Resident's newsletter creates stir

Neighbors and Charleston officials might have killed Jill Hunter's planned party to honor the dead, but don't expect this maven of mirth to go away quietly.

A few months back, Hunter turned the downstairs of her Chapel Street home into a quasi-gallery to host exhibits, theme parties and other unique gatherings. But after neighbors complained about a disco party night last month, the city opted to intervene before Hunter's next big shindig, a Day of the Dead celebration complete with fireworks and a mariachi band.

Hunter fired back Monday, telling city officials that she wants a jury trial to fight a citation for operating an unlicensed business out of her home.

She also distributed a newsletter over the weekend announcing that she and others are seceding from the Garden District and forming The Triangle neighborhood.

Her publication, The Triangle Times, announced plans for a Broadway-scale production called "The Sound of (loud) Music" and a gay-pride block party and processional.

Also detailed were plans for an in-house bodega and a mall with a backyard bistro, homemade fireworks and tropical bird sales.

Hunter, 54, said the newsletter was done mainly in jest to poke fun at some neighbors she considers party-poopers. "It's so much fun," she said. "People have been very positive about it. They just love it."

Well, not everyone. Some of her neighbors are just scratching their heads in puzzlement, wondering what Hunter is up to.

"I think another grandstanding play is what it is," said Vangie Rainsford, neighborhood association president. "It's another way to draw attention. It's unfortunate. Our neighborhood has always been known as a friendly neighborhood, but we've certainly not gotten any love-me-back from her."

Neighbor Susan Flaster, who is singled out by name in the newsletter for her complaints about Hunter's Gallery 57, shrugged off the shout-out.

"We may not all share her sense of humor, but obviously this was a joke," Flaster said.

Hunter is no stranger to controversy. She drew national attention six years ago when she planted a flock of plastic pink flamingos around her very pink home near Boston to chase away the winter blues. Some neighbors in the tony suburb of Newton complained about the display while others followed Hunter's lead.

Perhaps that will happen with Hunter's secession efforts as well. But don't count on it.

Rules adopted by the city in 1977 require that anyone wanting to start a new neighborhood council must get at least 20 residents to sign onto the idea.

The plan then must win approval from the city's Neighborhood Commission, said Jane Baker, coordinator of neighborhood services.

In her nearly 10 years on the job, Baker said she never has heard of residents seceding from an established neighborhood.

Reach Glenn Smith at 937-5556 or gsmith@postandcourier.com.