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Biographical information
- Political affiliation (Republican or Democrat?): N/A
- Education: Bachelor of electrical engineering.
- Professional background: 30 years with Mobil Oil (now ExxonMobil) Registered Professional Engineer- Texas
- Public service background: elected to Town Council February 2001. Various boards and associations
- Family (wife, children, number of grandchildren if applicable): Wife, Caroll, two daughters, and 4 grandchildren.
- Who are your heroes and why? Winston Churchill- without him we would all be speaking German
Q: The recently released master plan for the Hilton Head Island Airport outlined several options for runway lengthening. In your view, is it necessary to expand the facilities in order for the airport to be viable? If so, what should the limits of such expansion be?
A: I support an expansion, however it is irresponsible to take a position on the extent of any expansion until we know the costs, benefits and community impacts. This will be answered in the upcoming release of the Master Plan. Hopefully, we can then move forward with a plan that the residents of our town and county can support.
Q: There’s been a lot of talk about how to encourage property owners to redevelop or spruce up old buildings. What should the town’s role in that process be?
A: Although great strides have been made in our LMO (Land Management Ordinances)–changes in which we have, in effect, grandfathered density and non-conformities to ease the requirements for redevelopment–additional work remains. We need to revisit the areas with the most aged properties (Coligny, Dunnagan’s Alley, Arrow Road, Northridge, etc.) with the idea of partnering with property owners to develop public infrastructure that better facilitates redevelopment in these areas. We also need to continue to find ways to further modify the LMO to positively impact the ability of business owners to revitalize their properties. It should be noted however that over 60 properties have been redeveloped over the past 10 years with an additional eight in progress.
Q: How will you react if the S.C. Attorney General’s Office issues the opinion that Hilton Head Island’s dog leash laws are trumped by a state law that would require dogs to be leashed if on public property, even the beach?
A: Work to change the law to continue the existing practices.
Q: Do you support offshore drilling along the South Carolina coast?
A: It is not possible to answer this question without any of the specific facts: what is the overall impact of drilling vs. not drilling: its risks, benefits, costs of drilling for oil vs. gas; would the state gain much needed revenue and jobs; would it improve our national security? These are the significant questions that needed to be answered prior to taking a stance.
Q: Some beachfront property owners have complained that trees block their views, causing vacationers to complain about paying a premium for ocean views that are partially obscured. Would you support a process that would allow them to selectively cut trees?
A: The town is already in the process of setting up a procedure to do this and I support these efforts.
Q: Are you in favor of instituting a 1% sales tax to be used by the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce for tourism marketing?
A: I am not in favor of adding a regressive tax and am not convinced that it would significantly increase our visitor base. But the question is misleading. The proposal was the Chamber got one-half of the 1% increase. The rest would go to the town for capital projects and tax relief.
Q: In the past several years, the South Island Dredging Association has asked the town to help with the dredging of Harbour Town and other Sea Pines-area waterways, a request that could involve financial expenditures. How involved should the town be in dredging efforts?
A: These waterways are vital to the well being of Sea Pines and the town. Sea Pines is a huge contributor to the economics of the town. Its businesses and these waterways are key components of our economic engine. It is time for the town recognize that, going forward, they must be involved in assisting to find an economical, environmentally friendly method to accomplish this goal, now and in the future.
Q: Hilton Head has resisted calls to create a lawful employment ordinance that would require all companies to verify that their employees are eligible to work in the United States. Would you support such a law?
A: No. This would just be another layer in the existing enforcement. The state and county both have excellent laws covering this. Any additional laws passed by the town would be a duplication of effort and require a high degree of financing by the town. We have better areas in which to spend our tax dollars.
Q: What should the town’s role be in encouraging people to recycle?
A: I support the town’s current effort in this regard. We’re making it easy and cost effective for the residents.
Q: Describe how the town can make itself friendlier to business and economic development.
A: We have already done much (see 2) to make it easier. We have reorganized town departments and implemented new procedures for “one stop shopping”. Many items can now be handled on the web without a trip to Town Hall. Many of the perceptions of the town are really old news. One does have to remember, however, that we still need to have high standards to protect the things that make our island unique.
