Know your Candidates (Part 3 of 6)

This is the second in a several-week series of profiles of the six candidates to succeed Joe Riley as mayor of Charleston. The candidates are Ginny Deerin, W. Dudley Gregorie, Toby Smith, Leon Stavrinakis, John Tecklenburg, and Maurice Washington.
Ginny Deerin is a single mother of two grown children who runs a consulting firm, and has worked closely with Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr., running his last campaign for re-election in 2011.
A graduate of the University of South Carolina, she is perhaps best known for her work founding the nonprofit WINGS for Kids, a life skills program that has grown from a summer program into an afterschool program in the county public school system.
This is Deerin’s second campaign for public office, the last being her run for Secretary of State, in which she garnered support from the S.C. Club for Growth.
Deerin’s candidacy seemingly came out of nowhere, surprising many with her ability to get attention and raise money.
“I think what resonates with people is that I’m an optimist who dreams big and gets things done,” Deerin said. “If people are satisfied with the current pace of growth, then they have a candidate for that,” she said taking a jab at one of the other frontrunners, state Rep. Leon Stavrinakis (D-Charleston).
Like many of the other candidates, Deerin created her own comprehensive plan, and has developed one for West Ashley specifically. “We have all this growth going on, and West Ashley wants it, so it’s a perfect match,” she said this week.
On top of WINGS, she points to her experience helping push for Charleston Place, Spoleto, and municipal water service on Johns Island.
Deerin’s top priority is what she says is every voter’s top issue: improving traffic and transportation.
A big “yay” for 526 completion, she wants Charleston to be the home of “world class” solutions for congestion and public transit, only borrowing from other cities across the nation how they funded their projects.
Deerin wants to see if the city can foster water ferries, cutting out car trips on major thoroughfares via the area’s rivers. “If it’s a good idea, then the people will get behind it,” she said.