Dear Island Neighbors,

Happy summer! 

We’ve got a couple of traditional Island events coming up that you won’t want to miss, and some other info and possible food for thought.

FIRE AND RESCUE FISH FRY
Come out and meet neighbors while enjoying the best fish dinner deal anywhere, for a worthy cause: supporting the efforts of our great Fire and Rescue volunteers. They are real force multipliers for our professional firefighters and other public safety providers. 

It’s Saturday, June 28, from 5 to 8 PM. Beverages are available for purchase (cash only) and there’s music by Fowler’s Mustache. Come out to the Big Tin (Fish Fry Shack, corner of Station 15 and Hennessey). 

It’s a great meal deal at yesterday’s prices, still only $5. I guess that’s fitting given the ticket counter’s locater on that weird What3Words.com system: “nutrition.lunches.yesterday”. 

INDEPENDENCE DAY EVENTS
On Friday, July 4, we’ll have the traditional golf cart parade in the morning, Followed by the Party in the Park in the evening, with music by the Shem Creek Boogie Band, and of course: Fireworks! 

For info, please go to https://bit.ly/July4th-2025 

But remember, as on all days, DIY fireworks by us civilians are illegal!

TOWN BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
We shortly will be soliciting applications for some seats on all of our Boards and Commissions. This is a chance to participate in your Town government. To learn about these important groups, please see the info at: 

https://bit.ly/BandCApplication 

FINAL PRESENTATIONS OF RESILIENCE PLAN
The final draft of our Resilience & Sea Level Rise Adaptation Plan will be presented to the public and Council at the July Workshop (Monday 7/7, 6:00 PM) and Council Meeting (Tuesday 7/15; 6:00 PM). 

For more information, visit: https://bit.ly/SIRSLRAP 

SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT THE EVENTS OF MAY 1
Sometimes you never know when concepts will turn into raw reality, in the blink of an eye.

On Wednesday, April 30,  I joined a large number of Lowcountry leaders in a regional visioning exercise, “Reality Check 2.0”, sponsored by the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments. It addressed the challenges of the next 20 years (270,000+ more people!) and really focused on the need to think of our region as a whole interconnected system, regardless of jurisdictional boundaries. 

Essentially, one community.

The very next day, this concept hit home in an unexpected, powerful way. 

As you recall, on Thursday, May 1, someone drove a car into a group of unprotected children and adults outside the Sunrise church, hitting two children and one adult after threatening many more. They were part of an academic program conducted at the church for students from several area communities. 

Thankfully, and miraculously, there were no fatalities; however, one teacher suffered severe injuries requiring surgeries and hospitalization. Amazingly, the children’s injuries were not serious.

The incident resulted in a massive, highly organized and ultimately effective multi-agency manhunt and apprehension, under the tremendous leadership of our Chief of Police Glenn Meadows and Deputy Chief Monty Anders. (For a description of all this, go to: https://bit.ly/SIManhunt 

They had invaluable assistance from Charleston County Sheriff Carl Ritchie; Isle of Palms Chief Kevin Cornett, Deputy Chief Kraig Thompson and Public Information Officer Matt Storen; and Mt. Pleasant Chief Mark Arnold and Deputy Chief Pat Carter. 

Of course every available member of our Sullivan’s Island Police and Fire Departments was on the scene working diligently and professionally, including some who came in on their own from off-duty. 

But all told, 130 law enforcement and public safety personnel from the following agencies responded on the scene in support of the operation:

• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations
• National Park Service
• Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS)
• U.S. Marshals Service
• South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED)
• South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
• South Carolina State Ports Authority
• Isle of Palms Police Department
• Isle of Palms Fire Department
• Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, including helicopter
• Mount Pleasant Police Department
• Mount Pleasant Fire Department
• College of Charleston Department of Public Safety
• Charleston Police Department
• North Charleston Police Department
• Charleston County Emergency Management
• Charleston County Radio Communications
• Charleston County Fire and Rescue Service
• Charleston County EMS
• Charleston County School District Security and Emergency Management

All of us on the Island extend our gratitude to the fine folks from these participating agencies for their swift, professional and collaborative response, which ensured the safety of residents and visitors, and led to the successful apprehension of the suspect.

This event was widely covered by local and national media, showing a huge audience how the large number of our Lowcountry, state and federal public safety partners all worked together so effectively, for the common purpose of protecting the public and ensuring justice. 

It provided striking evidence to all of us, near and far, of the truth of what John Donne said:

“No man is an island, entire of itself;
Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”

The same applies to towns and cities, even when, geographically, they might BE an island.

We are indeed one region, one community.

See you around the Island!

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