Is James Island a viable town?
Uncertainty looms over town's 2nd anniversary
Alan Hawes
The Post and Courier
Shirley Carter asked the town of James Island to pave Jeff Gaillard Lane, which runs off Sol Legare Road.
Grace Beahm
The Post and Courier
Doug Rucker, who started work Monday as a planner with James Island, organizes land plats Wednesday at Town Hall.
Shirley Carter lives along a small dirt road at the southern end of James Island, where for many years she was a woman without a town.
Along with neighbors in the Sol Legare community and about 20,000 other James Islanders, she lived in an unincorporated section of Charleston County.
That meant she had to drive 17 miles to the Charleston County offices in North Charleston if she had an issue that needed some government attention, like a zoning issue or building permit.
Now that James Island is a town, Carter can travel the short distance to Town Hall on Camp Road, and that's just what she did Tuesday.
Carter wants the town to pave her dirt lane. She isn't sure if the town will satisfy her request, but she was pleased with the attention.
"At least they are listening," she said. "The county did absolutely nothing for us."
"It was like we were stepchildren," Carter said, "because we weren't in the city (of Charleston) and we weren't in Folly Beach."
Access to a local, elected government is one of the things at stake for town residents. A circuit court judge is expected to rule by June 1 on whether the town's 2006 incorporation was constitutional and proper.
As the court fight drags on, those who lived in unincorporated areas are getting used to the idea of being in a town, though it's a limited form.
The town has no police or fire department, no sanitation crews, no municipal court, no parks or recreation department and it owns no buildings.
Basic services are provided, as they were before, by the county sheriff or James Island Public Service District.
Those who supported forming a town, starting around 1992, focused their energy on creating the town, fighting legal challenges from Charleston, reforming the town, fighting in court and losing again, and then incorporating the town once more.
Now, they are learning anew what it means to govern.
Much of the desire to form a town has been rooted in animosity toward Charleston and long- serving Mayor Joe Riley.
Town supporters frequently blame the city for development that has turned much of the island into a suburban community.
The formation of a town put a legal wall around the Charleston city limits, preventing more James Islanders from annexing into the city.
About 16,000 James Island residents live within the Charleston city limits, and the city and town lines forms a patchwork across James Island. Next-door neighbors can live in different municipalities, the only visible difference being the color of their trash cans.
Charleston successfully used court challenges to have two previous James Island town incorporations dissolved and is expected to appeal to the state Supreme Court if the town wins in the upcoming court decision.
Likewise, the town will appeal if Charleston wins.
In the meantime, at a shopping center on Camp Road, Town Hall is steadily taking shape. It's nothing fancy, but keeping expenses down is important in a town that levies no direct taxes. James Island pays it bills with a share of the money municipalities get from the state, plus franchise fees, grant money and fees for permits and licenses.
Other towns of James Island's size, about 20,000 residents, likely would have separate offices for planning, zoning and building permits. James Island marks off desk space for each function with signs taped to the walls of Town Hall, which the town leases.
"It's a different experience when you have to start from the bottom each time," Mayor Mary Clark said. "The second town, when we had meetings, people brought their own chairs."
In one notable improvement, Town Hall now has restrooms and air conditioning.
"We needed a proper place for the people to assemble, and now we have one," Clark said. "The people of James Island deserve a local place where they can go and get a business license, instead of going up to Leeds Avenue."
Town Hall is at 1238-B Camp Road, it's open daily, and a special Town Council meeting will be held there at 7 p.m. Tuesday for a first vote on the town's budget.
Many residents have become familiar with the seat of their new government and have been going there to seek help with traffic complaints, drainage issues and other sorts of things routinely handled by municipalities.
"It just gives you a warm, toasty feeling when you walk in there and there's someone to greet you and help you, instead of saying 'take a number,' " said Thelma Bagley, who went to Town Hall this month to request stop signs on Midvale Avenue to reduce speeding.
Bagley said that during the second incorporation, town officials helped reduce the size of a development proposed in her neighborhood, and Clark even drove to Columbia to research archived records on the property.
"Mary did go to bat for us, so did (Councilman) Joe Qualey," Bagley said. "The people on the (Town Council), they are good people and they live here."
Residents still rely upon the Charleston County sheriff's department for protection and the James Island PSD for basic municipal services, but the town has taken over the regulatory and permitting functions that Charleston County handled previously.
The town wasn't anxious to take on some of those responsibilities but did so after the county decided to charge the town for the work.
"It's caused us to be more of a real town than we were last time," Councilman Leonard Blank said. "It forced us to do our own permitting and inspections, and hire planning people."
The town is approaching its second anniversary in July with its future in doubt, and it could be a while before the incorporation issue is resolved in the courts.
The town's four-member council and the mayor already are approaching the end of their two-year terms, and an election is scheduled Aug. 5 to fill those offices.
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Comments
This article has 18 comment(s)
Posted by Reader on May 25, 2008 at 3:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Joe Riley is evil. Long live James Island!
Posted by carolinapanther on May 25, 2008 at 5:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
James Island is a joke of a town! They dont have a police of fire department! Mayor Riley had every right to try to prevent this stupid town from forming. Mary Clark is a bitter redneck and cant run a town. No leadership, No protection, NO TOWN!!!
Posted by carolinapanther on May 25, 2008 at 6:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Regardless of how you feel about Riley, this so called town is a mess! this town is taking away county sales tax away from other municipality.
Posted by tellthetruth on May 25, 2008 at 7:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
James Island a town! Be for real. Joe Qually , Mary Clark, Leonard Blank and the two Uncle Toms that make up this town are almost as much of a joke as the ability they share to properly run this town. These peoples agenda included shoring up thier intrest first and now to thier friends. There is not enough perfume to hide the smell of these hogs. Get rid of them all and maybe the real Mayor can restore order from the savages that have corrupted the so called Town of James Island in the City of Charleston. Mary Clark Mayor? What a joke!
Posted by vicupstate on May 25, 2008 at 9:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ok, so these people can go to "Town Hall" such that it is, and someone knows who they are, or they don't have to 'take a number'. Is the town actually able to accomplish their request?
This town exists on paper only, and should be invalidated. Two different cities should not cross each others limits, period.
Posted by jefferymaier on May 25, 2008 at 10:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This is America, not China. The people decided they do not want to be a part of Charleston. There decision should be respected.
Posted by Trapper81 on May 25, 2008 at 11:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I also live on a dirt road on James Island. It has been graded one time in the past year and a half. My car alignment is shot and my shocks are gone. Everyone on the road continuously requests that the town grade the road. The town responds by blowing you off and saying they will do it next week and never does, or by just telling you that they don't have the money to grade the roads.
I don't know who the person mentioned in this article talked to at the town about getting her road paved but every time I call up to the town or go there in person, they are alway rude and nonchalant in responding to my requests. I would like to see a follow up story on whether or not this person's road in the article actually will get paved. My money is on it not getting paved.
Perhaps the most serious aspect of this matter for the town of James Island is the liabilities its founders are creating for the town and possibly themselves individually. There are a lot of dirt roads on James Island and a lot of work is needed to keep them in drivable shape. UPS trucks will not deliver packages to my house because the roads are so bad. Even worse, I see no possible way that a fire truck or ambulance could drive down my road in the event of an emergency. This is very, very scary. I would hate to see a home burn or someone not get to the hospital just because the town cannot do the job of keeping roads in navigable condition. This is a very serious matter that is not being taken seriously by the town of James Island.
My question to the town of James Island is this... Did you not happen to think of the fact that you might not be able to handle all of the responsibilities that you were taking on before deciding to just run out and start a new town up from scratch?
Posted by Trapper81 on May 25, 2008 at 11:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I forgot to mention this. Prior to the town's formation, the county would grade the roads and they did it at the very least once a month. If there was a heavy rain and the road got bad quickly, anyone could call the county and they would be out here that week to grade the road. However, ever since the town decided to take us all captive, the County has refused to grade our roads, but has put the responsibility on the town.
I would much rather have the county handling our roads than the town of James Island.
Posted by bvfd271 on May 25, 2008 at 11:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Give the Town a chance to get started and things will improve.Things take time.
Posted by eatmorecollards on May 25, 2008 at 11:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why can't people see that the whole county of Charleston should be imcorperated into one governmental body. Its a win win propersition for all.
Posted by preachlove on May 25, 2008 at 1:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Trapper81 - Very well said and very true. This town is a joke! They are receiving money and doing nothing to help the residents that are unfortunately within its borders. All they seem to care about is approving permits to allow friends and developers the right to build. And yes, they are rude when you go to their meetings. I am sick of the Town of James Island and will seek to annex into the City. I'm just fed up with them.
Posted by BillytheKid on May 25, 2008 at 1:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The fire department problems(all on Joe), the 911 holdup, the James Island voter fight(they did vote to become a town, many times). Joe must Go!
Posted by icbmman on May 25, 2008 at 2:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Trapper81 and vicupstate, you've said it all. There is nothing more to add. This pseudo-town is such a joke that if the national media even knew about how this town was created and which people are involved, their stereotypes of Southerners would be fulfilled.
That is all well and good that the town offices knew the woman's name and got her paperwork to pave the road. Does anyone here honestly think they'll actually do it?
Absolve this pseudo-town once and for all and get it all into the city of Chas. It's time to stop this nonsense.
Posted by bvfd271 on May 25, 2008 at 3:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
So much for free speech and the 1st ammendment as far as thew Newless Courier,er Postless Courier sees it since my comment,which made sense was deleted.No doubt controlled by Little Joe and his thugs to delete any comments posted that are detriental to Little Joe's wishes.Sounds like a Communist run newspaper to me,or controlled by Little Joe.Same difference??
Posted by now_ready1 on May 25, 2008 at 4:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
....Yes, because if Mayor Joesph P. Riley, Jr. doesn't force all of James Island into the City of Charleston he will have to put such a tax increase on Charlestonians, they will tar and feather him.
Yellow feathers and in such a small cage he could sing like a canary.
Posted by hillbilly on May 25, 2008 at 5:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Disolve the town and disolve it now.
I want to be annexed into the city where they have a real mayor and council.
Thanks for fighting this thing, Joe.
Vote Scarborough out.
He fought to form this piece of nothing of a city.,
Posted by BLUEEYEDMUTANT on May 26, 2008 at 1:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Far from being a democratic entity, the Town of James Island is an oligarchy. A government of the few, by the few, and for the few. Oligarchies are prone to political patronage, and to nepotism, fraud, waste and abuse of public trust. And while that would never happen here, it is unfortunate that there is no real oversight of a municipality's accounting practices in the State of South Carolina.
The notion that the town is concerned about cost must come from the few. In fact the town at times leaves its lights on day and night. And it's council has recently voted themselves a collective $100,000 raise, with around $40,000 going to the mayor and $15,000 going to each of 4 councilmen. This includes paid insurance and I'm sure there are or will be other perks. Of course they do not have to accept this money, and I'm curious to see which of them does or not.
Having read the ruling against the town when it was previously overthrown, I have yet to see how it has a chance with the State Supreme Court this time. At least one of the incorporation rules it violated before would seem to still exist today. And if the incorporation is thrown out for any of the same reasons as before, the voters ought to consider a malpractice suit against the attorney representing the Town. It would seem he should have refused to take the case for lack of merit.
It is nice to see David Slade attempt to shed some light on the viability of the Town and the upcoming election. It appears the citizens of James Island cannot look to the Journal for investigative reporting. That publication seems to be in the Town's hip pocket for reasons unknown.
But don't let's get into bad roads until you drive across the James Island connector to downtown and bottom out going in either direction onto Lockwood, and then hit every Riley Bump going on the cross-town to I-26. Every intersection the Septema Clark Drive crosses is like a wheel alignment mechanics dream. And they are just as bad going west as east. Why there is not an elevated roadway between the Ashley River connector and I-26 is a sad commentary on the foresight of whoever dictated the current layout.
Maybe Riley just couldn't stand the thought of all the cars going from one side of Charleston to the other not getting a chance to stop in the middle.
As to Mayor Herbert's, I mean Clark's, chances of re-election, the town's lack of viability certainly works in the incumbents favor. Voter apathy will reign supreme until the courts decide the town's fate. And by then, irreparable damage will have been done to many lives and business interest on the Island. It is one thing to have a baby, quite another to raise a child.
If the road to Hell is paved with good intention, God only knows where the road paved with mean spirited bad intentions will lead? Perhaps to a strip mall on Camp Road, James Island, SC.
Posted by BillytheKid on May 26, 2008 at 3:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Tell me about where my vote counts, that is all I need to hear.