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While I would normally keep things light for a mid-summer column, I feel I must respond to the “Last Call” column that appeared in the June issue of Hilton Head Monthly. Two items in particular bothered me.
The statement that “since they (developers) left, Hilton Head Island hasn’t had forward-planning and visionary leadership.” That is an attack on every elected official and volunteer board member, as well as staff, since incorporation. It is an attack on the leaders of each of our POAs. Suggesting that we are actively contemplating stagnation and decline as a model for our future is an affront to everyone who calls this incredible island home.
Leadership enabled us to take our destiny in our own hands and form a town. Leadership gave us the Cross Island Parkway, the Arts Center, the only locally funded beach renourishment program in the nation, the real estate transfer fee and Volunteers in Medicine.
Leadership gave us a zoning code with tree protection, wetland protection and sign regulations that have been emulated across the country. Leadership provided for a secondary road system that has eased congestion, our disaster recovery planning initiatives and the burying of our powerlines.
Leadership enabled us to secure new drinking water sources and consolidate the Public Service Districts; to consolidate and form one of the most highly decorated fire and EMS operations in the state.
Leadership, in its many forms, has given us a park system built from scratch, an incredible museum, vibrant community organizations, and a town that is the envy of many.
Leadership gave us the only TIF district in the state where each affected taxing jurisdiction chose to participate. Leadership has given us balanced budgets, strong reserves, the highest credit rating of any municipality in South Carolina, and national recognition of our strong financial management for going on 20 years.
Leadership is much more than throwing out ideas; it is actually executing ideas in the real world. Leadership is about pushing hard to move the community forward, but also about knowing when to wait for another day. It’s about building coalitions and support for win-win solutions.
Trashing the work of others is not leadership. Constantly denigrating this community does nothing to move us forward. We can and we will improve, in small ways and in large ones, because this is a town populated with many bright and successful people who understand the true nature of leadership.
It is unfortunate that, at the state and national levels, sound bites, belittling others, hard line stances and inaction have replaced reason and leadership. But at the local level, we do not have the luxury of such posturing. I hope that we will continue to demand true leadership in our town.
