West Ashley has become the center of political power with the recent election of Vic Rawl as the chair of Charleston County Council.

Rawl, a former judge who lives in West Ashley, represents the next step in the consolidation of political might in the Charleston area.

Consider that Mayor John Tecklenburg lives in West Ashley, and that a majority of members of Charleston City Council have a piece of West Ashley in their respective districts.

And according to U.S. Census data, West Ashley is home to a little less than half of the city’s residents. And that doesn’t include the growing population in the unincorporated parts of the county.

Gibbs Knotts, chair of the political science department at the College of Charleston, found it similar to when the Lowcountry held a similar concentration of power in state government.

Knotts was referring to a decade ago when the top five state offices were held by residents of the Lowcountry:

•  Mark Sanford (Beaufort) was governor.
• Andre Bauer (Charleston) was lieutenant governor.
• Thomas Ravenel (Charleston) was treasurer, and soon replaced by Converse Chellis (Summerville).
• Glenn McConnell (West Ashley) was President Pro Tempore of the Senate.
• Bobby Harrell (West Ashley) was Speaker of the House.

Knotts also likened West Ashley to Edgefield County, the so-called “seat of power” for decades in South Carolina, producing 10 different governors from Andrew Pickens to Strom Thurmond.

Knotts said that West Ashley’s ascension represents the new shift in the political power paradigm off the peninsula and out into the suburbs of Charleston.

He also said that a “sense of political activism” has permeated West Ashley in a similar fashion to Edgefield, and that could help government guide the solving of vexing problems on this side of the Ashley River, like traffic.

But, according to Peter Parker’s uncle Ben in Spider-Man, “with great power comes with great responsibility.” And so far wielding that power in Charleston has proven difficult.

West Of political columnist Andy Brack, who ran unsuccessfully to represent West Ashley on City Council, said that the city and his neck of the woods aren’t getting along.

“It would seem like getting all of West Ashley together to work on a positive plan for community change would be easy, but some of the people are not playing well together in the pen,” said Brack.

At a City Council meeting last week, Tecklenburg and Councilman Keith Waring squared off bitterly over the selection process of a private planning company hired to guide the revitalization of West Ashley.

Rawl’s ascension to chairman was not without a few bumps along the way either. Conventional wisdom had it that County Councilman of Mt. Pleasant was next in line to succeed North Charleston’s Elliot Summey as chair.

But county councilmember Herbert Sass, a commercial real estate appraiser in the midst of a building boom, ended up voting for Rawl two weeks ago. Council went 7-2 for Rawl, with votes coming from both sides of the political aisle.

Newly minted County Councilman Brantley Moody, a Republican, voted for Rawl, a Democrat. Moody, like his father on City Council, represents West Ashley on the county council.

Moody said that he voted for Rawl because of his support of completing Interstate 526 and a special tax zone to help revitalize the Sam Rittenberg Boulevard commercial corridor.

Brack said that Rawl’s selection would focus efforts more on West Ashley, and likely would lead to better services here.

Rawl, who was traveling and unavailable for comment, has not only supported the I-526 completion, and the tax zone, but has said he will fight for a “flyover” at the intersection of Main Road and U.S. Hwy. 17 S.

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