* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:01] CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORT COUNTY. WELCOME. I THINK I, I DON'T SEE ANYONE ELSE COMING THROUGH THE DOOR, SO I THINK WE'RE ALL HERE. AND IT'S SIX O'CLOCK AND IT'S TIME TO START. UM, UH, CAN EVERYONE HEAR ME? NO. NO. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YES. IS THAT BETTER? OKAY. LEMME PRESS THIS. IS, IS THIS BETTER? YES. YES. GOOD. OKAY. MY NAME IS BARBARA LIPPER AND I'M A MEMBER OF THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS. AND I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING TONIGHT AND ATTENDING OUR CANDIDATES FORUM. YOU KNOW, IT'S SO NICE TO SEE THAT THIS ROOM IS FULL AND EVERYONE IS INTERESTED IN THE VOTE IN, IN, UH, VOTING FOR OUR CANDIDATES FOR TOWN COUNCIL. WE'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK THE CANDIDATES FOR PARTICIPATING TONIGHT, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO, TO A STIMULATING DISCUSSION OF THE ISSUES. AND THE CANDIDATES ARE FOR WARD ONE, DANIEL, ANTHONY AND ALEX BROWN. WARD THREE, WARD THREE, STEVE, SIMONE, AND AMY FEE. AND WARD SIX REX. AND I'LL LET YOU PRONOUNCE YOUR NAME. GAR GARIC, BUT I GO BY REX. JUST CALL ME REX. OKAY. REX AND, UH, MELINDA. TURNER. TURNER. RIGHT. SO, SO, THANK YOU. TURNER. TURNER. RIGHT. SO, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PARTICIPATING IN OUR FORUM FORUM. OUR MODERATOR THIS EVENING IS KAY RASTA. SHE'S CO-CHAIR OF THE LEAGUE OF HILTON, HEAD ISLAND AND, AND BLUFFTON, AND HAS BEEN A LONG TIME CHAIR OF THE LEAGUE, AND I'M SURE MANY OF YOU KNOW HER. OUR EDITOR TONIGHT IS, UH, JOAN CLEAN SHOWMAN, WHO IS OVER THERE, WHO WILL BE, UH, YOUR QUESTIONS WILL BE PICKED UP BY, UH, OUR VOLUNTEERS IN THE BACK. AND, UH, JOAN WILL REVIEW THEM FOR, UH, CONSISTENCY AND REPETITION AND CIVILITY. UM, THIS, UH, THIS FORUM IS BEING BROADCAST OVER, UH, BEAUFORT COUNTY TV CHANNEL. AND, UH, WE'RE NOT DOING A ZOOM TONIGHT, BUT BECAUSE OF REX'S TRAVEL SCHEDULE, THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME WE WERE GONNA BE HAVING ONE CANDIDATE ON A ZOOM AND THE REST OF US, UH, HERE IN PERSON. UH, LASTLY, THE LEAGUE HAS A FEW RULES. SOME OF YOU HAVE THE HARD COPY OF THE LEAGUE, BUT I HAVE TO READ THEM TO YOU SO WE ALL UNDERSTAND WHAT THE RULES ARE FOR THE FORUM. SO HERE IT GOES. WELCOME TO OUR CANDIDATE FORUM. THIS FORUM IS NOT A DEBATE. RATHER, THE INTENT IS TO ALLOW EACH CANDIDATE TO PRESENT HIS OR HER VIEWS TO AN AUDIENCE ON A RANGE OF TOPICS. OUR MODERATOR, WHICH IS KAY, AND OUR TIMEKEEPER, WHICH IS BARBARA HAMUS, WHO IS SITTING HERE, WILL ENSURE THAT ALL CANDIDATES ARE TREATED WITH RESPECT AND FAIRNESS. SIMILARLY, WE ASK THE QUESTION TO ALSO MAINTAIN AN ENVIRONMENT OF RESPECT AND CIVILITY SO THAT ALL MEMBERS, SO THAT ALL AUDIENCE MEMBERS CAN HEAR ALL THE CANDIDATES RESPONSE. AND SO THAT WE ALLOW THE MOST TIME POSSIBLE FOR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FROM THE CANDIDATES. WE ASK ALL THE AUDIENCE MEMBERS NOT TO HOLD UP SIGNS, BANISH, OR ANY OTHER ITEMS FOR THE PURPOSE. THIS INCLUDES HAND GESTURES, NOT APPLAUD, OR IN ANY OTHER WAY, DEMONSTRATE SUPPORT OR NON-SUPPORT FOR A CANDIDATE. PERSONS DOING SO WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE. AUDIENCE MEMBERS WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASK QUESTIONS, AND I BELIEVE MOST OF YOU HAVE BEEN HANDED OUT WHITE INDEX CARDS AND PENCILS TO, AND TO ASK YOU QUESTIONS. AND IF YOU DIDN'T RECEIVE A CARD OR YOU NEED A PENCIL, AFTER THE QUESTIONS FROM THE LEAGUE, JUST HOLD YOUR HAND UP AND WE'LL GIVE YOU A CARD AND WE PENCILS, AND THEN THE EDITOR WILL REVIEW THE, THE CARDS. OKAY. SO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS IN WRITING ON INDEX CARDS DISTRIBUTED BY LEAGUE MEMBERS. PLEASE LIMIT THE QUESTIONS TO ONE INDEX CARD, ONE QUESTION PER INDEX CARD, AND INDICATE THE TOPIC OF THE QUESTION IN THE UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER. ALL QUESTIONS MUST BE ADDRESSED TO ALL CANDIDATES, AND A LEAGUE MEMBER WILL SCREEN THE QUESTIONS TO AVOID DUPLICATION AND ENSURE RELEVANCE AND CIVILITY DUE TO TIME CONSTRAINTS. NOT ALL QUESTIONS CAN BE ASKED AND ANSWERED. RIGHT. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR ATTENDANCE. AND, UH, I ALSO WILL SAY THAT THE LEAGUE IS A NON-PARTISAN ORGANIZATION AND EITHER SUPPORTS OR OPPOSES A POLITICAL PARTY OR CANDIDATES FOR OFFICE. AND NOW I WILL HAVE, UH, MODERATING. KAY. UH, OKAY. GOOD EVENING. I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR MY VOICE AND I ALSO TALK LOUD. , RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU CAN'T HEAR ME. . OKAY, GOOD. UM, OKAY. THE WAY THAT WE'RE GONNA PROCEED IS WE HAVE FOUR QUESTIONS THAT WERE DEVELOPED BY THE LEAGUE. THEY ARE TIMED, WE'LL ROTATE BETWEEN THE VARIOUS CANDIDATES SO [00:05:01] THAT NOT ONE PERSON HAS TO GO FIRST OR LAST EACH TIME. UH, BARBARA THOMAS, AS, UH, BARBARA LIPPERT MENTIONED IS OUR TIMEKEEPER. SHE WILL GIVE YOU A SIGN WHEN YOU HAVE 30 SECONDS LEFT, AND WHEN IT'S TIME TO END YOUR COMMENTS. UH, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT? OKAY. WELL, LET'S GET GOING. UH, THE FIRST QUESTION IS GOING TO GO, I'M GONNA START WITH DANIEL ANTHONY WARD ONE, TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHY YOU ARE RUNNING. WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH IF ELECTED? WELL, I'M RUNNING TO REPRESENT ALL THE VOICES IN WARD ONE, UH, THAT THOSE VOICES THAT FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE BEEN CHEATED, THEY, THEY'RE NOT INCLUDED IN THE CONVERSATIONS THAT DIRECTLY IMPACT THEIR COMMUNITIES, THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS. THESE ARE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE MOSTLY MADE UP OF THE WORKFORCE. AND I'VE BEEN IN THE WORKFORCE FOR OVER 40 YEARS, UH, ALL THE TIME I'VE BEEN HERE ON THE ISLAND. I, I HAD BEEN HERE 40 YEARS. I MET MY WIFE HERE, GOT MARRIED HERE. MY KIDS AND GRANDKIDS ARE BORN HERE. AND, UH, I AM A, A LOCAL BUSINESSMAN. HAD MY BUSINESS FOR 30 YEARS. I'M IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY. I DO MY BUSINESS, DOES RENOVATIONS, SO THAT IS PRETTY MUCH WHO I AM AND WHAT I'M ABOUT. UM, THESE PEOPLE NEED HELP AND I'M THERE TO HELP 'EM. OKAY, THANK YOU. UM, ALEX BROWN, TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHY YOU ARE RUNNING. WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH IF REELECTED? THANK YOU. MY NAME IS ALEX BROWN. I AM YOUR CURRENT TOWN COUNCIL. WARD ONE REPRESENTATIVE IN THAT ROLE. I AM THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE. I'M THE LIAISON TO THE ISLAND RECREATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS, WHICH IS THE PARKS AND REC ARM FOR THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD. IN AN ATTEMPT TO BRING AFFORDABLE HOUSING TO HILTON HEAD. I ALSO SERVE ON THE NORTH POINT ADVISORY COMMITTEE. I AM A BOARD OF DIRECTOR FOR THE GULLAH GEECHEE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. WE CALL IT THE CDCI ALSO, IN MY SPARE TIME WORK, A FULL-TIME JOB FOR A COMPANY CALLED RESORT RETAIL ASSOCIATES. I'VE BEEN THERE FOR 35 YEARS. I'M THE VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS. I THANK THE LEAGUE FOR HOLDING THIS EVENT TONIGHT, NON-PARTISAN EVENT I'D ADD. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO A GREAT DISCUSSION THIS EVENING. THANK YOU. SORRY. NO, NO APPLAUSE, PLEASE. OH, NO PROBLEM. IF THERE'S AN INFRACTION, WE MIGHT HAVE TO ASK YOU TO LEAVE. OKAY. SO, UH, MOVING ON. UH, STEVE DE STEVE DESIMONE, TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHY YOU ARE RUNNING, WHAT YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH IF ELECTED. HI, I'M STEVE DESIMONE. UM, I'LL BE RUNNING FOR WARD THREE. UH, FIRST I WANNA LET MY OPPONENT KNOW, AND EVERYONE HERE KNOW THAT SHE'S BEEN, UH, USING THE WORD DEVELOPER IN HER, IN HER MEET AND GREETS. AND STEVE DESIMONE IS NOT A DEVELOPER. HE IS NEVER BEEN A DEVELOPER. I JUST WANNA MAKE THAT CLEAR TO BEGIN WITH. BUT I MOVED HERE IN 1986. UH, THE TOWN OF HILTON HAD NEEDED AN ENGINEER, AND THEY HAD JUST INCORPORATED TWO YEARS PRIOR. AND SO I TOOK THAT POSITION AND THERE WERE LESS THAN A DOZEN OF US THAT WORKED FOR THE TOWN AT THAT TIME. I STAYED AT THE TOWN, UH, FOR TWO YEARS, TWO AND A HALF YEARS. WE, UH, ORIGINATED THE INITIAL LMO LAND MANAGEMENT ORDINANCE, AND IT WAS ADOPTED IN 1987. UM, AFTER LEAVING THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD, I WENT TO WORK FOR SEA PINES AS THEIR RESIDENT ENGINEER, WHERE I TOOK CARE OF ALL OF THEIR INFRASTRUCTURE ROADS, UH, STORM DRAINAGE AND THINGS LIKE THAT. A COUPLE YEARS LATER, I MOVED ON TO WEXFORD, AND I WAS THEIR RESIDENT ENGINEER FOR TWO YEARS, WHERE WE RE REBUILT THE LOCK, REBUILT THE THE HARBOR WALLS, TOOK CARE OF THE HIGHWAYS, AND TOOK CARE OF ALL OF THEIR, UH, STORMWATER DRAINAGE AND INFRASTRUCTURE. I OPENED MY FIRST BUSINESS IN 1991 AND, UM, AND HAD BEEN WORKING FOR THE RESIDENTS OF HILTON HEAD FOR ALMOST 38 YEARS NOW, EVERYTHING THAT I DO, EVERYTHING THAT I BUILD, I'M A CONTRACTOR, HAS BEEN FOR THE RESIDENTS. UM, I GOT 30 SECONDS LEFT, SO I, I WANT TO, UH, THANK THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS FOR HAVING US HERE TONIGHT. YOU KNOW, LIVING IN A HOUSE WITH FOUR GIRLS, WIFE AND THREE GIRLS. I UNDERSTAND THAT, UM, I GET TO SPEAK EVERY NOW AND THEN. I'M GLAD I ONLY HAVE 30 SECONDS , BUT, UM, BUT [00:10:01] THAT'S ABOUT IT. BUT WHAT I WANNA WORK ON IS I GOTTA WORK ON THE LMO BECAUSE IT'S A REWRITE TIME. I WANNA WORK ON THE 2 78 CORRIDOR FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE BRIDGE TO THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY. AND I WANT TO TALK ABOUT WORKING WITH S-C-D-O-T BY TAKING OVER THE ROADS ON PALMETTO BAY ROAD, SEA PINE CIRCLE, POPE AVENUE, AND KLINKY TO START WITH. THANK YOU. OKAY, THANK YOU. UM, AND, UH, FOR AMY FEE, TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHY YOU ARE RUNNING. WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH IF ELECTED? THANK YOU. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO'S OUT TONIGHT TO COME AND LISTEN TO THE CANDIDATES. MY NAME IS AMY FEE, AND MY HUSBAND AND I FIRST VISITED HILTON HEAD ISLAND IN 2001. AND LIKE ALL OF US ON OUR VISITS, WE WERE ENCHANTED. IT WAS A FOUR DAY, THREE NIGHT TOUR OF THE MARRIOTT AND PALMETTO DUNES. MY VISION FOR HILTON HEAD ISLAND IS BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE LIVING HERE AND WORKING HERE, AND LISTENING TO THE PEOPLE WHO'VE SHARED THEIR, THEIR VISION WITH ME AS WELL. I THINK WE NEED TO ACHIEVE A BALANCE FOR OUR RESIDENTS AND FOR OUR VISITORS. IT'S TIME THAT WE REVISIT OUR VALUES, OUR FOUNDING VALUES OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND. I THINK WE'VE BEEN GOOD STEWARDS, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO DO BETTER. WE MUST PROTECT ALL THAT MAKES HILTON HEAD GREAT. I THINK WE ARE AT A TIPPING POINT, AND WE NEED TO DECIDE WHICH ROAD WE WANNA GO DOWN. DO WE WANT MORE OR DO WE WANT QUALITY? WE NEED BALANCE. WE HAVE TO REACH A CONSENSUS, A MUTUALLY ACCEPTABLE SOLUTIONS. SOLUTIONS THROUGH CIVIL CONVERSATION, THROUGH DISCUSSION, THROUGH COMMUNICATION. IT TAKES ALL OF US TO GET IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. RESIDENTS COMPLAIN THAT THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE IS DECLINING AND THAT SHORT TERM RENTALS ARE INVADING THEIR SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENT NEIGHBORHOODS. I THINK WE CAN RIGHT SIZE THAT WITH SOME MINOR LIMITS ON OCCUPANCY AND PARKING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU REX. GAR, TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHY YOU ARE RUNNING. WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH IF ELECTED? THANK YOU. UM, I, I HAVE 25 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN NONPROFIT OPERATIONS, AND ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT NONPROFITS IS THEY HAVE TWO THINGS. THEY LOOK AT. THEY, THEY LOOK AT SERVING THEIR MISSION, SERVING THE PEOPLE OF THE COMMUNITY, AND HAVING A STRONG FINANCIAL BACKGROUND. AND I LIKE TO COMBINE THOSE TWO THINGS. ONE OF THE REASONS I DECIDED TO RUN IS THAT I WAS ASKED TO DO SO, AND THE OTHER REASON IS I THOUGHT I COULD BRING VALUE TO THE TOWN COUNCIL. MY BACKGROUND IS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, ANTHROPOLOGY, AND ARCHEOLOGY. AND THROUGHOUT MY CAREER, I'VE ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN BALANCING NATURE, UM, WITH PEOPLE. AND I THINK THAT IS THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE UPON WHICH HILTON HEAD ISLAND WAS ORIGINALLY DEVELOPED. YOU OBVIOUSLY HAVE TO HAVE SOME IMPACT ON NATURE WHEN YOU DEVELOP A COMMUNITY, BUT THAT IMPACT SHOULD BE, UH, LIMITED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. AND SO I FIND IN THE 10 YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN HERE, I HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH THIS PLACE, THE BEAUTIFUL ENVIRONMENT, THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE HERE. AND I'M INTERESTED IN PRESERVING THE CHARACTER OF HILTON HEAD OF ISLAND, THE CHARACTER THAT WAS ORIGINALLY INTENDED TO HAVE. UM, AND THAT INCLUDES THE PRINCIPLES OF EARLY DEVELOPMENT AND ALSO THE, THE PEOPLE IN COMMUNITIES THAT LIVED HERE BEFORE IT WAS DEVELOPED. AND SO, UM, ONE OF MY GOALS, I THINK, IS TO PRESERVE THE THINGS THAT ARE GREAT ABOUT HILTON HEAD ISLAND, TO THINK CAREFULLY ABOUT THE TYPES OF VISITORS WE WANNA BRING IN HERE, AND, UM, HOW WE WANNA REDEVELOP PARTS OF THE ISLAND. AND SO, UM, I, I RUN A BUSINESS THAT DEPENDS ON TOURISTS AS A LOT OF PEOPLE ON THIS ISLAND DO. BUT I WANNA SEE THAT WE'RE LIKE RECRUITING, UM, TOURISTS TO THIS ISLAND THAT SHARE OUR VALUES, THAT THIS IS A SAFE AND SECURE PLACE, UM, IN A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO LIVE IN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU REX. UM, AND FOR MELINDA, IS IT TUNER? TONER. TONER, SORRY. TONER. UM, TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHY YOU ARE RUNNING, WHAT YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH IF ELECTED. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO THANK THE LEAGUE FOR THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO GET TOGETHER TODAY AND TALK ABOUT THESE ISSUES. MY NAME IS MELINDA TENNER, AND I AM RUNNING FOR TOWN COUNCIL IN WARD SIX. I'M A RETIRED EXECUTIVE WITH OVER 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WITH A FORTUNE 100 [00:15:01] COMPANY AND A BACKGROUND IN FINANCE. IN MY THIRTIES, I WAS A CONTROLLER OF AN $800 MILLION ORGANIZATION, AND AT 40 I WAS AN APPOINTED OFFICER AND EVENTUALLY RAN PROGRAMS OF $2 BILLION. ALSO, DURING THAT TIME, I, UH, WAS ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF A SMALL NONPROFIT IN MY LOCAL COMMUNITY, AND I HAD SHARED MY TALENTS, UH, IN BUSINESS ACUMEN. AND WHAT I GOT BACK IN RETURN WAS A SENSE OF COMMUNITY THAT I HAD NEVER FELT BEFORE. AND I KNEW FROM THEN ON THAT THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO DO WHEN I RETIRED, WAS TO SPEND TIME SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY. WE BOUGHT OUR HOME 10 YEARS AGO, AND A COUPLE YEARS LATER WE RETIRED. AND THAT'S WHEN I STARTED ON THIS JOURNEY. I STARTED OFF WORKING AS A POLL CLERK, MANAGING A LOCATION ON ELECTION DAY. AND THEN I RAN FOR THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS IN MY LOCAL COMMUNITY AT PENNETT HALL. I'M ON MY SECOND TERM, I'VE BEEN TREASURER AND PRESIDENT. UM, THEN I STARTED TAKING A LOOK AT SOME GRASSROOTS EFFORTS WITH THE TOWN, AND THE FIRST ONE I GOT INVOLVED WITH WAS ARBOR NATURE. AND THAT EXPOSED ME TO THE TOWN, THE TOWN'S PROCESSES, AND I REALIZED THAT THIS IS WHERE I WANTED TO FOCUS MY TIME IN REGARDS TO WHAT I'D LIKE TO FOCUS ON AND ACCOMPLISH. I WANT TO ENSURE WE IMPLEMENT SOLUTIONS FOR OUR MOST STRATEGIC AND PRESSING ISSUES, AND THAT INCLUDES THE PRESERVATION OF OUR UNIQUE CHARACTER OVER DEVELOPMENT, WORKFORCE ISSUES, AND A HEALTHY BALANCE OF TOURISM, ALL WHILE BEING GOOD STEWARDS OF PUBLIC DOLLARS AND THE ENVIRONMENT. AND WE ALSO NEED TO IDENTIFY AND FOCUS ON EMERGING NEEDS OF OUR ISLAND. SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO BE AN OUTSTANDING PLACE TO LIVE, RAISE A FAMILY, AND RETIRE. THANK YOU. MOVING ON TO THE SECOND QUESTION. LET'S SEE. STEVE DESIMONE, WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ON THE PROPOSED NORTH POINT WORKPLACE HOUSING NEIGHBORHOOD PROJECT AND YOUR SUGGESTIONS FOR ADDITIONAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING? UH, YOU JUMPED AROUND ON US. YEAH, LET ME FLIP AND YOU MADE ME GO FIRST. , THANK YOU. UM, UH, I'M FOR NORTH POINT. UH, I THINK IT'S A GOOD PROJECT. I THINK THAT THAT 11 ACRES, LEMME GIVE YOU SOME STATISTICS IN CASE YOU DUNNO THAT 11 ACRES HAS A 65 YEAR LEASE TERM ON IT. UH, THERE'S 161 BEDROOM, TWO BEDROOM, AND THREE BEDROOM UNITS. UH, ALL THAT'S GONNA BE BUILT WITH NO FEDERAL DOLLARS. UH, UM, YEAH, NO FEDERAL DOLLARS, ONLY GRANTS. AND, UM, 50% OF THAT IS LESS THAN AN 80% A MI THAT'S YOUR AVERAGE, UH, MEDIAN INCOME. AND I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA. ALSO, IN ADDITION TO NORTH POINT, I THINK THE, UH, OPPORTUNITY FOR, UM, BRYANT ROAD AND THAT, UH, THAT AREA IS GONNA BE A GOOD, UH, SPOT FOR THE TOWN TO LOOK AT AND SEE IF WE CAN GET SOME NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT IN THERE FOR, FOR THAT AREA. UH, SO AS FAR AS NORTH POINT GOES, YOU KNOW, I'M A GREEN LIGHT. THANK YOU. OKAY, THANK YOU. UH, NEXT PERSON, UH, AMY FEE. WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ON THE PROPOSED NORTHPOINT WORKPLACE HOUSING NEIGHBORHOOD PROJECT AND YOUR SUGGESTIONS FOR ADDITIONAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING? THANK YOU. THE PROPOSED NORTHPORT HOUSING PROJECT IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. WE'VE BEEN TRYING FOR 10 YEARS TO GET WORKFORCE HOUSING STARTED ON THIS ISLAND. WE HAVE, WE'VE GOT A RESPONSIBILITY AND A ROLE TO PLAY IN DEVELOPING WORKFORCE HOUSING SOLUTIONS. WE NEED OUR ESSENTIAL WORKERS HERE ON THE ISLAND. THE AVERAGE AGE OF THE HILTON HEAD ISLAND RESIDENT IS 59.8. THE NATIONAL AVERAGE IS 38.6. WE NEED TO HAVE SOME YOUNG FOLKS HERE TO DO, TO SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY, TO BECOME LEADERS FOR THE FUTURE AND TO TAKE CARE OF US IN, IN CERTAIN ROLES THAT WE WON'T BE ABLE TO DO THE NORTH FOR. UH, THE PROJECT IS A PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP, AND WITH THAT, WE WON'T BE USING FEDERAL MONEY, BUT IT, THERE WILL BE SOME PUBLIC FUNDS GOING TOWARD IT, BUT, BUT THE, BUT THE PRIVATE SECTOR HAS ALSO STEPPED, STEPPED UP AND HAS PUT A LOT OF MONEY TOWARDS THAT PROJECT. SO I THINK WE'VE GOT MORE TO DO. I THINK WE NEED A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR THE ISLAND. WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE SPACE AND WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S BEST RIGHT DEVELOPMENT FOR THAT SPACE TO SOLVE THIS ISSUE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I DON'T THINK I MENTIONED IT'S ONE AND A HALF MINUTES FOR THIS [00:20:01] QUESTION. SO, UM, REX, WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ON THE PROPOSED NORTH POINT PROJECT AND YOUR SUGGESTIONS FOR ADDITIONAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING? THANK YOU. UH, UH, I THINK AFFORDABLE OR WORKFORCE HOUSING IS ONE OF THE KEY ISSUES THAT THIS UPCOMING COUNCIL, UH, WILL BE TASKED WITH DEALING, UH, WITH. AND I THINK IT NEEDS SORT OF MULTIPLE SOLUTIONS. I THINK THERE'S SOME, UH, PRIVATE INVESTMENT THAT NEEDS TO TAKE PLACE. I THINK THE TOWN HAS TO PLAY PART OF A ROLE IN, IN SOLVING THIS PROBLEM. I PARTICULARLY HAVE LOOKED AT THE NORTH POINT PROJECT FROM A CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE, AND I'VE BEEN VERY PLEASED WITH WHAT I'VE SEEN THERE IN TERMS OF ITS SUSTAINABILITY, UM, AND THE REQUIREMENT THAT PEOPLE REMAIN IN THE WORKFORCE WHILE THEY LIVE THERE. UM, THE ABILITY OF THE TOWN TO CONTROL, UM, THE MAINTENANCE OF THAT PROPERTY THROUGH ITS LEASE AGREEMENT. AND I THINK IT'S REALLY A STRONG MODEL. I'VE LOOKED AT WORKFORCE HOUSING AS A BUSINESS OWNER THAT NEEDS TO ATTRACT A WORKFORCE HERE. AND I THINK THE NORTH POINT PROJECT IN PARTICULAR EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS IN TERMS OF MAINTAINING THAT TYPE OF WORKFORCE HOUSING LONG TERM. UM, BUT I THINK WE ALSO NEED TO LOOK AT, UM, SOME PRIVATE, UH, NONPROFIT PARTNERS LIKE HABITAT FOR HUMANITY. UM, I THINK BUSINESS OWNERS WILL LOOK AT, UM, PROVIDING HOUSING FOR SOME OF THEIR EMPLOYEES, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL STILL HAVE TO COMMUTE ONTO THIS ISLAND, UM, BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WE NEED IN THE WORKFORCE HERE. AND SO I THINK WE NEED THAT MULTIFACETED APPROACH, UM, AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE TOWN SUPPORT ALL ASPECTS OF THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, MELINDA TANNER, WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ON THE PROPOSED NORTH POINT PROJECT AND YOUR SUGGESTIONS FOR ADDITIONAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING? I THINK THE NORTH POINT WORKFORCE HOUSING NEIGHBORHOOD IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS. UH, BUT I BELIEVE THERE IS SOME CONTINUED WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE G DONE IN REGARDS TO THE DESIGN BECAUSE THE LEVEL OF IMPERVIOUS SURFACE IS WELL ABOVE THE CURRENT ZONING, AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STORM MOD STORM WATER MANAGEMENT IS SYSTEM IS WORKING PROPERLY. IN REGARDS TO OTHER IDEAS FOR WORKFORCE HOUSING, I COMMEND BUSINESSES, UM, THAT GET INVOLVED AND TAKE ON THIS ISSUE BY EITHER BUILDING HOUSING OR LEASING APARTMENTS ON BEHALF OF THEIR WORKFORCE. I'M ALSO AN ADVOCATE FOR LOOKING AT INCENTIVES FOR DEVELOPERS SO THAT THEY TAKE THE RISK AND RECEIVE THE REWARD. IF THEY BUILD WORKFORCE HOUSING AND ADAPTIVE USE OF COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS, WE MUST REVIEW PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS FOR OTHER OPPORTUNITIES. I ALSO THINK WE NEED TO FOCUS ON ADVOCATING FOR HOME OWNERSHIP. A LOT OF THE ONES THAT WE HEAR ABOUT ARE RENTAL UNITS, AND THE GREATEST WAY TO CREATE GENERATIONAL WEALTH IS THROUGH HOME OWNERSHIP. AND LASTLY, I THINK MEASUREMENT IS THE KEY UNDERSTANDING, UH, WHEN WE INVEST MONEY, WHAT WE GET IN RETURN SO THAT WE CAN MAKE BETTER DECISIONS IN THE FUTURE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, DANIEL ANTHONY, WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ON THE PROPOSED NORTH POINT HOUSING PROJECT AND YOUR SUGGESTIONS FOR ADDITIONAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING? THE NORTH POINT PROJECT ON FACE VALUE, I THINK IT'S A GOOD THING. UM, HOWEVER, ANY DEVELOPMENT, BECAUSE I'M IN THE BUSINESS, I HAVE A TENDENCY TO LOOK AT THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS FIRST AND ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES PRIOR TO GIVING A FULL HEADS UP ON IT OR A GREEN LIGHT. THE THINGS I SEE WITH THE NORTH POINT, ALTHOUGH EVERYBODY ELSE HAS STATED THE, THE OBVIOUS WITH IT, THE THINGS I SEE IS WHERE IT'S LOCATED AT. IT'S LOCATED ON THE WESTBOUND LANES OF 2 78 WHEN ALL OF THE WORK IS EAST. IT'S, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT THE TRAFFIC PATTERNS, HOW THEY, HOW WE PLAN ON DEALING WITH THAT, ESPECIALLY WITH THE EXPANSION OF THE CORRIDOR. AND WHAT ABOUT THIS IS GONNA BE FAMILIES IN THERE WITH CHILDREN, UH, THEY'RE GONNA WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL, SO WHERE, HOW ARE THEY GONNA GET TO SCHOOL SAFELY? UM, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT ALL THESE THINGS, THE DRAINAGE, EVERYTHING. BUT ALL IN ALL, I THINK IT'S A GOOD THING. UH, I, I JUST REALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE HOW THEY ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES. AND AS FAR AS MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UH, IT HAS BEEN TALKED ABOUT FOR YEARS TO CONVERT COMMERCIAL SPACE INTO, UH, APARTMENTS OR DORMS OR RENTALS, AND WE HAVE A TON OF BUILDINGS ON THIS ISLAND THAT ARE ABANDONED. IT WOULD BE AN EASY FIX. THE, THE IMPRINTS THERE, THE BUILDING, UH, FOOTPRINTS THERE, THE PARKING'S THERE. UH, I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GOOD STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. THANK YOU. ALEX BROWN, WHAT [00:25:01] IS YOUR POSITION ON THE PROPOSED NORTH POINT HOUSING PROJECT AND YOUR SUGGESTIONS FOR ADDITIONAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING? THANK YOU. UH, FIRST LEMME SAY THAT I'M PLEASED TO HEAR THAT MY POTENTIAL COLLEAGUES ARE IN FAVOR OF HOUSING, IT SOUNDS LIKE TO ME. UM, OBVIOUSLY I'M IN FAVOR OF THE NORTH POINT PROJECT. I'VE WORKED VERY HARD AT THAT ON THE COMMITTEE. UM, I'M JUST GONNA MENTION TWO POINTS, UM, THAT I'M VERY PROUD OF THAT ARE WITHIN THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT. ONE IS THERE'S A CONTROLLED RENT MECHANISM THERE, SO FOLKS WILL NOT PAY MORE THAN 30% OF THEIR INCOME IN THIS HOUSING UNIT. OKAY. I THINK THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO STATE. THE OTHER IS WE TALK A LOT ABOUT HOUSING, BUT WE TEND NOT TO TALK ABOUT THE PEOPLE. THIS PROJECT WILL HAVE PROGRAMMING THAT IS IDEAL FOR WORKING FAMILIES. THERE MAY BE CHILDCARE THERE, THERE MAY BE AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS THERE, BUT THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THOSE THAT COME HERE TO SERVE US AND OUR VISITORS IS VERY IMPORTANT. I THINK WE NEED TO KEEP THAT IN MIND AS WE ARE HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS. I'LL JUST CLOSE WITH, WE ARE SERIOUS ABOUT HOUSING AT THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD. WE CREATED A HOUSING FUND. IT'S GOT $4 MILLION IN IT RIGHT NOW. THOSE MONIES ARE BEING PULLED DOWN FROM A TAX DOLLARS, NOT YOUR PROPERTY TAXES AT TAX DOLLARS. AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I FOUGHT VERY HARD WITH OUR STATE LEGISLATION TO MAKE SURE IT HAPPENED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THE NEXT QUESTION, UH, ONE AND A HALF MINUTES, UH, WE'LL GO TO, UH, REX GARIS. FIRST, WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ON CONTROLLING GROWTH? HOW WILL YOU WORK TO BALANCE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM WITH RESIDENTIAL AND HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS? UM, SO I THINK THAT HILTON HEAD ISLAND HAS PROBABLY GROWN, UM, TOO FAST. AND I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU, YOU, YOU CAN'T PUT THAT GENIE BACK IN THE BOTTLE, BUT YOU CAN BE CAREFUL ABOUT HOW IT CONTINUES TO GROW. AND, AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. AND THE, THE LMO IS A LOT, HAS A LOT TO DO WITH HOW WE CAN CONTROL THAT. UM, I ALSO THINK SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE TO INCREASE, UH, TOURISM ON THE ISLAND, UM, HAVE HAD A NEGATIVE EFFECT. UM, AND I'M PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN DRAWING, UH, VISITORS TO THIS ISLAND THAT SHARE OUR VISION FOR WHAT THIS ISLAND IS LIKE. THIS INCLUDES PEOPLE THAT CARE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT AND HISTORY, UM, PEOPLE THAT CARE ABOUT ARTS AND CULTURE, UM, AND, AND OF COURSE PEOPLE THAT COME FOR GOLF, TENNIS, AND THE BEACH. UM, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US REALLY FOCUS ON DRAWING TOURISM TO THIS ISLAND, UM, THAT CONTRIBUTES TO THE VIBRANCY OF OUR ECONOMY. UM, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT WE ALWAYS DO THAT VERY WELL. AND I THINK THAT IS WHERE WE SEE THE PRESSURE IS FROM, NOT FROM LOCALS WHO ARE LIVING HERE, BUT FROM THE NUMBER OF TOURISTS THAT COME ONTO THE ISLAND. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, MELINDA TONER, WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ON CONTROLLING GROWTH? HOW WILL YOU WORK TO BALANCE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM WITH RESIDENTIAL AND HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS? I WOULD HELP IF I TURN THIS ON, UM, THE NUMBER ONE TOP OF MIND ISSUE THAT I HEAR WHEN I GO OUT AND SPEAK WITH PEOPLE IS ABOUT OVER DEVELOP OVERDEVELOPMENT. AND THE RECENT TRENDS IN ASSESSMENT REPORT SHOW THAT THERE'S 1500 ACRES OF LAND THAT ARE UNDEVELOPED AND READY TO BE DEVELOPED. IF YOU APPLY THE CURRENT ZONING, YOU COULD HAVE AN ADDITIONAL 10 TO 14,000 MORE UNITS ON THE ISLAND. AND IS THAT WHAT WE WANT? SO IN ORDER TO CONTROL THAT, WE NEED TO LOOK AT OUR LMO CHANGES. THE LMO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE COMPLETED LAST YEAR, AND THE TOWN COUNCIL IS STILL WORKING ON IT. AND SO IT'S GONNA BE IMPORTANT TO CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON ALL THOSE COMPONENTS. IN ORDER TO CONTROL OUR GROWTH. WE ALSO NEED TO THOUGHTFULLY PURCHASE GREEN SPACE. UH, THE BEST WAY TO STOP DEVELOPMENT IS TO PURCHASE LAND AND KEEP IT GREEN. AND SO USING THOSE DOLLARS, UH, FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL TAX THAT WAS PASSED, UH, WOULD BE AWAY AS WELL AS REAL ESTATE TAXES. OKAY. THANK YOU. UH, DANIEL ANTHONY, WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ON CONTROLLING GROWTH? HOW WILL YOU WORK TO BALANCE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM WITH RESIDENTIAL AND HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS? THE ONLY WAY THAT I THINK THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO CONTROL ANY KIND OF OVERDEVELOPMENT IS THROUGH ZONING. UH, THE LAND [00:30:01] MANAGEMENT ORDINANCE IS THE TOWN'S BIBLE. AS FAR AS BUILDING GOES, UH, WE HAVE SEEN WHAT THE REWRITE OF 2014 DID. I MEAN, THAT WAS A DEVELOPER'S DREAM. UH, AND THAT'S WHY WE HAVE A LOT OF THE PROBLEMS WE HAVE TODAY. SO THROUGH THIS NEW REWRITE, WE BACKTRACK, GET BETTER, MORE PRUDENT METHODS AND OF DEVELOPING WHERE DO WE DEVELOP, HOW DO WE DEVELOP WHAT NEEDS TO BE CHANGED, WHAT ARE THE USES OF ZONING, WHAT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN OUT, WHAT NEEDS TO BE ADDED IN? THAT'S HOW YOU CONTROL THE OVERDEVELOPMENT ON THE ISLAND. AS FAR AS THE BALANCE BETWEEN THE COMMERCIAL AND THE RESIDENTIAL, WE HAVE TO FIND THAT BALANCE. WE, WE TRULY DO. THIS ISLAND IS GOING TO, IT'S GONNA SELF-DESTRUCT. WE CAN'T KEEP TREATING IT THE WAY WE DO. WE, WE HAVE GONE FAR AND WIDE, UH, WITH DEVELOPMENT AND WITH NOT TAKING THE RESIDENT'S CONCERNS SERIOUSLY. OUR WORKFORCE HAS DIMINISHED CONSIDERABLY. WORKFORCE WILL NEVER GET BACK. AND WE DID THAT TO OURSELVES. SO WE HAVE TO HAVE A BETTER WAY OF GOING FORWARD, AND IT NEEDS TO BE A RES A, A FOCUS THAT IS RESIDENT BASED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALEX BROWN, WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ON CONTROLLING GROWTH? HOW WILL YOU WORK TO BALANCE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM WITH RESIDENTIAL AND HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS? THANK YOU. UM, VERY INTERESTING QUESTION BECAUSE, UH, MANY OF US MAY NOT REMEMBER THAT THERE WAS NOT MUCH GROWTH ON HILTON HEAD BEFORE THE BRIDGE. THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE. MANY OF YOU DECIDED TO COME HERE AND MAKE THIS YOUR HOME. GROWTH MANAGEMENT IS SOMETHING THAT WE TAKE VERY SERIOUSLY. OBVIOUSLY WITH HILTON HEAD BEING AS CLOSE TO BUILD OUT AS IT IS, WE HAVE TO BE VERY INTENTIONAL WITH WHAT'S NEXT. UM, THE WHOLE PROGRESSION HERE, WE APPROVE THE CONFERENCE OF PLAN PLAN BACK IN 2020, AND WE KNEW FROM THAT POINT WE WOULD HAVE TO MOVE FORWARD TO A FUTURE LAND USE MAP. OKAY. AND THAT'S WHERE WE ARE NOW WITH OUR DISTRICT PLANNING. THE KEY TO THIS, HOWEVER, IS NOT JUST TO HAVE A BLANKET APPROACH WHEN IT COMES TO ZONING. WE'VE HEARD THAT A LOT HERE TONIGHT. WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL AND INTENTIONAL ABOUT DIFFERENT AREAS ON HILTON HEAD AND HOW WE WANT TO SEE THEM DEVELOPED. UH, THE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS WERE MENTIONED, THERE ARE SEVERAL PLANS THAT HAVE BEEN PRODUCED OVER THE YEARS THAT WE HAVE TO REFER BACK TO AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE LAND MANAGEMENT REWRITE. AND I ALSO MENTIONED THE GREEN SPACE THAT WAS SPOKE ON EARLIER. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THE TOWN WANTS TO BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN ON PROPERTIES BY THE DIRT, AND WE'VE DONE THAT. THANK YOU. UH, STEVE DESIMONE, WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ON CONTROLLING GROWTH? HOW WILL YOU WORK TO BALANCE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM WITH RESIDENTIAL AND HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS? WELL, LIKE I MENTIONED, UH, WHEN I GOT HERE IN 86, 1 OF MY, ONE OF OUR FIRST, UH, OBJECTIVES WAS TO GET THE LMO WRITTEN AND ADOPTED. AND WE DID THAT. AND PART OF THAT, THE REASON, LEMME BACK UP. THE REASON THE TOWN OF, UH, OF HILTON HEAD DECIDED THEY WANTED TO INCORPORATE WAS THE SHOCK OF THE BUILDING. I THINK IT'S CALLED HILTON HEAD RESORT NOW, BACK IN THE DAY IT WAS CALLED STACK SHACKS. AND IT WAS SHOCKING. AND SO IT, IT, IT PUT THE RIGHT GROUP OF PEOPLE TOGETHER AND THEY DECIDED THAT WE NEED TO, UM, INCORPORATE THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD AND WRITE OUR OWN, WRITE OUR OWN RULES AND RIGS TO CURB THIS KIND OF DEVELOPMENT. WHAT I DIDN'T TELL YOU BEFORE, I THINK IN MY INTRODUCTION, WAS IN 1996, I, I, I RAN AND WAS ELECTED TO TOWN COUNCIL. I'M USED TO SITTING RIGHT HERE. AND I SERVED TWO TERMS ON TOWN COUNCIL. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID, MAYOR TOM PEOPLES, AND MYSELF, AND A FEW OTHERS, IS WE PUT IN THE LAND BANK, WE WERE THE ORIGINATORS OF THE PEOPLE THAT STARTED BUYING PROPERTY TO TAKE IT OFF THE MARKET. SO THAT'S WHAT I'M ALL ABOUT. THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN ABOUT FOR 38 YEARS. WE NEED TO HALT THE PUSH FOR, UH, NEW DEVELOPMENT, AND WE RE NEED TO REVITALIZE OUR BLIGHTED AREAS, UM, RATHER THAN JUST DEVELOP AND GO UNCHECKED, OUR DEVELOPMENT CODES SHOULD PROTECT AND NOT THREATEN THE CHARACTER OF A WELLBEING, OF THE WELLBEING OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. UH, AND MY PLATFORM'S ALWAYS BEEN, ALWAYS BEEN RESIDENTS FIRST. AND THAT'S THE WAY WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE NEW LMO. THANK YOU. AMY FEE. WHAT [00:35:01] IS YOUR POSITION ON CONTROLLING GROWTH? HOW WILL YOU WORK TO BALANCE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM WITH RESIDENTIAL AND HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS? THANK YOU. SO THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS, WE MUST ALWAYS BE SURE TO PUT ISLAND RESIDENTS FIRST AND CONSIDER THE EFFECTS OF EXPANSION ON OUR COMMUNITIES AND OUR HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS. EXPANSION, WHILE BRINGING BETTER ACCESS AND INCREASED SERVICES TO OUR RESIDENTS AND OUR VISITORS. WE SHOULDN'T SACRIFICE OUR LIFESTYLE OR OUR ENVIRONMENT. TOURISM PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN OUR ECONOMY. AND WHEN WE WORK WITH THE CHAMBER TO BRING VISITORS HERE WHO SHARE OUR VALUES, WE CAN ONLY DO BETTER. I BELIEVE IN RIGHT SIZE, BALANCE DEVELOPMENT, AND WE HAVE TOOLS TO USE THAT HAVE BEEN MENTIONED, DENSITY, ZONING, PLANNING, TRANSPORTATION, AND WE SHOULD USE THEM. THEY'RE TOOLS IN THE TOOLBOX. WE NEED INCREASED TRANSPARENCY AND COMMUNICATION FI, FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND CONSENSUS BUILDING. WE HAVE TO LISTEN TO EVERYONE, AND IT'S A PROCESS. I SPENT 20 YEARS IN THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY BEFORE I WENT BACK TO SCHOOL AND WENT TO WORK FOR MORGAN STANLEY, WHERE I BECAME A DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ON THE NATIONAL LEVEL. I'VE SAT AT TABLES ACROSS FROM THE C-SUITE AND WITH TOP PRODUCERS TO REACH AGREEMENT ON THE SOLUTIONS THAT WE COULD PROVIDE FOR OUR CLIENT. THAT TALENT AND THOSE SKILLS ARE TRANSFERABLE RIGHT HERE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, THE FOURTH QUESTION WILL BE THE LAST QUESTION FROM THE LEAGUE DEVELOPED QUESTIONS, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO SWITCH OVER TO THE AUDIENCE QUESTIONS AFTER THIS QUESTION. UH, THE, THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS WAS FOUNDED OVER 100 YEARS AGO IN 1920 CO, SORRY, , UH, COINCIDING WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE 19TH AMENDMENT, WHICH GAVE WOMEN THE RIGHT TO VOTE. SO VOTING HAS LONG BEEN A CORE MISSION OF THE LEAGUE. WITH THAT IN MIND, ARE YOU CONCERNED, UH, THIS WILL GO TO ALEX BROWN? ARE YOU CONCERNED WITH ELECTION INTEGRITY IN REGARD TO PROVIDING EVERY CITIZEN'S RIGHT TO VOTE IN FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS? WHY OR WHY NOT? ONE AND A HALF MINUTES? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. WHAT ? UH, I WILL SAY THAT, UM, IN 2020, I WAS, UH, HUGE ON GETTING FOLKS REGISTERED TO VOTE. OKAY? AND THIS TIME AROUND, I AM AGAIN, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE WARD ONE DATA ALONE WITH THOSE THAT ARE OVER THE AGE OF 18 AND THOSE THAT ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE, THERE'S A 1200 PERSON DIFFERENCE THERE. THAT'S HUGE. WE TEND TO FIND THERE'S A LOT OF VOTER APATHY WITH OUR YOUNG PEOPLE. WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME ENCOURAGING OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TO HAVE A VOICE IN THIS DEMOCRACY. SO YES, I I I THINK THAT THE INTEGRITY OF OUR VOTING SYSTEM IS ABSOLUTELY IMPORTANT, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY IS EDUCATING OUR YOUNG PEOPLE THAT THEIR VOICES DO MATTER. I THINK WE'VE GOTTA DO A BETTER JOB IN THIS COMMUNITY OF THAT. TOO OFTEN THEY FEEL AS IF THEY'RE ANNOYED. THAT IS NOT THE CASE. AND REMEMBER, THAT'S OUR FUTURE. 30 YEARS, THEY WILL FILL THIS ROOM, NOT US. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, I SHOULD MENTION THAT I WAS AT THE HILTON HEAD HIGH SCHOOL TODAY WHERE WE BASICALLY WE'RE TRYING TO COMMUNICATE WITH ABOUT 300 STUDENTS DURING LUNCH HOUR. SO YOU CAN IMAGINE, UH, HOW, UH, SUCCESSFUL WE WERE. BUT, UH, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF PROGRAMS GOING, AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL CONTINUE TO MAKE PROGRESS. THANK YOU, ALEX. UH, THE NEXT THIS QUESTION FOR DANIEL ANTHONY, ARE YOU CONCERNED WITH ELECTION INTEGRITY IN REGARD TO PROVIDING EVERY CITIZEN'S RIGHT TO VOTE IN FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS? WHY OR WHY NOT? NO, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT IT. I'M CONCERNED WITH, AND LET ME SAY THIS, I THINK EVERYONE SHOULD VOTE. UH, NOBODY SHOULD BE LEFT OUT EVEN IN THIS ELECTION THAT WE HAVE BETWEEN ME AND ALEX HERE. I DON'T WANT ANYBODY TO BE LEFT OUT WHETHER THEY'RE VOTING FOR ME OR NOT. UM, I WANNA SEE EVERYBODY VOTE. NOW, ALEX HAS MENTIONED THAT HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE REGISTERED AND HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE NOT. WE DID A DEEP DIVE TOO, AND FOUND OUT HOW MANY REGISTERED VOTERS ACTUALLY VOTED. IT'S, IT'S ALARMING HOW MANY PEOPLE SIT AT HOME AND DON'T VOTE FOR WHATEVER REASON. A LOT OF THAT IS, I'VE GOT YOUNG KIDS, WELL, I'M NOT [00:40:01] YOUNG, THEY'RE IN THEIR THIRTIES NOW. THEY DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY ARE IMPORTANT. THEY DON'T FEEL LIKE THEIR VOTE MATTERS. THEY FEEL LIKE THE RICH ARE ALWAYS GONNA CONTROL EVERYTHING. AND PART OF THE REASON WHY I'M RUNNING IS TO SHOW THEM THAT THIS, THIS LITTLE GUY HERE, THIS POOR GUY HERE, HE'S GONNA MAKE A DIFFERENCE. I NEED EVERYBODY TO BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN WARD ONE TO FEEL JUST LIKE I DO. AND I AM REACHING OUT TO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. I WANNA SEE EVERYBODY VOTE THIS YEAR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, NEXT QUESTION, UH, FOR, UH, STEVE DESIMONE, ARE YOU CONCERNED WITH ELECTION INTEGRITY IN REGARD TO PROVIDING EVERY CITIZEN'S RIGHT TO VOTE IN FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS? WHY AND WHY OR WHY NOT? WELL, I, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S OBVIOUS THAT WE ALL WANT EVERYONE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE. SO, UH, YOU KNOW, DO I THINK IT'S FAIR? UM, MOSTLY I DO THINK IT'S FAIR. UH, DO I THINK ENOUGH PEOPLE WERE VOTING? NO. UH, EARLIER IT WAS MENTIONED ABOUT THE YOUTH. WHEN I WAS ON TOWN COUNCIL IN 1996 TO 2002. I WAS 36 YEARS OLD, AND I WAS OUT IN AGE BY 30 YEARS IN EVERY MEETING THAT I WAS IN IT REALLY? AND IT, AND IT MADE A DIFFERENCE. IT MADE A DIFFERENCE. THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY WANTED TO HEAR WHAT THE YOUNG GUY HAD TO SAY. THE GUY THAT'S BEEN BEEN, UH, IN THE TRENCHES, RIGHT? DID THEY ACT ON IT ALL THE TIME? ABSOLUTELY NOT. BUT WHAT I'D LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN IN THE TOWN IS I'D LIKE TO SEE OUR YOUTH, OUR 30 YEAR OLDS, OUR 40 YEAR OLDS RIGHT UP HERE. AND WE GOTTA FIGURE A WAY TO DO THAT. AND THE ONLY WAY THAT WE CAN DO THAT IS BECAUSE THEY ARE WORKING INDIVIDUALS, IS WE HAVE TO INCENTIVIZE IT TO ALLOW THE YOUTH TO RUN FOR OFFICE. AND IF YOU GET THE YOUTH IN OFFICE AND WE GET SOME 30, 40 YEAR OLDS UP HERE, THEN 30 AND 40 YEAR OLDS WILL BE IN THE AUDIENCE, AND IT'LL MAKE A DIFFERENCE. THINGS WILL CHANGE FOR US. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THAT'S A VERY GOOD POINT WITH GETTING THE YOUTH INVOLVED. AND SO WE ARE ALSO WORKING ON THAT AS WELL. UM, OKAY. SO THE NEXT QUESTION, UH, FOR AMY FEE, ARE YOU CONCERNED WITH ELECTION INTEGRITY IN REGARD TO PROVIDING EVERY CITIZEN'S RIGHT TO VOTE IN FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS? WHY OR WHY NOT? THANK YOU. SO THE FIRST THING I, I THINK WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT IS GETTING THOSE 30 AND 40 YEAR OLDS LIVING HERE ON THE ISLAND IF THEY'RE GONNA PARTICIPATE IN GOVERNMENT. SO THAT'S THE FIRST THING. UM, I DO HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT, UM, ABOUT GERRYMANDERING AND ABOUT PURGING OF VOTER ROLLS. THAT CONCERNS ME. I'M NOT CONCERNED WITH ELECTION INTEGRITY, LIKE MELINDA, I WAS ALSO A POLL WORKER, AND I'VE SEEN THE STEPS AND THE PROCESSES OF WHAT TAKES PLACE IN AN ELECTION. YOUNG PEOPLE, SOMETIMES THEY'RE APATHETIC. THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON. SOME OF US OLDER FOLKS DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON BECAUSE WE'RE INVOLVED WITH OUR OWN LIFE. AND I THINK IF WE BETTER COMMUNICATE TO THEM THROUGH THEIR VEHICLES, WE'LL GET MORE PARTICIPATION. IF WE DO MORE FUN STUFF LIKE THE JONESVILLE BARBECUE AND THE MUDDY CREEK BARBECUE TO GET INPUT AND GET PEOPLE INVOLVED, I THINK THAT'LL MAKE THAT HAPPEN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MELINDA TURNER. UH, ARE YOU CONCERNED WITH ELECTION INTEGRITY IN REGARD TO PROVIDING EVERY CITIZEN'S RIGHT TO VOTE IN FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS? WHY OR WHY NOT? I AM CONCERNED ABOUT ELECTION INTEGRITY, AND THAT'S WHY I GOT INVOLVED IN BEING A PRECINCT WORKER DURING ELECTION DAY. UM, I AM A TYPE OF PERSON WHERE I, IF I FEEL THERE'S AN ISSUE, I WANNA GET INVOLVED. I DON'T WANNA SIT ON THE SIDELINES AND SECOND GUESS. AND SO WHEN WE MOVED HERE, THAT'S WHAT I DID. I'VE BEEN WORKING THE POLLS FOR OVER FOUR YEARS, AND IT WAS AN EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCE, AND I LEFT FEELING VERY GOOD ABOUT WHAT I SAW. AND IT ALL STARTS WITH WELCOMING THE REGISTERED ROTOR AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY HAVE A VALID ID SO THAT YOU CAN CONFIRM WHO THEY ARE, UH, BEFORE THEY START THE VOTING PROCESS. AND THEN WE GO THROUGH THE VOTING PROCESS AND COMPLETE IT. IT IS SCANNED, IT IS ALSO SAVED THAT BALLOT IS SAVED SO THAT IT CAN ALWAYS BE THERE IN CASE YOU NEED TO DO AN AUDIT AND YOU NEED TO CIRCLE BACK. AND THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE RUNNING THOSE, UH, POLLING LOCATIONS. IT IS REALLY STRESSFUL BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE NIGHT, YOU HAVE TO ACCOUNT FOR EVERY SINGLE BALLOT. YOU START OFF WITH. SO MANY, SO [00:45:01] MANY ARE PROCESSED. YOU HAVE TO ACCOUNT FOR EVERY SINGLE BALLOT. AND IF YOU CAN'T ACCOUNT FOR EVERY SINGLE BALLOT, THERE IS A PROBLEM. AND SO, AS I SAID, I FEEL VERY GOOD ABOUT THE PROCESS AND THE TRAINING, UH, HERE. AND AGAIN, IF YOU HAVE CONCERNS, GO AHEAD AND GET INVOLVED. I THINK YOU'LL BE IMPRESSED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, REX, UH, ARE YOU CONCERNED WITH ELECTION INTEGRITY IN REGARD TO PROVIDING EVERY CITIZEN'S RIGHT TO VOTE IN FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS? WHY OR WHY NOT? UH, I, I BELIEVE IN OUR DEMOCRACY, AND I HAVE GREAT FAITH IN OUR ELECTIONS. UM, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT, I THINK IN, IN THIS PARTICULAR ELECTION, WHAT THE OTHER CANDIDATES MIGHT NOT HAVE MENTIONED IS THE TOWN COUNCIL IS A NONPARTISAN ELECTION. AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT WHEN THEY VOTE THAT THEY'RE VOTING ON US, BASED ON WHAT WE SAY AND OUR, LIKE, INDIVIDUAL VALUES. AND THIS, THESE LOCAL ELECTIONS MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE. UM, EVERY ELECTION THAT I VOTED IN, I BROUGHT MY YOUNG SON WITH ME. UM, AND THAT'S 'CAUSE I WANNA INSTILL IN HIM THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO VOTE IN EVERY ELECTION. AND HE GETS THE LITTLE ELECTION STICKER THAT SAYS, I VOTED, AND HE WEARS IT FOR LIKE A MONTH. AND THE FUNNIEST THING IS THE, THE, THE LAST TIME HE GOT THE STICKER AND PUT IT ON, HE HAD THE WAX PAPER FROM THE BACK OF IT, AND HE'S LIKE, HE, HE, IN THE POLLING PLACE, HE SAYS, WHERE'S YOUR RECYCLING ? AND, AND SO LIKE, YOUTH ARE REALLY IMPORTANT AND WE CAN INSPIRE THEM WITH OUR ACTIONS, UM, AND BY ADDRESSING ISSUES THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO THEM. AND I THINK WE SHOULD DO THAT. UM, AND I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO VOTE IN THIS ELECTION. THANK YOU. UH, I SHOULD ALSO SAY THAT, UH, PAIGE COPE RUNNING IN, UH, WARD SIX WAS INVITED, BUT SHE HAD A CONFLICT, SO SHE WAS UNABLE TO ATTEND TONIGHT, BUT SHE WAS INVITED. OKAY. SO AUDIENCE QUESTION NUMBER ONE, AND THIS WILL GO, I'M GONNA GO BACK TO MY ORIGINAL ROTATION. DANIEL ANTHONY, UM, ONE OF OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS HAS PROPOSED PASSING LEGISLATION THAT WOULD PROHIBIT MUNICIPALITIES FROM REDISTRICTING SHORT TERM. DO YOU SUPPORT SUCH LEGISLATION? I I THINK I MEANT RESTRICTING SHORT TERM RENTALS. IS THAT CORRECT? WELL, THAT'S OKAY. SORRY. YEAH. COULD YOU READ THAT AGAIN, PLEASE? THAT'S WHAT IT'S OKAY. LEMME REREAD IT. ONE OF OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS HAS PROPOSED PASS PASSING LEGISLATION THAT WOULD PROHIBIT MUNICIPALITIES FROM RESTRICTING SHORT TERM RENTALS. DO YOU SUPPORT SUCH LEGISLATION? NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT. IT GOES AGAINST THEIR VALUE, OUR TRADITIONAL VALUE OF HOME RULE. MUNICIPAL MUNICIPALITIES, LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES SHOULD CONTROL THEIR OWN LOCAL COMMUNITIES. THE STATE SHOULDN'T GET INVOLVED IN THAT. I, I DON'T AGREE WITH THAT. NO WAY, SHAPE OR FORM. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, ALEX BROWN, ONE OF OUR, I'VE GOT A QUESTION. I'M GOOD. OH, YOU OKAY? YES. THANK YOU, MS. KAY. UM, NO, I, I DON'T AGREE WITH, UH, I THINK A SENATE BILL 9 53. WE, WE SHOULD ABSOLUTELY HAVE CONTROL OF OUR OWN DESTINY HERE LOCALLY. UM, THE TOWN IS CURRENTLY IN THE MIDST OF, UH, FURTHER REGULATING SHORT-TERM RENTALS ON ITS OWN. UH, WE HAVE DONE A VERY, UH, GOOD JOB IN, IN MY OPINION, IN GATHERING DATA SO THAT WE CAN CREATE REGULATIONS THAT MAKE SENSE FOR OUR RESIDENTS AND ALSO MAKES SENSE FOR THE INDUSTRY. IT IS A TU AND PULL, UH, I THINK WE'RE GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION WITH, UH, LOOKING AT PARKING, UH, AND OCCUPANCY. UH, THOSE, THOSE, UH, CODES ARE GOING TO BE WRITTEN HERE IN THE VERY SHORT TERM. AND I THINK WHAT WE'LL SEE IS THAT WE'VE GOT A FEW BAD ACTORS OUT HERE THAT ARE NOT DOING WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING. IF WE HAVE, UH, GOOD REGULATIONS AND GOOD ENFORCEMENTS, WE WILL START TO ROOT THEM OUT. UH, SO NO TO THE QUESTION OF SUPPORTING IT AND YES, TO US MOVING FORWARD WITH FURTHER REGULATIONS THAT MAKE SENSE FOR OUR PARTICULAR AREA. THANK YOU. STEVE DEONE, DO YOU SUPPORT RESTRICTING SHORT TERM RENTALS? I, I GOT THAT. UM, , UH, BILL 9 53 IS DEAD. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW THAT OR NOT, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S A DEAD BILL. WE WERE TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT, THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. AND IN MY LIFETIME, IT'LL PROBABLY NOT COME BACK UP. SO, UM, NO, I DIDN'T SUPPORT IT EITHER. UM, BUT AS FAR AS SHORT-TERM RENTALS GO, I THINK WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE AND THE WORKSHOPS THAT I'VE BEEN IN AND THE EXISTING COUNCIL TALKING [00:50:01] ABOUT IT, I KNOW IT'S PROBABLY, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW FOR SURE, BUT IT MAY LAND ON THE NEW COUNCIL. IT MAY GET TAKEN CARE OF BEFORE THE ELECTION. BUT, UM, YEAH, I, I'M FOR, UM, SOME RESTRICTIONS ON SHORT TERM RENTAL. I THINK MOST OF YOU KNOW THAT, UH, MAYBE YOU DON'T. ABOUT THREE OR FOUR YEARS AGO, THERE WERE ONLY 1500 SHORT-TERM RENTALS, AND NOW THERE'S OVER 7,000 SHORT-TERM RENTALS. AND, AND I ATTRIBUTE THAT, AND I THINK EVERYONE ELSE WOULD TOO, TO COVID. SO WHEN THE REST OF THE WORLD WAS SHUT DOWN, HILTON HEAD WAS A PLAYGROUND. AND, AND I APPRECIATED THAT. TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. UH, MY FAMILY, MY GIRLS, THEY ALL CAME HOME BECAUSE THEY WERE SHUT DOWN WHERE THEY WERE, THE COLLEGES AND THEIR JOBS. AND I GOT TO BE WITH MY FAMILY FOR QUITE SOME TIME, AND WE HAD A GREAT TIME. UH, NOT THAT I WON ANOTHER COVID, BUT WE HAD A GREAT TIME. UM, BUT, UH, YEAH, THERE'S SOME RESTRICTIONS THAT NEED TO BE PUT ON SHORT-TERM RENTALS, BUT AS FAR AS ELIMINATING THEM, ABSOLUTELY NOT. IT'S THE, IT'S ONE OF OUR LIFELINES. IT'S ONE OF OUR LIFELINES FOR HILTON HEAD, AND WE HAVE TO HAVE THEM. THANK YOU. A AMY FEE, UH, DO YOU SUPPORT RESTRICTING SHORT-TERM RENTALS? SO, I SUPPORT PUTTING GUIDELINES IN PLACE FOR SHORT-TERM RENTALS AS FAR AS OCCUPANCY PARKING RESTRICTIONS, THINGS LIKE THAT, THINGS THAT WILL IMPACT RESIDENTIALS, UH, RESIDENTS WHO LIVE RIGHT NEXT TO THEM. UH, WHEN WE MOVED DOWN HERE FULL TIME, 11 YEARS AGO, UH, ALL OF THE HOMES IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD WE'RE ALL RESIDENTS. NOW THAT'S CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY. I'M SURROUNDED BY SHORT-TERM RENTALS, AND WHILE I LIVE IN FOREST BEACH CLOSE TO THE OCEAN, IT WAS ON THE OCEAN SIDE WHERE ALL THE SHORT-TERM RENTALS WERE NOT ON THE LAND SIDE WHERE WE WERE. SO THINGS HAVE SHIFTED, BUT I WILL SAY THAT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS BECOME A HOST THESE DAYS. AND THERE'S A MARKET SATURATION OUT THERE ON THE NUMBER OF SHORT TERM RENTAL PROPERTIES. AND I THINK WHAT YOU'RE GONNA SEE IS THE MARKETS ARE GONNA ACHIEVE AN EQUILIBRIUM, AND SOME OF THOSE SHORT TERM RENTALS ARE GONNA MOVE TO A LONG TERM FIX BECAUSE THEY CAN'T SUPPORT, UM, THEY'LL HAVE A 12 MONTH CASH FLOW INSTEAD OF JUST A FEW WEEKS OUT OF THE YEAR, BECAUSE THERE ARE JUST SO MANY OF THEM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. REX. GAR, DO YOU SUPPORT SHORT TERM RESTRICTING SHORT TERM RENTALS? UM, I, I DO NOT SUPPORT THE STATE, UM, NOT ALLOWING US TO MAKE DECISIONS THAT AFFECT OUR TOWN, UM, RIGHT HERE, UM, WITH TOWN COUNCIL. AND I THINK EVERYONE THAT'S RUNNING IS PROBABLY IN AGREEMENT WITH THAT. UH, THE THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT IS THAT THE TOWN HAS A GREAT WEBSITE ABOUT SHORT TERM RENTAL COMPLAINTS, AND THEY HAVE REALLY BEEN TRYING TO MANAGE THIS ISSUE. AND FEWER THAN 10 PROPERTIES ACCOUNT FOR MORE THAN 25% OF THE COMPLAINTS. UM, AND SO, UH, I AGREE WITH ALEX THAT IT'S AN ISSUE OF, OF AN ENFORCEMENT AND RESOLVING THESE PROBLEMATIC, UM, PROPERTIES. UH, AND THE TOWN COUNCIL REALLY SHOULD WORK TO DO THAT. WE DON'T WANT THE STATE TO TELL US WHAT TO DO. UM, WE WANNA LOOK AT THIS PROBLEM AND, AND, AND FIND A LOCAL SOLUTION TO IT. THANK YOU, MELINDA TANNER, HOW DO YOU SUPPORT RESTRICTING SHORT TERM RENTALS? IT WOULD BE A NO . I DO NOT, UH, SUPPORT THAT LAW. I BELIEVE IN HOME RULE. I THINK LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES SHOULD BE THE ONES MAKING THE DECISIONS AS TO HOW THEY WANNA HANDLE SHORT-TERM RENTALS BECAUSE THEY UNDERSTAND THEIR UNIQUE MARKETPLACE AND THEIR TOURISM MODEL. AND I THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT THAT PRIVATE COMMUNITIES HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE ON HOW THEY WOULD LIKE TO HA HANDLE SHORT-TERM RENTALS AS WELL. UH, IN REGARDS TO THE RULES REGARDING SHORT TERM RENTALS, I'M IN AGREEMENT WITH THE APPROACH OF THE WORKSHOPS THAT THE TOWN IS DOING AND ADDING ADDITIONAL, UH, REQUIREMENTS, FINES, INSPECTIONS, PARKING LIMITS. I THINK THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO, BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO BALANCE IS WE WANT TO PROTECT THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF OUR RESIDENTS AND ALSO PROVIDE A GREAT VISITOR EXPERIENCE. NOW, IN REGARDS TO THE COMPLAINTS, THERE IS A WEBSITE ON THE TOWN, AND IT SHOWS A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS, BUT IN MY OPINION, THAT DOES NOT REFLECT THE ENTIRE AMOUNT OF COMPLAINTS. MOST SHORT-TERM RENTALS ARE IN GATED COMMUNITIES, AND MOST COMPLAINTS GO TO THEIR SECURITY OR THEIR POA OFFICE. SO ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK WE NEED TO DO IS IMPROVE THE MEASUREMENT AND BE MORE HOLISTIC SO THAT WE CAN GET A BETTER IDEA OF HOW MANY COMPLAINTS THERE ARE. THANK YOU. THE NEXT QUESTION, [00:55:01] AUDIENCE QUESTION, UH, AND THIS GOES TO, UM, STEVE DESIMONE. WOULD YOU CONSIDER IMPOSING A SIX MONTH MORATORIUM ON ALL NEW COMMERCIAL BUILDING AND ALL NEW CONDOMINIUM TOWNHOUSE CONSTRUCTION? IF NOT, WHY NOT A LONG QUESTION. I'M NOT IN FAVOR OF A MORATORIUM. I THINK WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS WE NEED TO GET OUR BUTTON GEAR. WE NEED TO GET OUR LMO FIXED, AND WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF THAT SITUATION INSIDE, NOT OUTSIDE. UM, YOU KNOW, BACK IN THE DAY, WE, WE ENACTED A COUPLE MORATORIUMS AND IT DIDN'T GO OVER VERY WELL. IT'S, UH, FORCING AN ISSUE, UH, RATHER THAN FIXING AN ISSUE IS, FOR ME, IS NOT THE ANSWER. I JUST, I JUST THINK WE NEED TO DO IT THROUGH, UM, THROUGH, THROUGH A REWRITE AND GET IT ADOPTED. THANK YOU. AMY FEE. WOULD YOU CONSIDER IMPOSING A SIX MONTH MORATORIUM ON NEW COMMERCIAL BUILDING AND NEW, UH, CONDOMINIUM CONSTRUCTION? IF NOT, WHY NOT? SO I WOULDN'T SUPPORT A SIX MONTH MORATORIUM AT THIS POINT IN TIME. WE WE'RE IN THIS ROOM JUST THE OTHER DAY AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT CHANGES TO THE LAND MANAGEMENT ORDINANCE. UM, THE, THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT HAD A WHOLE LIST OF EXEMPTIONS THAT THEY COULD MAKE IN RESPECT TO BUFFERS AND SETBACKS AND THINGS LIKE THAT WITHOUT, WITHOUT CONFERRING WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. SO THEY WERE ABLE TO MAKE EXCEPTIONS RATHER THAN FOLLOW THE RULE. SO THAT LIST, AND IT WAS A BIG LIST, HAS BEEN PUT ASIDE AND RETIRED FOR THE MOMENT. SO I THINK FUTURE BUILDS WITHOUT USING THAT EXEMPTION LIST, THAT AUTOMATED EXEMPTION LIST THAT THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT COULD PUT IN PLACE WITHOUT NOTICE TO THE RES THE AREA RESIDENTS, UM, IS A GOOD THING. AND I THINK WITH THE LMO REWRITE COMING ON BOARD, AND WE'LL GET IT DONE SOME OF IT SOONER RATHER THAN LATER, UM, I THINK THAT'LL HELP US TREMENDOUSLY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. REX. GARIC, WOULD YOU CONSIDER A SIX MONTH MORATORIUM MORATORIUM ON ALL NEW COMMERCIAL BUILDING AND ALL NEW CONDOMINIUM TOWNHOUSE CONSTRUCTION? IF NOT, WHY NOT? UH, NO, I WOULD NOT SUPPORT THAT. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT PEOPLE WANT A SIMPLE SOLUTION TO A COMPLEX PROBLEM, , BUT THAT'S, I DON'T THINK THE SOLUTION THAT WE NEED. I THINK IT'S AN, IT, IT, IT'S, IT INVOLVES PEOPLE'S, UM, RIGHTS AND THE LMO AND THERE'S A LOT OF COMPLICATED FACTORS THERE. YES, I THINK THAT THE SOLUTION NEEDS TO COME FROM THE TOWN AND, UH, IT, IT HAS TO COME THROUGH THE LMO. ONE OF THE ISSUES AFFECTS PARCELS OF LAND WHEN THEY'RE ACQUIRED AND ADDED TOGETHER THAT YOU HAVE HIGHER DENSITY THAT'S ALLOWED AND THAT CREATES A HUGE ISSUE. AND THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE A, LIKE A, A SIX UNIT PER ACRE, UM, UH, PROPERTY IN ONE NEIGHBORHOOD, AND THEN A DEVELOPER ACQUIRES A LOT OF LAND, LUMPS IT TOGETHER, AND THEN HAS 12 OR OR 18, UM, UNITS PER ACRE. AND IT'S OUT OF SCALE AND OUT OF SCOPE WITH WHAT THAT NEIGHBORHOOD SHOULD BE LIKE. AND SO THAT HAS TO BE ADDRESSED, I THINK, WITH THE LMO AND I AGREE THAT IT SHOULD BE DONE, UM, THAT IT SHOULD BE DONE QUICKLY, UH, BECAUSE ONCE THIS LAND'S DEVELOPED, YOU CAN'T UN DEVELOP IT. BUT NO, I, I, I DON'T, I DON'T SUPPORT, UM, MORATORIUM, I SUPPORT QUICK ACTION BY TOWN COUNCIL. THANK YOU. MELINDA TONER. WOULD YOU CONSIDER IMPOSING A SIX MONTH MORATORIUM ON ALL NEW COMMERCIAL BUILDING IN ALL NEW CONDOMINIUM TOWNHOUSE CONSTRUCTION? IF NOT, WHY NOT? UM, I DO NOT AGREE WITH A MORATORIUM FOR COMMERCIAL OR CONDOMINIUM DEVELOPMENT. I THINK WE NEED TO KEEP OUR DOORS OPEN AND, UH, THE REASON WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS IS BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T ADDRESSED THE LMO. AND SO I THINK THAT'S WHERE THE PRESSURE NEEDS TO BE APPLIED, AND THAT'S WHERE THE WORK NEEDS TO BE DONE TO GET THE LMO DONE. IF THE LMO WAS DONE, WE WOULDN'T BE HAVING A QUESTION LIKE THIS ASKING FOR A MORATORIUM ON FUTURE GROWTH. SO IT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THAT THAT GETS COMPLETED. THANK YOU. DANIEL. ANTHONY, WOULD YOU CONSIDER IMPOSING A SIX MONTH MORATORIUM ON ALL NEW COMMERCIAL BUILDING AND ALL NEW CONDOMINIUM TOWNHOUSE CONSTRUCTION? IF NOT, WHY NOT? WELL, I REALLY WISH YOU WOULD'VE ASKED ME THIS TWO YEARS AGO. UM, AT THAT TIME I WOULD'VE TOLD YOU, UH, ABSOLUTELY. UH, THE DEVASTATION THAT WE SAW IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD ON JONESVILLE WITH THE CLEAR CUTTING OF 29 ACRES WAS MORE THAN ANYBODY COULD STAND, AND WE ABSOLUTELY HAD NO CLUE WHAT WAS GOING ON. NOBODY TOLD US, UH, THERE WAS NO RULES FOR SOMEBODY TELLING US, THEY JUST DIDN'T. [01:00:01] SO BACK THEN, I WOULD'VE SAID YES. WITH, OVER THAT COURSE OF TIME WITH THINGS CHANGING AND THE LMO BEING ADDRESSED AND WE GOT SOME THINGS DONE, I WOULD SAY NOW, NO, I WOULDN'T SUPPORT IT, BUT I LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, I JUST WANT PEOPLE TO GET THINGS DONE AND, UM, I THINK THEY'RE MOVING. OKAY. I REALLY WISH THEY'D MOVE A LITTLE FASTER, BUT I UNDERSTAND WHY THEY CAN'T MOVE AS FAST AS I WANT 'EM TO MOVE. BUT NO, I WOULDN'T SUPPORT IT. NO, THANK YOU. ALEX BROWN. WOULD YOU CONSIDER A SIX MONTH MORATORIUM ON ALL NEW COMMERCIAL AND CONDOMINIUM DEVELOPMENT CONSTRUCTION? IF NOT, WHY NOT? WHEN I, WHEN I WAS COACHING, I WOULD TELL THE KIDS TO KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL. UH, OBVIOUSLY WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE ISSUES WHEN IT COMES TO GROWTH MANAGEMENT HERE ON HILTON HEAD, AND THE TOWN HAS TAKEN THE APPROPRIATE STEPS TO DEAL WITH THAT THROUGH OUR DISTRICT PLANNING AND LMO REWRITE. UH, PART OF THE QUESTION MENTIONED COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS. I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THIS IS WHY THE DISCUSSION IS SO IMPORTANT, BECAUSE WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR COMMERCIAL BUILDING INVENTORY, WE'VE GOT DILAPIDATED BUILDINGS, WE'VE GOT RESTAURANTS THAT HAVE BEEN LONGSTANDING ON HILTON HEAD THAT ARE MOVING ELSEWHERE, BUT IT'S NOT JUST FLIPPING THE SWITCH WITH A QUICK LMO CHANGE IS UNDERSTANDING OUR CONDITIONS, UNDERSTANDING OUR TRENDS HERE ON HILTON HEAD SO THAT WE'RE MAKING QUALIFIED DECISIONS ABOUT OUR FUTURE GROWTH PATTERNS. SO NO, I DON'T SUPPORT A MORATORIUM, BUT WHAT I DO SUPPORT IS AS WE'RE GIVING STAFF DIRECTION, WE ARE VERY CONCISE WITH THAT DIRECTION, THE STAKEHOLDER, THE WORK THAT THEY NEED TO DO TO BRING BACK POLICY FOR US TO ACTUALLY VOTE AND TAKE ACTION ON. THANK YOU. UH, THE NEXT AUDIENCE QUESTION. HOW DO YOU PLAN ON HANDLING EVENTUAL CONFLICTS WITH OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS OR COMMITTEE MEMBERS, UH, WITH OPPOSING VIEWS? AND THAT WILL GO TO, UM, RE GAR ONE AND A HALF MINUTES. HOW DO YOU PLAN ON HANDLING, UH, CONTROVERSIES AND CONFLICTS? YOU KNOW, UH, UH, I THINK THERE'S, THERE'S SORT OF A AREA THAT WE SHOULD BE OPEN FOR HEALTHY DEBATE AND DIFFERENCES OF OPINION. AND I, I APPRECIATE THOSE. I'VE HAD PEOPLE SHARE IDEAS THAT AT FIRST I, I DIDN'T AGREE WITH, AND THEN I CAME AROUND TO UNDERSTANDING, UM, WHY THEY WERE ARGUING THAT POINT. AND, AND I'M CAPABLE OF CHANGING MY MIND BASED ON WHAT I HEAR, UM, FROM OTHER PEOPLE. AND I DON'T KNOW ALL OF MY CONSTITUENTS. AND SO I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM THEM. AND I THINK THE TOWN COUNCIL SHOULD, UH, OPERATE IN THE SAME WAY. I THINK THAT WE SHOULD HAVE DISCUSSIONS LIKE, LIKE AT TOWN COUNCIL OUT IN THE OPEN ABOUT DIFFERENCES OF OPINION AND COME TO A RESOLUTION. AND, AND I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE ONCE WE COME TO THAT RESOLUTION, WE NEED TO DIRECT THE TOWN WITH A, WITH A UNIFIED VOICE, UM, AND ALLOW THE TOWN MANAGER AND TOWN STAFF TO DO THEIR JOBS. AND SO I THINK ONCE THOSE DECISIONS, UM, ARE MADE, WE HAVE TO, UH, SORT OF GIVE, UM, THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CARRYING THAT OUT, CARRYING WHAT WE, WHAT WE APPROVE OUT TO THE TOWN, UM, AND ALLOWING THEM TO, TO DO THEIR JOB WITHOUT ADDITIONAL, UM, UM, SORT OF BACK AND FORTH, UH, DIFFERENCES OF OPINION AT TOWN COUNCIL. THANK YOU, MELINDA TENNER, HOW DO YOU PLAN ON HANDLING CONFLICTS WITH VARIOUS TOWN COUNCIL MEMBERS AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS? UM, IN MY CAREER, I HAD TO MANAGE SOME VERY LARGE PROJECTS THAT IMPACTED A LOT OF PEOPLE. AND SO I'VE HAD A CAREER IN OF EXPERIENCE DEALING WITH, UH, DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW AND HAVING TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER WITH A COMMON PURPOSE AND A COMMON GOAL. AND YOU DO THAT THROUGH DIALOGUE. AND I THINK THE APPROACH THAT THE TOWN IS TAKING NOW IS THE RIGHT APPROACH. AND IT'S ABOUT MORE WORKSHOPS, BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE NOTICED. I'VE BEEN ATTENDING MEETINGS FOR 14 MONTHS NOW, UH, AND I'VE NOTICED THAT IT'S DIFFICULT WHEN THE TIME THAT THEY TALK IS THE TIME THAT THEY'RE VOTING AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE SITTING UP HERE. I THINK IT'S SO, UM, VALUABLE THAT THEY HAVE THE WORKSHOPS WHERE THEY CAN ACTUALLY HAVE A DIALOGUE WITH EACH OTHER AND TALK ABOUT THEIR, THEIR [01:05:01] FEELINGS AND OPINIONS ABOUT THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT. WHAT THAT DOES IS IT ALLOWS YOU NEW PERSPECTIVES. IT MIGHT CHANGE YOUR OPINION, AND YOU CAN COME TO A MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL, BENEFICIAL AGREEMENT. SO I THINK IT'S A CHANGE IN PROCESS, AND IT'S ALSO A MUTUAL RESPECT. THANK YOU. UH, THE NEXT QUESTION, UH, DANIEL ANTHONY, HOW DO YOU PLAN ON HANDLING CONFLICTS WITH VARIOUS TOWN COUNCIL MEMBERS AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS WITH OPPOSING VIEWS? WELL, I THINK YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD. THE REASON WHY YOU HAVE THE CONFLICT IN THE FIRST PLACE IS BECAUSE YOU HAVE AN OPPOSING VIEW. SO IN ORDER FOR SOMEBODY TO RESPECT YOUR POINT OF VIEW, YOU HAVE TO RESPECT THEIRS. THE ONLY WAY THAT YOU'RE GOING TO GET AHEAD IS IF YOU COMMUNICATE WITH ONE ANOTHER. YOU RESPECT ONE ANOTHER, AND YOU TALK THROUGH THE PROBLEM. THERE IS ALWAYS SOME AREA WHERE YOU CAN FIND, YOU CAN COMPROMISE ALWAYS, IN EVERYTHING I'VE EVER DONE IN MY LIFE. I'VE BEEN IN MY BUSINESS NOW FOR OVER 30 YEARS. I'VE BEEN ON HILTON HEAD FOR OVER 40 YEARS. I CAME FROM A FAMILY OF EIGHT KIDS. SO THERE IS, I, A CONFLICT IS NOTHING NEW TO ME. SO YOU, BUT YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO PEOPLE AND YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO RESPECT THEM IF YOU WANT THEM TO RESPECT YOU. NOW, SOMETIMES YOU ARE JUST GOING TO AGREE TO DISAGREE, WHICH IS WHY I'M HERE TODAY. BECAUSE ME AND ALEX DON'T SEE EYE TO EYE ON SOME THINGS. DOESN'T MEAN I HAVE A CONFLICT WITH HIM. WE JUST DON'T AGREE. WE AGREE TO DISAGREE AND THAT'S IT. BUT YOU HAVE TO FIND THAT. YOU HAVE TO COMMUNICATE. YOU HAVE TO, THAT'S THE ONLY WAY YOU'RE GONNA GET THROUGH THOSE CONFLICTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, AND THAT ALEX BROWN, HOW DO YOU PLAN ON HANDLING CONFLICTS WITH OPPOSING, UH, POINTS OF VIEW WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS? ONE OF MY LIFELONG FRIENDS AND I STARTED OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH A FIST FIGHT . CAN'T REMEMBER WHY WE WERE FIGHTING, BUT I DO KNOW THAT WE HAVE AN APPRECIATION FOR ONE ANOTHER AT THIS POINT IN OUR LIVES. UH, OBVIOUSLY WITH ME BEING THE ONLY GULLAH GEECHEE PERSON OF COUNCIL, UM, I BRING A VERY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE THAT NOT EVERYONE CAN UNDERSTAND AT THE FIRST GLANCE. SO I HAVE TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME HAVING INTIMATE CONVERSATIONS AROUND WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, CONFLICTS. I DON'T NECESSARILY SEE IT AS CONFLICTS. I SORT OF SEE IT AS UNDERSTANDINGS AND HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THOSE QUALIFIED CONVERSATIONS FROM SOMEONE THAT KNOWS IT INTIMATELY IS IMPORTANT AND HEALTHY TO OUR COUNCIL. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO THE TU AND PULL OF DIFFERENCES OF OPINION SO THAT WE GET TO A BETTER PLACE HERE ON HILTON HEAD. THANK YOU. STEVE DISIMONE, HOW DO YOU PLAN ON HANDLING OPPOSING POINTS OF VIEWS AND ANY CONFLICTS WITH TOWN COUNCIL MEMBERS AND, UH, COMMITTEES? OKAY. ACTUALLY, HAVING BEEN HERE BEFORE, AND HAVING GONE THROUGH THIS BEFORE AND HAVING SAT HERE SAID WITH SEVEN OF US, WE HANDLED CONFLICTS SO DIFFERENTLY 35 YEARS AGO, 30 YEARS AGO THAN WE DO TODAY. IT'S, I HATE TO USE THE WORD, IT'S KIND OF APPALLING AS TO HOW THINGS ARE GOING ON AND THE CONFLICTS THAT ARE GOING ON. IT'S A TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT. I THINK THE NATION HAS TRICKLED DOWN INTO THE CLASSROOM, AND THAT CLASSROOM IS, IS HERE. THIS IS OUR CLASSROOM. THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF POLITICS, RIGHT? AND, AND IT SHOULDN'T BE THAT WAY. HE MEET, HE MENTIONS HE'S OF THE ORIGINAL GULLAH GEECHEE REPRESENTATIVE. ONE OF THE BEST FRIEND THAT I HAD ON COUNCIL WAS BILL FERGUSON THAT REPRESENTED WARD ONE. I MEAN, WE LOVED EACH OTHER. WE HAD A GREAT TIME. WE HAD DIFFERENCES. EVERYONE HAD DIFFERENCES. WE WORKED THEM OUT. NO ONE EVER RAISED THEIR VOICE TO EACH OTHER. WE WORKED OUT THESE, THE, WE WORKED THESE PROBLEMS OUT. AND, AND I'VE MET WITH SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE COUNCILMEN AND, UH, COUNCIL PERSONS HERE, AND I'VE TALKED TO 'EM, AND I'VE TOLD THEM THAT I, I'M UNHAPPY WITH THE WAY THEY'RE RUNNING THEIR, THEIR BUSINESS. AND I THINK I TOLD ALEX ONE DAY, I SAID, ALEX, I DON'T CARE IF I, EVERYONE TOTALLY DISAGREES WITH YOU. IF YOU MAKE A MOTION, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO SPEAK. I'M GONNA SECOND YOUR MOTION. I, I THINK IT'S, I THINK IT'S BAD BUSINESS TO SHUT SOMEONE DOWN, ESPECIALLY IN THIS POSITION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AMY FEE. HOW DO YOU PLAN ON OUR PROPOSED TO HANDLE CONFLICTS OR [01:10:01] OPPOSING POINTS OF VIEW, UH, WITH A FELLOW TOWN COUNCIL MEMBER OR COMMITTEE? SO WE ALL BRING DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES AND DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES. WHAT I'VE GONE THROUGH AND WHAT MY EXPERIENCES VERSUS WHAT YOU'VE DONE, WE BRING DIFFERENT IDEAS TO THE TABLE. I THINK IT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE KEEP THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION OPEN, THAT WE HAVE WORKSHOPS TO INCLUDE INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY, THAT WHEN WE HAVE WORKSHOPS AND TOWN COUNCIL MEETINGS, AND THERE ARE A HUNDRED PAGE PRESENTATIONS UP THERE THAT MAYBE THERE'LL BE SOME COPIES FOR THE PEOPLE TO SEE BEFORE. I KNOW THAT WE CAN PRINT THEM OUT ONLINE, BUT THAT'S A LOT OF PAPER, AND THAT'S A LOT OF INK. AND INK ISN'T CHEAP THESE DAYS. UM, I, I, I DO BELIEVE THAT WE CAN WORK TOWARD MUTUALLY ACCEPTABLE SOLUTIONS THROUGH DISCUSSION AND CONVERSATION. WE JUST CAN'T HAVE ONE MARATHON MEETING OF FIVE HOURS OR SIX HOURS TO GET, GET TO AN AGREEMENT. IT'S, IT'S EXHAUSTING. PEOPLE WORK. PEOPLE HAVE TO TAKE MEDICATION REAL QUICK. MY FATHER WAS A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT. MY MOTHER WAS A, WAS AN OR NURSE. SO I WAS OUT WITH MY HANDS IN THE DIRT, AND I WOULD HAVE TO COME IN AND I WOULD HAVE TO SCRUB THEM. SO I WOULD HAVE TO MAKE THOSE TWO ENDS, MEET THAT YING AND THAT YANG. AND I'VE ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, THE NEXT AUDIENCE QUESTION, UH, IS GONNA GO TO, UH, ALEX BROWN. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE RECENT CHANGES TO A TAX LAW AND HOW IT APPLIES TO HOUSING? YES. WELL, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, I WAS A SUPPORTER AND HELPED OUR STATE DELEGATION MOVE THROUGH THE PROCESS OF GETTING THAT APPROVED. UH, OBVIOUSLY IN ORDER FOR US TO MOVE THE HOUSING INITIATIVE FORWARD, IT'S GOING TO TAKE FUNDING. AND THE FACT THAT WE WERE USING DOLLARS THAT, UH, GENERATED BY OUR VISITORS TO DO SO, IT SEEMED TO BE, UH, A NO BRAINER FOR ME. UM, WE DO HAVE TO REALIZE, HOWEVER, THAT THERE'S A SUNSET ON THIS BILL. OKAY. SO IT WON'T BE AROUND FOREVER. SO WE NEED TO ACT ACCORDINGLY, MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE USING THE FUNDS APPROPRIATELY TO MOVE FORWARD PROJECTS, UH, THAT COULD LOOK LIKE BUYING ADDITIONAL LAND FOR AGENCIES LIKE HABITAT FOR MANATEES, SO WE CAN PROMOTE HOME OWNERSHIP. UH, THERE'S A LOT OF LAND WITHIN THE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS THAT COULD BE, UH, UTILIZED FOR HOUSING. THERE MAY BE SOME ASSISTANCE TO SOME OF THOSE THAT ARE IN THE AUDIENCE TONIGHT THAT ARE AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPERS AT A VERY SMALL SCALE WITHIN THE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS. SO WE HAVE TO BE VERY CREATIVE WITH THAT FUNDING NOW THAT WE HAVE IT. AND I THINK WE HAVE GRAVE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO. THANK YOU. UH, DANIEL ANTHONY, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE RECENT CHANGES TO THE AT TAX LAW AND HOW IT WILL APPLY TO HOUSING? I BELIEVE BASICALLY THE SAME THING THAT ALEX BELIEVES IN. I I THINK THAT ANYTIME THAT YOU CAN USE ACCOMMODATIONS TAX MONEY FOR PURPOSES OF GREEN, UH, OF, OF BUYING GREEN SPACE HOUSING, WHATEVER IT IS, IT'S ALL THE MORE BETTER, UH, WITHOUT USING OUR TAX DOLLARS TO DO IT. UH, I, I, I SUPPORT IT A HUNDRED PERCENT. OKAY. THANK YOU. UH, STEVE DESIMONE, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE RECENT CHANGES TO THE AT TAX LAW AND HOW IT APPLIES TO HOUSING? WELL, I MENTIONED EARLIER THAT I'M NOT A DEVELOPER, AND I'M NOT, I'M AN ENGINEER, BUT I'VE BUILT A LOT OF STUFF FOR DEVELOPERS, AND I KNOW A LOT OF DEVELOPERS, AND I'VE TALKED TO A LOT OF DEVELOPERS. AND IF THE INCENTIVE IS CORRECT, AND IF THE INCENTIVE'S RIGHT HERE IN THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD, YOU'LL NEVER NEED TO USE A TAX MONEY. YOU'LL NEVER NEED TO USE TAX DOLLARS. THESE PROJECTS CAN BE BUILT WITH PRIVATE MONEY. AND WHEN WE EXHAUST THAT COMPLETELY, THEN AB THEN ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. WE STILL NEED TO BUILD THEM, BUT I DON'T THINK I'LL HAVE THAT PROBLEM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AMY FEE. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE RECENT CHANGES TO THE AT TAX LAW AND HOW IT APPLIES TO HOUSING? SO, I SEE IT A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY. I THINK THAT WE SHOULD BE TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE, AT TAX MONEY FOR HOUSING. I, I DON'T, THERE ARE SO MUCH HOUSING THAT HAS TO GET DONE. HAVING IT FUNDED PRIVATELY WOULD NOT HAPPEN IF YOU CHANGE YOUR ZONING LAWS. IF I BUY A PIECE OF PROPERTY OVER [01:15:01] HERE AND IT'S ZONED FOR FOUR PER ACRE, AND I SEE THAT, THAT'S A GOOD DEAL, AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I BUY IT AND I WANNA CHANGE IT AND GET EIGHT PER ACRE HOUSING UNITS THERE, ALL OF A SUDDEN THAT LAND IS WORTH A WHOLE LOT MORE THAN IT WAS WHEN I BOUGHT IT. AND I CAN TURN THAT OVER AND FLIP IT AND NOT DO WHAT I TOLD YOU I WAS GONNA DO. SO I THINK WE SHOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE MONIES THAT CAN BE GIVEN TO US PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS ARE BENEFICIAL, BUT THEY WON'T DO IT ALONE, AND WE WON'T HAVE TO FOOT THE WHOLE BILL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MELINDA TURNER, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE RECENT CHANGES TO THE ATEX LAW AND HOW IT APPLIES TO HOUSING? SO, I UNDERSTAND THE INTENT OF CARVING OUT MONEY FROM AT TAX FOR USE IN HOUSING. AND MY ONLY COMMENT IS I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPACT TO OUR ORGANIZATIONS THAT APPLY FOR AT TAX FUNDING. SO AT ATEX IS USED FOR, UH, TOURISM RELATED EXPENSES FOR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND THE ARTS, AND THEY COME TO US EVERY YEAR ASKING FOR MONEY. AND SO THIS CARVE OUT DOES REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR THOSE ORGANIZATIONS. SO THAT'S SOMETHING TO BE MINDFUL OF. THANK YOU. UH, REX, UH, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE RECENT CHANGES, THE ATEX LAW AND HOW IT APPLIES TO HOUSING? YEAH. UH, EVEN SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE THIS LAW WAS PASSED, I SAW NONPROFITS APPROACHING THE ATAC COMMITTEE TO TRY AND HELP SOLVE THE WORKFORCE HOUSING ISSUE. AND SO I THINK PASSING THE LAW REALLY ALLOWS IT TO BE, UH, MONITORED AND REGULATED BETTER IN TERMS OF HOW THAT MONEY IS BEING INVESTED IN, WHETHER IT REALLY IS IMPACTING, UM, WORKFORCE HOUSING. AND, AND SO I SUPPORT IT FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, EVEN THOUGH IT DOES CARVE SOME MONEY OUT OF THE AT TAX FUNDS THAT HELP A LOT OF NONPROFITS ON THE ISLAND. I, I, I BELIEVE WORKFORCE HOUSING IS SO IMPORTANT THAT THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. AND I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M IMPRESSED WITH, UH, WITH THE TOWN IS THAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT SOURCES OF REVENUE THAT ARE NOT COMING FROM PROPERTY TAX. THAT 70% OF WHAT THE TOWN INVESTS IN THIS COMMUNITY COMES FROM REVENUE STREAMS THAT ARE NOT YOUR, UM, PROPERTY TAX. AND THIS IS ONE OF THE WAYS THEY CAN DO THAT AND WORK TOWARDS IMPROVING, UH, THE TOWN, UM, THE INFRASTRUCTURE ON THE TOWN AND OUR QUALITY OF LIFE, AND DOING THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR OUR COMMUNITY, LIKE PROVIDING WORKFORCE HOUSING THAT HOUSES, UH, THE NURSES AND THAT WE DEPEND ON. AND THAT EMS AND FIRE DEPARTMENT, LIKE THOSE, IF WE DON'T HAVE HOUSING FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS ON THIS ISLAND, WILL ALL SUFFER FROM IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NOW MOVING ON TO THE, UH, FINAL AUDIENCE QUESTION. AND THEN RIGHT AFTER THAT, WE'RE GONNA GO TO CLOSING STATEMENTS WHERE EACH CANDIDATE WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SUMMARIZE THEIR POSITIONS AND, UM, THEIR, UM, CLOSING STATEMENT TO THE GROUP. SO THE LAST QUESTION, AND THIS IS GONNA GO TO AMY FEE. HOW WILL YOU INCLUDE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION IN DISCUSSIONS AND DECISIONS? THANK YOU. SO I WOULD INCLUDE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION, UH, IN DISCUSSIONS AS IT, AS IT AS IT MEETS, UM, THE NEED OF THE COMMUNITY AND REFLECTS THE POPULATION OF THE COMMUNITY. WE'LL LOOK FOR THE BEST CANDIDATES. WE WILL TRY TO FIND THE BEST PEOPLE REGARDLESS OF RACE, LANGUAGE, BELIEF, RELIGION, TO SIT IN THOSE SEATS AND PROMOTE THAT, THAT IDEAL OF EQUALITY FOR ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, STEVE DE SIMONE. HOW WOULD YOU INCLUDE DEI IN DIS DISCUSSIONS AND DECISIONS? UH, I WOULDN'T, UM, I'M NOT A DEI PROPONENT, UH, I'M, I'M ABOUT, UM, I'M ABOUT QUALITY, AND I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE. I DON'T CARE WHAT, HOW OLD YOU ARE. I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE A MALE OR A FEMALE. IF YOU QUALIFY, YOU QUALIFY. I'M BLIND. AND, UM, BUT TO, TO ALIGN CATEGORIES AND WHAT YOU'RE DOING WELL, I DON'T WANNA GET INTO IT, I GUESS, BUT, BUT NO, I'M, I'M NOT, AND FOR THOSE REASONS, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MELINDA [01:20:01] TONER. HOW WOULD YOU INCLUDE DEI IN DISCUSSIONS AND DECISIONS? I THINK THINK AS WE MAKE DECISIONS AND DISCUSSIONS, WE SHOULD SHOW MUTUAL RESPECT TO EVERYONE AND APPRECIATE DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW. AND I THINK IF YOU DO THAT, THAT'S THE GOLDEN TICKET. THANK YOU. UH, REX GARIC, HOW WOULD YOU INCLUDE DEI IN DISCUSSIONS AND DECISIONS? YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO HAVE VIEWPOINTS THAT COME FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD DIFFERENT LIFE EXPERIENCES. AND THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME. AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO THIS ISLAND. UM, YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHOSE FAMILIES HAVE LIVED HERE FOR FIVE OR SIX OR MORE GENERATIONS, AND A LOT OF US ARE NEWCOMERS TO THIS ISLAND. AND SO I REALLY WANNA HEAR, UM, FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THIS PLACE THAN ME, WHEN I'M DEALING WITH ISSUES THAT AFFECT THEM. AND, AND SO LIKE, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CALL THAT DEIA, WHICH SEEMS LIKE A LOADED TERM NOW, BUT LIKE, I, I THINK WE SHOULD REALLY ENCOURAGE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES AND PERSPECTIVES THAT AREN'T OUR OWN WHEN THE TOWN COUNCIL IS MAKING DECISIONS. AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. THANK YOU. UH, DANIEL, ANTHONY, HOW WOULD YOU INCLUDE DEI IN DISCUSSIONS AND DECISIONS? WELL, I'D HAVE TO SAY IN, IT WOULD DEPEND ON WHAT VERSION OF DEI YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. I'VE HEARD SO MANY DIFFERENT DIALOGUES COME UP, DIFFERENT DEFINITIONS, DIFFERENT PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT THIS, THAT, AND THE OTHER. AND I'M NOT A VERY POLITICAL PERSON. UH, I'M NOT A POLITICIAN. DON'T EVER WANNA BE ONE. AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I DON'T, UM, LIKE STEVE, IF I HAVE SOMETHING THAT NEEDS DONE, I PICK THE ABSOLUTE BEST PERSON FOR THAT. DOESN'T MATTER WHAT RACE, COLOR, CREED, MAN, WOMAN, CHILD, DOESN'T MATTER. WHOEVER FITS THE BILL THE BEST, THAT'S WHO GETS THAT TICKET. I, I JUST, I, I, I KNOW THAT THERE'S PEOPLE OUT THERE, YOU KNOW, THAT SCREAM ABOUT THIS. BUT TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, KEEP SCREAMING BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND, UH, LASTLY, ALEX BROWN. HOW WOULD YOU INCLUDE DEI? I'VE GOT IT. YOU GOT IT? YES. OKAY. SIX TIMES. I, I WOULD, I WOULD SAY TO MY FUTURE COLLEAGUES, FIRST OF ALL, LOOSEN UP A LITTLE BIT. LOOSEN UP A LITTLE BIT. WE CAN, WE CAN HAVE THESE DISCUSSIONS. OKAY. UM, I, I THINK I'M GONNA GET MY TEAM TO SEND THIS OUT. THIS IS A LIST OF ALL OF THE EFFORTS THAT THE TOWN HAS MADE SINCE I WAS ELECTED FOR FOLKS WITH DISABILITIES. ONE IN FOUR AMERICANS QUALIFY THEMSELVES WITH SOME TYPE OF DISABILITY. WHEN WE'RE HAVING A DISCUSSION AROUND CREATING A NEW PARK. AND SOMEBODY HAS TO REMIND US TO HAVE ENOUGH A DA PARKING SPACES, THAT'S A PROBLEM. THE CHAMBER LEADERSHIP CLASS RECENTLY BUILT A STORAGE FACILITY AT ONE OF OUR BEACH ACCESS POINTS FOR WHEELCHAIR. I REMEMBER BEFORE I WAS ELECTED, GOD BLESS DAVID JONES, WHO JUST PASSED AWAY ABOUT A WEEK AGO, CALLED ME UP, HE LIVED IN THE BIG HALL AREA AND SAID, ALEX, HE'S CONFINED TO A WHEELCHAIR. ALEX, I CAN'T GET TO THE BEACH DOWN HERE. 'CAUSE THERE'S NO MOBY MAT. WE, WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT DIVERSITY, WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT INCLUSION, AND WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THINGS BEING EQUITABLE. IT'S JUST WHAT THIS TOWN'S ABOUT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, NOW WE'RE GOING FOR CLOSING STATEMENTS AND A SUMMARY OF YOUR POSITIONS. AND WE'RE GONNA START WITH, UH, MELINDA TURNER. TWO MINUTES. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH AGAIN FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK, UH, TONIGHT AND TALK ABOUT THE ISSUES. MY NAME'S MELINDA TENNER, AND I'M ASKING FOR YOUR VOTE FOR TOWN COUNCIL. I BELIEVE I AM THE RIGHT CANDIDATE TO REPRESENT WARD SIX. BETWEEN MY, UH, CORPORATE BACKGROUND IN FINANCE, LEADING, UH, LARGE ORGANIZATIONS, LARGE BUDGETS, STRATEGIC PLANNING, AND POLICY WRITING, I THINK THOSE SKILLS WILL BE USEFUL TO THE TOWN COUNCIL. AS PRESIDENT AND TREASURER OF MY LOCAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS IN PALMETTO HALL, I HAVE LEARNED ABOUT LOCAL ISSUES IN HOW TO WORK TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY TO, UH, ACHIEVE AN END. AND IN PREPARATION FOR THIS ROLE, I HAVE SPENT THE LAST 14 MONTHS ATTENDING TOWN COUNCIL MEETINGS, DEDICATING 400 HOURS OF PERSONAL TIME ATTENDING, UM, MEETINGS, WORKSHOPS, YOU NAME IT. I'M [01:25:01] THERE IN PARTICIPATING IN THE PROCESS. AND THE REASON THAT I DID THAT IS THAT I WANTED TO LEARN THE PROCESS, UNDERSTAND HOW IT WORKS, AND BE PREPARED WITH THE ISSUES SO THAT I COULD BE READY ON DAY ONE. SO I'M JUST GONNA GIVE A LITTLE PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT IN REGARDS TO VOTING. SO WHEN YOU'RE IN THE VOTING BOOTH, YOU HAVE GOT TO GO THROUGH, UH, THE, TO THE END OF THE BALLOT, WHETHER YOU VOTE STRAIGHT TICKET OR YOU ARE DOING INDIVIDUAL SELECTIONS, YOU'VE GOTTA GO PAST THE BEAUFORT COUNTY REFERENDUMS AND THE TOWN COUNCIL IS AT THE END. AND FOR WARD SIX, THEY SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST. MELINDA TENNER. . THANK YOU. RE SCARLET. CAN I GO LAST NOW? . UM, YOU KNOW, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO TO SORT OF GIVE A REFLECTION ON WHAT I THINK IS IMPORTANT ON, IN THE ISLAND. AND, AND THOSE ARE REALLY OUR FOUNDING PRINCIPLES. AND, AND I THINK THIS ISLAND, UM, ENVIRONMENT, UM, THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE HERE, UM, OUR WAY OF LIFE ARE REALLY IMPORTANT. AND THAT IS REALLY WHAT I WANNA FOCUS ON. UM, SHOULD I BE ELECTED TO REPRESENT YOU ON TOWN COUNCIL? I HAVE 10 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WORKING IN STATE GOVERNMENT, AND I UNDERSTAND HOW GOVERNMENTS WORK. UM, I HAVE 25 YEARS IN NONPROFITS. UM, AND, AND PART OF THAT IS THIS DOUBLE BOTTOM LINE. LIKE, I CARE ABOUT FINANCES. I TREAT THE MONEY I SPEND FOR ORGANIZATIONS. I WORK FOR, LIKE, IT'S MY OWN MONEY. I WATCH EVERY PENNY, BUT I ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT MONEY IS SPENT FULFILLING A MISSION. AND THE MISSION OF THE TOWN IS TO SERVE YOU AND PROVIDE THE SERVICES THAT YOU NEED. UM, SIDEWALKS SO KIDS CAN WALK TO THE HIGH SCHOOL AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO WALK IN THE ROAD. WE SHOULD INVEST IN THINGS LIKE THAT. UH, EMS, SO THAT, LIKE WE CONTINUE TO HAVE ONE OF THE HIGHEST SURVIVAL RATES FOR HEART ATTACKS IN SOUTH CAROLINA. YOU HAVE FIVE TIMES THE NATIONAL AVERAGE HERE ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND. IF YOU HAVE A HEART ATTACK THAT YOU'LL BE ALIVE FIVE YEARS LATER, THAT'S BECAUSE WE'VE INVESTED IN FIRE RESCUE AND HAVE GREAT EMS SUPPORT. AND SO I CARE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT, BUT I ALSO CARE ABOUT SAVING LIVES AND HAVING THE AMENITIES THAT WE WANT AS ISLAND RESIDENTS. UM, AND SHOULD YOU DECIDE TO, UH, ELECT ME, I WANNA REPRESENT YOU AND TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED THIS TOWN TO PROVIDE FOR YOU IN TERMS OF RESOURCES. AND I THINK WE'LL HASH THAT OUT ON THE TOWN COUNCIL LEVEL, UM, AND INVEST IN OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. AMY FEE. AMY, THANK YOU. SO, AS YOUR FULL-TIME TOWN COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE, I WILL ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOUR CONCERNS AND DO THE BEST JOB I CAN TO BUILD CONSENSUS AND TO FIND MUTUALLY ACCEPTABLE SOLUTIONS AND AGREEMENTS ON CHALLENGES WE FACE. MY FOOD AND BEVERAGE BACKGROUND AND MY CORPORATE EXPERIENCE WILL HELP SOLVE THE PROBLEMS THAT FACE OUR COMMUNITY. I WILL NOT SERVE MYSELF OR SPECIAL INTERESTS. MY VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF HILTON HEAD IS TO CONTINUE TO BE THE PLACE THAT TREASURES, THE TIES THAT BIND US FAMILY, COMMUNITY, FRIENDS, AND OUR BELOVED NATURAL ENVIRONMENT. I SEE A PLACE THAT REMEMBERS AND RESPECTS HISTORY. I SEE A PLACE THAT'S COMMITTED TO UNITY, INCLUSIVENESS, TRANSPARENCY, AND RESULTS. I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN SEVERAL NON-PROFITS AND FOOD ORGANIZATIONS AND DISTRIBUTIONS FOR NEARLY 10 YEARS ON THIS ISLAND. I'VE SEEN THE FACE OF NEED, I BELIEVE IN ISLAND RESIDENTS FIRST GROWING COMMUNITY AND PROTECTING OUR ISLAND. IF YOU SHARE THIS VISION FOR HILTON HEAD, VOTE FOR ME. AMY FEE AND HELP SHAPE OUR FUTURE AND OUR LEGACY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU STEVE DESIMONE. FIRST THANK THE, UH, LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS FOR ALLOWING US TO BE HERE TONIGHT. UM, I THINK IT WAS A, A REALLY GOOD FORUM. UM, THERE'S NO SPECULATION. WE, WE HAVE NO TIME TO SPECULATE. WE CAN'T IMAGINE THAT MY OPPONENT ARE GONNA DO ALL THESE THINGS THAT, THAT SHE'S TALKING ABOUT. YOU GOTTA HAVE A RECORD AND I HAVE A RECORD. I'M THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS THAT RECORD UP HERE, OTHER THAN ALEX. SO, WHEN YOU LOOK AT, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, FOR INSTANCE, I'VE GOT SO MANY BUSINESS, UH, OWNERS ENDORSING ME BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT I'M GOOD FOR BUSINESS ON THIS ISLAND. I HAVE, UH, SO MANY POLITICIANS ENDORSING [01:30:01] AND SUPPORTING ME BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT I KNOW HOW TO GET IT DONE AND WHERE TO GET IT DONE. SO THERE'S NO SPECULATION. WHEN YOU LOOK BACK AT WHAT STEVE'S DONE BACK IN 96, WE, WE CURBED, UM, DEVELOPMENT. WE STARTED BUYING PROPERTY, WE STARTED THAT. SO I HAVE THESE THREE PS. IT'S PROTECT, UH, PRESERVE AND PROSPER. SO WE, UH, WE PRESERVE THE ISLAND. WE STARTED BUYING LAND, UH, LAND AND PUT IT IN A LAND BANK. WE PROTECTED THE ISLAND. I DON'T KNOW IF ANY OF YOU KNOW THIS OR NOT, BUT AFTER HUGO, WE'D ALL GOT TOGETHER AND DECIDED THAT WE NEED TO BURY ALL THE LINES. IF YOU'VE NOTICED OR NOT, ALL THE LINES ARE BURIED ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND. WELL, TOWN COUNCIL INITIATED THAT. AND THEN YOU LOOK AT OUR BUSINESSES, HOW THE BUSINESSES HAVE PROSPERED. SO FOR 38 YEARS, I'VE BEEN SERVING MY COMMUNITY AND PROVING PEOPLE'S LIVES, SOLVING THEIR PROBLEMS. THAT'S WHAT I DO, IS SOLVE PROBLEMS. AND THAT'S WHAT I WILL DO IF I'M ELECTED. SO PLEASE VOTE FOR ME FOR WARD THREE AND, UH, ON NOVEMBER 5TH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, DANIEL ANTHONY, UH, AS I SAID, I, AND YOU HEARD TONIGHT, UH, I'M NOT A POLITICIAN. I DON'T HAVE THAT POLISHED SPEECH THAT Y'ALL ARE HEARING OR NOTHING LIKE THAT. I DON'T REALLY TAKE TOO MANY NOTES. I MEAN, IT'S EITHER IN MY HEAD OR IN MY HEART. AND OTHER THAN THAT, IT MUST NOT BE WORTH IT. SO YOU'VE HEARD HOW LONG I'VE BEEN HERE, HOW LONG I'VE LIVED HERE. I LOVE THIS ISLAND. I ALWAYS HAVE. AND I WILL FIGHT TOOTH AND NAIL TO PROTECT IT, TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE THIS HISTORIC AND GULLAH NEIGHBORHOODS, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE HISTORY OF THE ISLAND'S AT. I'LL FIGHT TO PROTECT THE SINGLE FAMILY NEIGHBORHOODS BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE WORKFORCE IS AT. AND I'M PARTIAL TO THE WORKFORCE 'CAUSE I'M PART OF IT. I LIVE IN IT. THESE GUYS, THESE WOMEN I LIVE, EAT AND WORK WITH THEM EVERY SINGLE DAY. I KNOW WHAT THEY WANT. I KNOW WHO THEY ARE. I KNOW 'EM INTIMATELY. THIS IS IT. IT MEANS A LOT. IT MEANS A LOT. THIS ISLAND, WE'RE ALMOST BUILT OUT. WE GOTTA PROTECT WHAT'S LEFT OF IT, AND WE GOTTA DO IT IN THE RIGHT KIND OF WAY. WE CAN'T JUST GO BY THE WAY THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING ALL THESE PAST DECADES. AND I'VE BEEN HERE FOR FOUR OF 'EM. I'VE SEEN IT HAPPEN. WE'VE GOTTA WATCH THE OVERDEVELOPMENT. WE GOTTA WATCH THE SHORT TERM RENTALS. WE'VE GOTTA WATCH WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE ARE WE BRINGING TO THIS ISLAND? OKAY? IF WE WANNA BE ELITE, WE HAVE TO HAVE ELITE RULES AND REGULATIONS. THAT'S HOW YOU'LL GET THE ELITE PEOPLE HERE. IF PEOPLE KNOW THAT THEY CAN'T SCREW AROUND, THEY WON'T. IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT. AND WE HAVE TO HAVE THE ENFORCEMENT FOR THOSE RULES AND REGULATIONS. SO AS I SAID, I'M DANIEL ANTHONY, I'M RUNNING FOR WARD ONE. I WILL BE THE FIRST COUNCIL PERSON ON THAT LIST. HIT THAT BUTTON. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, ALEX. YES. UM, I KNOW IT PROBABLY WOULD BREAK THE LEAGUE'S RULES, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO GIVE MISS KA ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR BEING OUR MODERATOR THIS EVENING. AND I, I WANNA THANK THE, THANK YOU, THANK THE LEAGUE FOR, UH, HOSTING THIS NONPARTISAN EVENT. UM, I JUST, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT I HAVE PROVEN THE ABILITY TO BUILD CONSENSUS ON OUR TOWN COUNCIL. I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GAIN EXPERIENCE ON HOW TO GAIN OUR COUNTY'S ATTENTION. I'VE WORKED VERY INTIMATELY WITH OUR STATE DELEGATION, AND I WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO. I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH SOME OF MY FUTURE COLLEAGUES UP HERE. I AM VERY PROUD, GRATEFUL, AND HONORED TO REPRESENT THOSE IN WARD ONE THAT'S YOUNG PEOPLE, OLD PEOPLE, FAMILIES, BUSINESSES, BUSINESS OWNERS, GULL, HISPANICS, EVERYBODY. I WILL CONTINUE TO BE YOUR VOICE. SO I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE STARTING ON OCTOBER 21ST, WHICH IS EARLY VOTING. DON'T GET CAUGHT UP IN THE LINE ON NOVEMBER 5TH. GO EARLY AND VOTE DOWN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA BEAUFORT HILTON HEAD CAMPUS. AND REMEMBER, IF YOU ON WARD ONE VOTE ALEX BROWN, BECAUSE THEN WE ALL WIN . [01:35:01] THANK YOU. I HAVE A FEW COMMENTS. WE HAVE CARDS AT THE BACK ON THE TABLE WITH EARLY VOTING. DETAILS. STARTS OCTOBER 21ST. UH, ALSO AT USCB, THERE'S ALSO LOCATION IN BLUFFTON, AND THEY'RE OPEN, UH, MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY, EIGHT 30 TO 6:00 PM UM, THANK YOU TO MAYOR POWELL, UH, PERRY AND THE, UH, TOWN FOR LETTING US USE THIS FACILITY. IT'S A MARVELOUS FACILITY FOR A FORM. AND LET'S GIVE A HAND, LET'S GIVE A HAND TO ALL THE CANDIDATES FOR SHOWING UP AND BEING SHARP. AND, AND LASTLY, UH, THANKS FOR ATTENDING AND TO ALEX, UH, BISHOP FOR BEING THE BROADCAST CHANNEL TECHNICAL SUPPORT. UM, AND I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO BARBARA NOW FOR HER CLOSING COMMENTS. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. WELL, YOU DID ALL MY THUNDER. I JUST WANNA THANK THE CANDIDATES FOR THEIR THOUGHTFUL, REALLY THOUGHTFUL AND INFORMATIVE, UH, ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS, IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TONIGHT. I'D LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE HERE FOR COMING AGAIN. WE HAVE CARDS IN THE BACK FOR EARLY VOTING AND, UM, AND OTHER INFORMATIONAL MATERIAL ABOUT THE LEAGUE. SO THANKS AGAIN, WE APPRECIATE THAT. AND THERE'S ALSO CANDIDATE MATERIAL OUTSIDE THE DOOR, SO VOTE 4 1 1 AND, AND VOTE YES. AND LOOK AT VOTE 4 1 1. AND THERE'S ALSO SOME REGISTRATION INFORMATION. AND IF YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO HASN'T REGISTERED, UH, PLEASE ASK THEM TO DO SO. AND IF YOU HAVE FRIENDS THAT YOU CAN GET HELP, GET TO THE POLLS, PLEASE DO THAT ALSO TOO. SO THANK YOU. GOODNIGHT AND GOODNIGHT THIS EVENING. THANK YOU. AND, AND BASICALLY THE CARDS ALSO INCLUDE THE INFORMATION ON VOTE 4 1 1. I AM JOE BOGUS, AND I'M A VOLUNTEER WITH THE BEAUFORT COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM. FOR THE PAST SEVEN YEARS, I'VE BEEN A BOARD MEMBER AND MOST RECENTLY A FINANCE CHAIR FOR THE COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM. THIS HAS BEEN A VERY REWARDING AND ENRICHING EXPERIENCE, ESPECIALLY SINCE I BEGAN THE BOARD, MY BOARD TERM, DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE GREAT RECESSION, WHEN HE HAD VERY FEW BOOKS AND VERY FEW VISITORS. BUT OVER TIME, THE BOARD AND LIBRARY LEADERSHIP HAVE MANAGED TO REBUILD OUR FINANCE, THAT WE'RE SPENDING MORE MATERIALS NOW THAN EVER BEFORE, AND IN A GREATER VARIETY. BOTH HARD COPY AND DIGITAL GROWTH IN BUFORD COUNTY MEANS THAT WE HAVE TO CAREFULLY HUSBAND OUR RESOURCES. AND THIS IS WHERE VOLUNTEERS IN THE LIBRARY COURT DO MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. SUSAN AND I HAVE BEEN HERE FOR 18 YEARS, AND WE KNOW THE POSITIVE IMPACT LIBRARIES CAN MAKE IN OUR COMMUNITY. TODAY'S LIBRARY IS A NEW TOWN HALL FULL OF VIBRANT MIXTURE OF PROGRAMS AND OFFERINGS. AS A BOARD MEMBER, I KNOW FIRSTHAND THE IMPACT THAT WE CAN MAKE AND HOW IMPORTANT IT'S TO HAVE PEOPLE SPEND THEIR TIME AND TALENTS ON MAKING BEAUFORT COUNTY A BETTER PLACE. THIS IS OUR HOME, AND THIS IS WHY I MAKE THIS INVESTMENT IN BOTH MY TIME AND MY COMMUNITY. THIS VERY BRIEFLY IS WHY I SERVE, WHY I'M ASKING YOU TO CONSIDER SPENDING YOUR TIME ALSO FOR THE BEAUFORT COUNTY LIBRARY. THANK YOU. TO SEE A LISTING OF BEAUFORT COUNTY'S AGENCIES, BOARDS, AND COMMISSIONS, OR TO FILL OUT AN APPLICATION, VISIT WWW.BEAUFORTCOUNTYSC.GOV/BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. I SURRENDER. I SURRENDER. ALL RIGHT, PAL, GET READY FOR THE DAY, BUDDY. HEY, DAD. HEY, DAD. DO WE HAVE A GUN? WHAT'S THAT? DO WE HAVE A GUN? WELCOME TO HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA'S ONLY GOLD LEVEL BICYCLE COMMUNITY. AS YOU'VE OBSERVED, ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR ACTIVITIES IS TO GET AROUND ON BIKE. WHILE YOU'RE HERE, LET ME FILL YOU IN ON SOME OF THE BASICS OF GETTING AROUND THE ISLAND ON BIKE. IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING YOU SHOULD BE WEARING A BIKE HELMET. AND IT'S ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT FOR CHILDREN 12 AND UNDER. YOU'VE PROBABLY NOTICED WHAT YOU'D CALL SIDEWALKS. WE CALL LEISURE [01:40:01] PATHS. YOU WANNA STAY OFF THE ROADS AND STAY ON THESE MULTI-USE PATHWAYS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. ALSO, NOTE THE MANY DRIVEWAYS AND INTERSECTIONS ALONG THE PATHWAY. THE STOP AND YIELD SIGNS ARE MEANT FOR YOU. THE BICYCLIST MAKE A POINT ACROSS THE STREET AT INTERSECTIONS, TRAFFIC LIGHTS, OR CROSSWALKS. AND BEFORE CROSSING INTERSECTIONS, BE SURE TO MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH THE MOTORIST. IT'S BEST TO WALK YOUR BIKE ACROSS MAJOR INTERSECTIONS INSTEAD OF RIDING. AND REMEMBER, OBEY THE SAME TRAFFIC RULES AS VEHICLES AND RIDE WITH TRAFFIC. IF FOR SOME REASON YOUR'RE BIKING ON THE ROAD WHEN IT INTERSECTIONS, PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE WALK. DON'T WALK SIGNALS. AND REMEMBER, WE SHARE THE LEISURE PATHWAYS, SO WHEN YOU'RE COMING UP BEHIND SOMEONE, ALERT THEM BY BELL OR VOICE SO THEY KNOW WHEN SOMEONE IS APPROACHING. IF YOU NEED TO STOP ON THE PATHWAY, BE SURE TO MOVE OFF TO THE SIDE. THERE ARE ALSO 30 PATHWAY KIOSKS WITH MAPS OF THE ISLANDS THAT WILL HELP DIRECT YOU ON YOUR RIDE. AND PLEASE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ALL OUR TOWN PARKS THAT HAVE BIKE RACKS, RESTROOMS, AND DRINKING MOUNTAINS. THESE CAN BE LOCATED ON THE KIOSK MAPS. WE ALSO HAVE 12 PUBLIC BEACH ACCESS POINTS WHERE YOU CAN RIDE THE HARD PACKED BEACH AT LOW TIDE FOR A UNIQUE BIKE RIDE. THANKS FOR WATCHING, AND WE HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR STAY. ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND BEAUFORT COUNTY'S INCLUSIVE PLAYGROUND IS NOW OPEN IN THE PORT ROYAL COMMUNITY CENTER. THE PLAYGROUND IS PERFECT FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES AND ALL ABILITIES. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE PLAYGROUND AT THE PORT ROYAL COMMUNITY CENTER, PLEASE HEAD TO BBCS REC.COM, BEAUFORT COUNTY LIVE, WORK, PLAY, EXPLORE AND UNWIND. AMIDST THE NATURAL BEAUTY AND RICH HISTORY OF BEAUFORT COUNTY, OUR PASSIVE PARKS PROVIDE OVER 13,000 ACRES OF PROTECTED LAND AND 15 NATURE-BASED PASSIVE RECREATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, NAVIGATE SCENIC, HIKING TRAILS, EXPLORE HISTORIC FORTS, DISCOVER NATIVE BIRDS AND WILDLIFE PICNIC, KAYAK, AND RECONNECT WITH NATURE IN BEAUTIFUL COASTAL SOUTH CAROLINA. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT BEAUFORT COUNTY SC.GOV. THE SWAT TEAM, WE STARTED BACK IN 1986 AND, UH, I WAS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE FIRST TEAM MEMBERS OF THE SWAT IN 1986. AND IT WAS MAINLY TO, UH, YOU KNOW, TO SERVE HIGH RISK WARRANTS. AND, UH, AND WE WERE DURING THAT TIME, WERE HEAVILY INVOLVED IN SOME, UH, VIP PROTECTION BECAUSE OF HILTON HEAD AND, AND SOME OF THE FOLKS THAT VISITED US HERE IN IN BEAUFORT COUNTY. UH, SWAT, UH, BASICALLY STANDS FOR SPECIAL WEAPONS AND TACTICS, AND BASICALLY IT'S MADE UP OF SPECIALIZED OFFICERS WITH SPECIALIZED TRAINING EQUIPMENT. THEIR PRIMARY MISSION IS TO SUPPORT THE ROAD PATROL. ANYTHING THAT IS, THAT IS OUTTA THE CAPABILITY OF THE ROAD PATROL. THE SWAT TEAM WILL HANDLE, UH, ANYBODY THAT'S ARMED AND DANGEROUS, UH, HAS A EX EXTENSIVE CRIMINAL HISTORY. UM, HIGH RISK WARRANT SERVICE, UM, DRUG RAIDS, UH, VIP PROTECTION, BARRICADES, HOSTAGE RESCUE, UM, OR EVEN SURVEILLANCE DETAILS WHERE WE'RE SURVEILLING AN ARMED AND DANGEROUS PERSON. UM, THEY ARE CALLED IN TO DEAL WITH THAT SUSPECT DUE TO THEIR EXPERIENCE IN THE TRAINING. UH, CONSIST OF, UH, WE, WE TRAIN TWICE A MONTH, EIGHT HOURS A DAY FOR A TOTAL OF 16 HOURS. THAT'S NOT INCLUDING ANY TYPE OF SPECIAL EXERCISES OR, UH, ADDITIONAL TRAINING. AND BASICALLY WHAT THOSE TRAINING HOURS DO IS ALLOW US TO, UH, REHEARSE AND TO, UH, WORK ON THE, THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE JOB SUSPECT TAKE DOWN OBVIOUSLY WEAPONS TRAINING, UH, EXTENSIVE WEAPONS TRAINING, UM, AND WE HAVE VERY, WE HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT PIECES OF EQUIPMENT THAT OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE TO KEEP UP ON. THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA HAS RECENTLY STARTED UP A, UH, UH, THE, THE STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION. UH, OUR STATE POLICE HAS STARTED UP A WMD INITIATIVE FOR ANTI-TERRORIST OPERATIONS IN THE STATE OF [01:45:01] SOUTH CAROLINA. AND THEY'VE, THEY'VE IDENTIFIED SEVEN, UH, SWAT TEAMS THROUGHOUT THE STATE, UH, TO BASICALLY COME TOGETHER AND PROTECT THE STATE AGAINST TERRORIST, UH, UH, SITUATIONS. AND DEFORD COUNTY SWAT TEAM IS ONE WE HANDLE THE LOW COUNTRY, UM, WHICH IS SEVEN COUNTIES. AND WHAT WE'LL DO IS WE ARE CO OUR TEAM IS COMBINED WITH THE HILTON HEAD ISLAND, A HAZMAT TEAM, OUR SWAT TEAM, AND THE, THE, UH, BEAUFORT COUNTY BOMB SQUAD. AND WE CAN RESPOND REALLY ANYWHERE IN THE STATE, BUT NORMALLY THE LOWER PART, THE LOWER SEVEN COUNTIES OF THE STATE, UH, FOR ANY TYPE OF TERRORIST INSTANCE, WE WILL ACTUALLY RESPOND THERE AND HANDLE THOSE CALLS. WHAT WE WERE TRAINED FOR HERE IS IF WE HAVE A BARRICADED SUBJECT INSIDE A BUILDING WITH A MULTI-STORY, WITH SOME WINDOWS THAT WE CAN REPEL INTO. UM, SOME OF THE TIME WE CAN'T, UH, MAKE ENTRY INTO A BUILDING FROM OUTSIDE PERIMETER BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY WITH ALL THE WINDOWS, HE CAN SEE WHERE WE'RE COMING FROM. IF WE CAN GET ON A SIDE THAT WE KNOW HE'S NOT LOOKING AT, WE CAN GET TO THE TOP OF THE BUILDING AND REPEL DOWN IN THROUGH THE WINDOWS AND GAIN ENTRY TO ONE OF THE MULTI, UH, STORIES AND COME DOWN THE STAIRS AND, YOU KNOW, GET THE SUBJECT FROM THERE WHILE, UM, AT THE SAME TIME COMING IN WITH THE ENTRY TEAM SO WE CAN GET 'EM FROM BOTH SIDES. ONE THING IS THE COMRADERY, JUST BEING ON A TEAM ASPECT. UM, IT'S ALWAYS AN ADRENALINE GETTER, EVERYTHING WE DO, AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT EXCITING. IT'S DANGEROUS, BUT IT'S ALSO EXCITING AT THE SAME TIME. I SERVED FOUR YEARS WITH THE MILITARY, UM, AND THEN WENT TO COLLEGE AND IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT I WANTED TO DO. 3, 2, 1. I AM THE RAPPEL MASTER FOR THE TEAM AND THEY GIVE ME THE SCHOOLS TO LEARN HOW TO TIE THE SYSTEMS AND HOOK EVERYTHING UP SO IT'S DONE IN A SAFE MANNER. IN A REAL SITUATION, THEY MIGHT BE EXPECTING US TO COME FROM THE BOTTOM FLOOR, AND IN FACT, WE CAN EITHER COME THROUGH THE TOP FLOOR WINDOWS, WHICH WOULD BE AN ADVANTAGE ON US 'CAUSE WE GET THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE. OR WE CAN ALSO, UH, YOU KNOW, DEPLOY FLASH BANGS. ALL THESE GUYS ON THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, SWAT TEAM VOLUNTEER FOR THIS. WE DON'T GET ANY EXTRA MONEY. WE DON'T GET ANY EXTRA PAY. YOU KNOW, THIS IS, UH, IT'S A COLLATERAL DUTY FOR THESE GUYS AND, AND THEY ALL VOLUNTEER TO DO IT. AFTER COMING OUTTA THE MILITARY. UH, SWAT TEAM HAD THE OPTIONS AND THE SAME THINGS I DID WHEN I WAS IN THE SERVICE. AIRBORNE INFANTRY, YOU KNOW, BEING ON THE FRONT LINES, TIP OF THE SPEAR, DOING THE TYPES OF, UH, HIGH SPEED THINGS THAT DID THE MILITARY, UH, PROVIDE A GREATER SENSE OF SECURITY TO THE, UH, CITIZENS OF BE COUNTY. ONE THING ABOUT THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, I CAN DEFINITELY SAY IS WE DO HAVE THE TOP LINE EQUIPMENT, UH, ALL THE NEWEST GADGETS AND GIZMOS WEAPONS, YOU KNOW, AND ANYTHING THAT'S GONNA HELP US DO OUR JOB BETTER AND SAFER. WE HAVE OBVIOUSLY ALL THE WEAPONS. WE HAVE A, WE HAVE A LARGE SELECTION OF WEAPONS FOR THE DIFFERENT SITUATIONS. UH, LESS LETHAL MUNITIONS. WE HAVE REPEL GEAR, RESCUE GEAR. WE HAVE A LOT OF, UH, WATERBORNE TYPE, UH, GEAR BECAUSE WE DO, 'CAUSE THE, THE AREA THAT WE LIVE IN, WE WORK ON THE WATER A LOT. WE HAVE A LOT OF PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT, WHICH ARE BALLISTIC SHIELDS AND VESTS AND HELMETS. UM, AND THEN WE HAVE DIFFERENT CHEMICAL MUNITIONS. SO IF WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO FORCE SOMEBODY OUT OF A LOCATION, WE HAVE, UH, A LOT OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHEMICAL MUNITIONS THAT WE CAN DEPLOY TO TRY TO RESOLVE THAT SITUATION. THE BOMB TEAM CAME AROUND, UH, OVER THE PAST COUPLE YEARS. UH, AND THE REALITY THERE IS WE WERE DEPENDENT UPON AN AGENCY, UH, WHICH IS REFERRED TO AS SLED LOCATED IN COLUMBIA, WHICH REQUIRES SEVERAL HOURS OF NOTICE BEFORE THEY CAN RESPOND AND ACTUALLY BE HERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY. AND WE SAW THE BENEFITS OF WHAT SWAT HAS DONE, UH, FOR, FOR US LOCALLY, AND KNEW THAT THE BOND TEAM WOULD DO THE SAME THING. WE'VE HAD A BOMB SQUAD, UH, COMING UP ON THREE YEARS NOW. AND, UH, I, ONE OF THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS, MYSELF AND THE CAPTAIN WITH WHAT BIT OF KNOWLEDGE I DID HAVE FROM THE MILITARY OF, UH, MECHANICAL THINGS AND EXPLOSIVES AND ELECTRICAL, UH, THAT IT, THAT, UH, I MIGHT MAKE AN ASSET TO IT. AND, UH, I THINK, UH, BEAUFORT COUNTY IS VERY PROGRESSIVE. EVERY BOMB SQUAD IN THE UNITED STATES IS ACCREDITED THROUGH THE FBI. [01:50:01] AND ONCE WE GOT THAT ACCREDITATION, WHICH WAS A COMBINATION OF ACQUIRING THE EQUIPMENT AND SENDING OUR OUR PEOPLE TO BOMB SCHOOL, THAT'S WHEN THE, THE TEAM ACTUALLY, UH, WAS STOOD UP AND WE STARTED ANSWERING CALLS IN THE COUNTY. WE HAVE HAVE GROWN BOTH OF THOSE UNITS TO INCLUDE, UH, WATER RESCUE WITH OUR ZODIAC, UH, BOAT. UH, WE ARE HEAVILY INVOLVED IN, YOU KNOW, IN, IN WATERBORNE, UH, SITUATIONS, UH, BECAUSE OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND THE PROTECTION OF OUR COUNTY. BUT WE ARE, WE'RE A COASTAL COUNTY. THE, THE THEORY BEHIND ALL OF THOSE SPECIAL TEAMS IS TO HAVE BOOTS ON THE GROUND, UH, VERY QUICKLY, UH, IN CRITICAL SITUATIONS AND TO PROTECT BEAUFORT COUNTY CITIZENS AND GUESTS THAT, UH, THAT UH, WE'RE HERE AND SWORN TO PROTECT BECAUSE OF THE JOB. WE HAVE TO BE VERSATILE. WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO WORK IN THE WATER, YOU KNOW, WORK IN THE WOODS, YOU KNOW, WORK IN URBAN ENVIRONMENTS, UH, UH, BECAUSE WE NEVER KNOW WHERE WE'RE GONNA BE CALLED TO, TO RESPOND TO THESE GUYS AND GALS. THEY WORK HARD, THEY TRAIN HARD, UH, THEY DO AN EXCELLENT JOB AND THEY'RE ABLE TO DO ALL OF WHAT THEY DO, NOT ONLY WITH THEIR PRIMARY JOB, BUT THEIR SECONDARY RESPONSIBILITIES AS WELL. EVA MARIE SMOKED 12,000 PACKS OF CIGARETTES OVER 15 YEARS. SHE QUIT AND NOW THERE'S A NEW LUNG CANCER SCREENING THAT COULD SAVE HER LIFE. YOU STOPPED SMOKING NOW. START SCREENING. NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU SMOKED, EARLY DETECTION COULD SAVE YOU. TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR OR LEARN MORE AT, SAVED BY THE SCAN.ORG. I'M JOE BOGUS AND I'M A VOLUNTEER WITH THE BEFOR COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM. FOR THE PAST SEVEN YEARS, I'VE BEEN A BOARD MEMBER AND MOST RECENTLY A FINANCE CHAIR FOR THE COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM. THIS HAS BEEN A VERY REWARDING AND ENRICHING EXPERIENCE, ESPECIALLY SINCE I BEGAN THE BOARD, MY BOARD TERM, DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE GREAT RECESSION WHEN HE HAD VERY FEW BOOKS AND VERY FEW VISITORS. BUT OVER TIME, THE BOARD AND LIBRARY LEADERSHIP HAVE MANAGED TO REBUILD OUR FINANCE THAT WE'RE SPENDING MORE MATERIALS NOW THAN EVER BEFORE, AND IN A GREATER VARIETY. BOTH HARD COPY AND DIGITAL GROWTH IN BUFORD COUNTY MEANS THAT WE HAVE TO CAREFULLY HUSBAND OUR RESOURCES, AND THIS IS WHERE VOLUNTEERS IN THE LIBRARY COURT DO MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. SUSAN AND I HAVE BEEN HERE FOR 18 YEARS, AND WE KNOW THE POSITIVE IMPACT LIBRARIES CAN MAKE IN OUR COMMUNITY. TODAY'S LIBRARY IS A NEW TOWN HALL FULL OF VIBRANT MIXTURE OF PROGRAMS AND OFFERINGS. AS A BOARD MEMBER, I KNOW FIRSTHAND THE IMPACT THAT WE CAN MAKE AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO HAVE PEOPLE SPEND THEIR TIME AND TALENTS ON MAKING BEAUFORT COUNTY A BETTER PLACE. THIS IS OUR HOME, AND THIS IS WHY I MAKE THIS INVESTMENT IN BOTH MY TIME AND AND MY COMMUNITY. THIS VERY BRIEFLY IS WHY I SERVE, WHY I'M ASKING YOU TO CONSIDER SPENDING YOUR TIME ALSO FOR THE BEAUFORT COUNTY LIBRARY. THANK YOU. TO SEE A LISTING OF BEAUFORT COUNTY'S AGENCIES, BOARDS, AND COMMISSIONS, OR TO FILL OUT AN APPLICATION, VISIT WWW.BEAUFORTCOUNTYSC.GOV. HELLO, MY NAME IS EBONY SANDERS. I AM THE BEAUFORT COUNTY ASSESSOR. OUR GOAL AT THE BEAUFORT COUNTY ASSESSOR'S OFFICE IS TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC IN THE AREAS [01:55:01] OF REAL PROPERTY TAXATIONS IN AN EFFORT TO MEET THAT GOAL. WE ARE HERE TODAY TO SHOW YOU A SERIES OF VIDEOS. STARTING WITH THIS ONE, CONCERNING THE BEAUFORT COUNTY ASSESSOR'S OFFICE WAGE. START BY GOING TO THE BEAUFORT COUNTY WEBSITE, WWW.BEAUFORTCOUNTYSC.GOV, AND YOU CAN GO THERE TO LOCATE OUR WEBPAGE. TO BEGIN, WHEN YOU'RE AT THE WEBPAGE, YOU'LL START BY GOING TO THE GOVERNMENT TAB ON YOUR PAGE. THEN YOU WILL FIND DEPARTMENTS AND UNDER ASSESSOR. WHEN YOU SELECT ASSESSOR, THE PAGE WILL DIRECT YOU TO OUR WEBPAGE. ON THE ASSESSOR'S WEBPAGE, YOU WILL FIND A HOST OF INFORMATION THAT YOU CAN DO RESEARCH ON. YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR PARTICULAR PROPERTY, BUT YOU CAN ALSO ACTUALLY ON FIND ONLINE APPLICATIONS WHERE YOU CAN APPLY FOR LEGAL RESIDENCY APPLICATIONS AS WELL AS AG USE. SO LET'S LOOK AT THE LEGAL RESIDENCY APPLICATIONS. TO BEGIN. YOU'LL SEE THERE'S A LINK THAT YOU CAN APPLY FOR THE LEGAL RESIDENCY APPLICATION. YOU SELECT OUR LINK, AND HERE THE APPLICATION IS PROVIDED FOR YOU. MY SUGGESTION WOULD BE TO READ THE ENTIRE APPLICATION THOROUGHLY BEFORE YOU BEGIN, AS YOU WILL NEED CERTAIN DOCUMENTS TO SUBMIT WITH YOUR APPLICATION. IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO APPLY ONLINE, YOU CAN ALSO APPLY IN PAPER FORM. GO BACK TO THE ASSESSOR'S OFFICE WEBPAGE, GO TO FORMS, AND HERE YOU'LL SEE A LIST OF ALL THE FORMS THAT OUR OFFICE OF SUPPLY, OUR TAXPAYERS. YOU CAN ACTUALLY DOWNLOAD THESE FORMS AND PRINT THEM OFF AND SUBMIT THEM IN WRITING. THE APPLICATION CAN BE MAILED INTO OUR OFFICE AS WELL. YOU CAN MAIL THEM BY USING OUR MAILING ADDRESS, WHICH IS LOCATED IN OUR CONTACT INFORMATION ON OUR WEBPAGE. YOU CAN ALSO FAX YOUR APPLICATION IN ALONG WITH YOUR DOCUMENTS TO THE FAX NUMBER THAT'S LISTED ON OUR WEBPAGE. AGAIN, THE FORM SECTION OF OUR WEBPAGE DOES HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION THERE. YOU CAN BROWSE, YOU CAN NAVIGATE THROUGH THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF APPLICATIONS AND SELECT THE ONE THAT'S MOST APPROPRIATE FOR YOUR SITUATION. ADDITIONALLY, ON OUR WEBPAGE, YOU'LL FIND INFORMATION ABOUT WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO. IT'S A SHORT VIDEO, BLAINE'S ASSESSOR'S OFFICE ROLE IN THE TAXATION PROCESS. ANOTHER PART OF OUR ONLINE WEBPAGE THAT WOULD BE VERY INTERESTING, MAYBE BENEFICIAL, IS TO DOWNLOAD THE 2018 REASSESSMENT GUIDE BY SELECTING THE REASSESSMENT GUIDE. YOU CAN ACTUALLY DOWNLOAD THIS PARTICULAR BROCHURE AND READ IT AT YOUR CONVENIENCE OR READ IT WHILE YOU'RE ONLINE. IT WILL GIVE YOU MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT OUR OFFICE AND WHAT WE DO AND HOW WE CAN HELP YOU AS A TAXPAYER WITH REGARDS TO YOUR REAL PROPERTY, UM, VALUATION. RETURNING TO THE ASSESSOR'S OFFICE WEBPAGE, YOU WILL SEE THAT YOU CAN CONTACT US BY REACHING US AT 8 4 3 2 5 5 2 4 0 0. OUR LOCATION IS LISTED ON OUR WEBPAGE AS WELL. WE HAVE THREE DIFFERENT OFFICES. WE HAVE TWO SATELLITE OFFICES, ONE LOCATED IN BLUFFTON, ONE LOCATED IN HILTON HEAD, AND OUR MAIN CAMPUS IS HERE IN BEAUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE ADDRESSES FOR THOSE LOCATIONS AND FIND THE ONES CLOSEST NEAR TO YOU, YOU CAN GO GO BACK TO OUR PAGE TO RESOURCES, SELECT OFFICE LOCATION, AND THE ADDRESSES TO OUR BUILDINGS ARE LOCATIONS ARE LISTED THERE. ADDITIONALLY, WHAT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL TO A LOT OF OUR TAXPAYERS, THEY WOULD LIKE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THEIR PROPERTY VALUE OR PROPERTIES IN THEIR SURROUNDING AREAS. YOU CAN USE OUR PROPERTY MAX FEATURE UNDER RESOURCES TO SEARCH FOR REAL PROPERTY BY YOUR PERSONAL PIN NUMBER. YOUR A IN NUMBER OR YOUR NAME AND YOUR SITE ADDRESS IS HELPFUL TO HAVE AS WELL IF YOU WANT TO SEARCH FOR A PARTICULAR ONE BY YOUR SITE ADDRESS. IN THE NEAR FUTURE, WE'RE GONNA DO SERIES OF VIDEOS THAT WILL GIVE YOU MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ON THE PROPERTY MAX PORTION OF OUR WEBSITE. ANOTHER FEATURE THAT YOU MAY FIND VERY, VERY INTERESTING CAN FOLLOW US ON TWITTER. OUR TWITTER ADDRESS IS LOCATED HERE ON OUR WEBPAGE, AND YOU CAN ACTUALLY LINK TO OUR TWITTER ACCOUNT AND YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE ANY NEW UPDATED EVENTS THAT ARE OCCURRING WITH THE ASSESSOR'S OFFICE THAT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU AS A TAXPAYER OR JUST INFORMATION THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SHARE. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AND ALLOWING ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF. YOU CAN GAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BY GOING TO WWW.BEAUFORTCOUNTYFC.GOV. YOU CAN CONTACT US BY CALLING US AT 8 4 3 2 5 5 2 4 0 0 AND YOU CAN ALWAYS SEND A MESSAGE TO US USING OUR CITIZEN GRAHAM THAT'S LISTED ON OUR WEBPAGE. AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.