Dear Island Neighbors,

I hope you and your families had a fine Christmas and holiday season and are on your way to a healthy, happy and safe 2025. 

With luck, those New Year’s resolutions are still alive and well, but if not, you can always add one more to the bottom of the list: If any of the ones above have been broken or bent, that is no excuse to drop them, just get back on track. Or, if need be, find the track.

Well, we survived the Great Blizzard of ’25! Hopefully you and your family made it through without incident, and the kids (and grownups) had some fun without making it into any of the more embarrassing “Hey Y’all, Watch This!” videos of us southerners showing our creativity with snow and ice. 

We’ve got a variety of items here, so let’s roll, first with a very serious one.

RECENT HARRASSMENT INCIDENT
You may likely have seen news stories about the disturbing encounter that occurred on the Island last week where someone (not a resident) confronted some landscaping workers and (according to the viral video of the incident) appeared to impede their movement and to harass them, verbally and otherwise, about their status in the US.

While this is not the sort of thing that any community would want to be connected to, the news stories all carried the Sullivan’s Island byline. Our Police Department handled the incident as expeditiously and expertly as anyone could possibly hope for. Under the leadership of Chief Glenn Meadows and Deputy Chief Monty Anders, our great officers, along with law enforcement professionals from other agencies, were able to identify, charge and arrest the suspect in less than two days after it was reported. The case is therefore in the hands of the justice system, where it belongs. 

However, in any event, the coverage of this disturbing incident did associate it with the Island. Please feel confident that you can assure any family, friends and associates who contact you about it, that our law enforcement professionals took care of it promptly and professionally, and that the behavior in the video is not anything we tolerate, much less support.

THANK YOU, LARRY DODDS!
At our December Council meeting, we had the bittersweet task of recognizing the retirement of our longtime (44 years!) Town Attorney, Larry Dodds. Please watch the beginning of this meeting where we read the Resolution honoring and thanking Larry, and he made some very warm and personal comments about his dedication to the Town. You can stream the meeting at https://bit.ly/SIDecTC; adoption and reading of the resolution, and Larry’s gracious comments, begin just a little after the 1:00 (minute) mark. Please take a few minutes to watch this to learn what great dedication and service Larry has shown to his home town.

WELCOME, ATTORNEY JOHN LINTON!
While we cannot replace Larry’s experience and historical knowledge of the Island, we are extremely fortunate that Attorney John Linton will assume the role of Town Attorney. John has represented the Town in a number of significant matters over the last several years, and as an East Cooper resident is a part of our community, with family on the Island. John has a very impressive reputation in the local legal community, so we are very fortunate that he is willing to work more closely with us going forward!

DRAFT OF HISTORIC DESIGN GUIDELINES
Some time ago we obtained grant support from the National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Fund, administered by the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, to draft and compile guidelines for repair, renovation and modification of the many protected historic structures on the Island. This is of course only a first step in a process of codifying such guidelines, but it is an important one.

A crucial component of this early step is disseminating our consultants’ recommendations and eliciting input about them from residents. A great opportunity for providing your input is at an Open House before the Town Council meeting on April 15, 2025. It will begin at 5:00 at Town Hall and allow you to review the draft guidelines and interact with the consultants and staff. 

The DRAFT guidelines are available by clicking here.

COYOTE ACTIVITY
Police Chief Meadows reminds us that coyote breeding season is February and March. You may see increased coyote activity. For more information, see: https://bit.ly/SCDNRCoyote

We do want to track coyote sightings and interactions. Please report non-threatening observations and interactions  to the Charleston County Consolidated Dispatch Center at our police non-emergency number, 843-743-7200...think of the school plus 200 (SIES 200).

Of course, if you observe active aggression by a coyote, call 911.

See you around the Island!

 Pat O’Neil
Mayor
843 670 9266
oneilp@sullivansisland.sc.gov