Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs

“Who should I vote for?” is one of the most common questions asked of us at West Of.
Of course, we’ll never endorse a candidate or referendum, just educate our readers and leave it up to them.
Last week, we told you the most important race in Charleston was between Democrat Ruth Jordan and Republican Brantley Moody for Colleen Condon’s current seat on Charleston County Council. Condon is not running for a fourth term.
No, the presidential race is not the most important. Decisions and actions at that level usually don’t trickle down and affect the daily lives of West Ashleyians in an immediate sense.
Bomb Mosul and fists of anger could get raised. Build a bike lane over the Ashley River and a different part of the fist shoots up in the air.
That County Council seat could play a big role in managing a proposed $2-billion infrastructure fund, decide who becomes chairman, and potentially swing the makeup of Council to the GOP for the first time since it went to single-candidate districts.
Now for the rest of the story:
The second most important item are the last two on the ballot, both pertaining to whether or not the county should be allowed to levy a special half-cent sales tax to fund close to $2 billion in infrastructure projects.
Because state law doesn’t allow a current Council to force the hand of future councils, those projects are not spelled out in the referendums.
On one hand, the voter (you) is being asked to allow a bunch of money to be collected without a defined project list.
But, because the time period the money would be collected and spent would stretch over two decades, there would be plenty of time for accountability (“Vote the bums out!”).
The consensus is that the money would go for two main projects: further completion of I-526 and the creation of an enhanced bus system linking the county. Both projects are pointed at dealing with traffic congestion.
Detractors say a completed I-526 would just add to the pace of development, and not really solve the traffic situation, but worsen it.
Supporters say that the traffic numbers for completion are already there, that the only thing missing is the political will and money to build it out.
While nearly everyone loves the “idea” of better buses, public transportation has never caught on like it has in the North.
Note that we said “further completion.” It’s a dirty and open secret that there are compromise negotiations going on at the city-county-state level about just building out the inner loop onto Johns Island.
All this year’s hullaballoo could just be the first chapter of a never-ending story.
Here’s a breakdown of the “who” you should consider in several contested races:
President: Not even going there. Good luck; you’re on your own here.
U.S. Senate: Incumbent Republican Tim Scott was originally going to be a placeholder, but the former Allstate man found his footing in the Senate.
Pastor Thomas Dixon takes typical Democratic positions on criminal justice reform, gun violence, raising the minimum wage.
Both candidates are black, but is the district ready for a Democrat for this seat?
U.S Representative: Bernie Sanders supporter Dimitri Cherny could be seen campaigning throughout the county from the seat of a bicycle pulling a sign trailer.
Cherny literally pedaled his brand of liberalism more than 1,000 miles throughout the Lowcountry.
Incumbent Republican Mark Sanford’s career was supposed to have ended on his trip down the Appalachian trail to its terminus in, ahem, South America. It didn’t.
Striking a less-obstructionist posture this time in Congress, the former governor recently pledged to help in the process of the city asking the federal government for post-Hurricane Matthew relief funding. Quite a reversal (or flip-flop) for the Weejun’d representative.
S.C. House 114: Longtime local Republican Lin Bennett looks to retake a GOP seat that for the past two years had fallen into Democratic hands. Bennett has worked in GOP politics for years on the local and state level.
Democrat Bob Aubin, a website developer, may present the new face of Charleston County. He favors lowering the county’s carbon footprint and protecting the common man.
S.C. House Dist. 119: Republican Lee Edwards seems to have an uphill battle to take over Democrat Leon Stavrinakis’ seat in the House. While having served in the St. Andrews PSD, Edwards’ party affiliation likely won’t be a big help.
One of the most common knocks on Stavrinakis, who lost his first bid to become mayor last year, is that he is too chummy with Republicans. That could be an asset in John Graham Altman’s former seat, as he could appeal to both sides of the political divide.
County Auditor: Elizabeth Moffly apparently would love nothing more than to be a career politician, which is surprising for a Republican. The former Charleston County School Board member ran for Superintendent of Education the last go ‘round, as well as before for Sanford’s seat.
Incumbent Democrat Peter Tecklenburg’s last name should ring a bell, as his grandfather held the office years ago. And his uncle is the current mayor.
County Treasurer: Incumbent Republican Andrew Smith will face relative newcomer Mary Tinkler, who decided not to run for reelection in the S.C. House this year.
Tinkler, the daughter of former City Councilman and mayoral candidate Paul Tinkler, won her House seat when her opponent former Speaker Bobby Harrell pled guilty to charges of monkeying around with campaign money for personal use.
Smith on the other hand has served the county in this office for going on 20 years, or half the time Joe Riley was mayor.