasant residents, including everyone within our perimeter and newcomers as well as natives. Also, I strongly believe that government should not always resort to a new ordinance to solve every problem. Sometimes setting an example or strong messaging on a topic can serve as well as, or better than, creating a new “rule” to be enforced on our citizens. ON KEEPING MOUNT PLEASANT SAFE Haynie: It has always been my position to not only back the police with a vote on Council but with my full moral support. I chair the police, judicial and legal committees. As a member of Council, I always ask if the budget gives them the power, equipment and training they need to do their job. While the town administrator runs the town staff when we have emergencies, it is the mayor’s job to be out front with the police chief to lead the messaging. I had a great working relationship with Chief of Police Carl Ritchie, especially during COVID and the regional civil unrest. I was honored when he had me speak at the sendoff of his officers to assist with hurricane recovery in the Pee Dee. Carl will make a great Town Council member, and his successor, Chief Mark Arnold, is an excellent choice to be the new chief. Landing: It starts at the top with police, fire and all first responders — making sure they have everything they need and are not ever “defunded.” After the Parkland shooting, when Police Chief Richie asked us to step up our SROs in schools, I was the first to say there is nothing more important than the safety of our children, no matter the cost. I applaud the way we handled the protesters last year by keeping them away from businesses and in a defined area at Waterfront Memorial Park. It was a great experience thanks to Chief Richie and his team, and we avoided the terrible unintended consequences that happened downtown. I have been handling risk management my whole life, and preparing for unexpected, rare events …. is something in which I have extensive experience. I am a compassionate person, but when you face a crisis, a leader cannot afford to allow emotions to guide the way. Among other key areas for safety and security is continuing to enhance and monitor our cyber security. ON RESIDENTIAL TOWN GROWTH Haynie: One of the things I announced in my first State of the Town address is that we conduct due diligence to set a limit on the amount of annual building permits. We determined the stress on our infrastructure — police, fire and public service costs — and came to a rational and relevant decision that we could sustain a 2% residential growth rate. I am proud to say that passed. We will continue that cap as long as there is a need for it. Around 2016, we realized the then-leaders were permitting multi-family dwellings at an unprecedented rate. We did a two-year moratorium, with workforce housing being exempt, and just renewed that for another two. Voters should compare voting records between my opponent and me on this issue over the last four years. Landing: A lot of us ran in 2016 because residential growth was getting way ahead of infrastructure and the services to support it. Using the newly passed comprehensive plan as our guide, we have been working to gradually convert more areas from residential to commercial or economic development zoning. What is desperately needed now to accommodate those who work in our biggest industries — health care, hospitality, teachers and first responders — is workforce housing that is affordable. I encouraged our Council to avoid raising taxes and to buy land to set aside for workforce housing. I believed private developers could work with state tax codes to deliver not feature Mayor Wi l l Hayn i e.