Big changes on the way

MOUNT PLEASANT -- In two months, voters here will pick a new mayor, the town's third in the past year, and choose new faces for half of the Town Council that will work with him.

The new mayor will take a part-time job that pays $24,000 a year and involves leading a town that has tripled in size in the past three decades.

He also will help oversee the replacement of veteran Town Administrator Mac Burdette, who is retiring next year after 24 years running the day-to-day operations.

And he will guide the debate about whether the town should change to a strong-mayor form of government that would make the mayor's post a full-time job, as it is in Charleston and North Charleston.

Rarely in politics is there so much turnover in one place at one time. And the possibilities are wide open, with 19 candidates vying for the four open council seats.

When candidate filing closed Friday, the mayoral field was set with three Town Council members -- Joe Bustos, Gary Santos and Billy Swails -- running for the top job instead of seeking re-election.

"Whoever wins is going to have his hands full," said Mayor Kruger Smith, who assumed the job in May after Mayor Harry Hallman resigned because of his Alzheimer's disease. "I just wish him the best."

Smith, 75, decided not to run for mayor but said that, while he likes all three mayoral candidates, he eventually plans to endorse one of them, the one he says has the best people skills.

"We're not growing like we have been growing over the last 10 or 15 years. During the period of that growth, we were adding new people all the time," Smith said. "We've become quite addicted to saying 'yes' to everybody who wanted everything that ever was. The new mayor and the new council are going to have to learn how to say 'no.' "

The campaigning has only just begun -- it's not even legal to put out yard signs yet -- but the candidates already have been seeking key supporters, visiting neighborhood groups and raising their first bits of cash.

Joe Bustos

Bustos, who had raised $8,165 by late June, said he's been talking to neighborhood groups but doesn't expect the main joint appearances to begin before October.

Bustos, 58, said his experience with the Army and his time living in other cities has broadened his perspective on the issues and helps him connect more to many of the town's new residents.

"We have so many new residents that have moved here since the last election. The playing field is very level for everyone," he said. "I think the candidate who gets out and walks, meets people and offers himself to discuss as much as possible with every resident as possible will win, and that's what we're trying to do."

Bustos said grappling with the town's $50 million budget will be a big job. While he helps his wife with their travel agency business and works as a part-time flight instructor, Bustos said he has more free time to spend serving the town.

"I just don't believe that in a town of 65,000 people, that you could say that the mayor, while officially part time, is a part-time job," he said.

Bustos said he would support efforts to change the town's government to a strong-mayor form, partly because that would put its mayor on a par with the mayors of Charleston and North Charleston, "so if those mayors come together to discuss something, we don't have the mayor of Mount Pleasant say, 'I really can't agree to anything, but let me get back to you.' "

Gary Santos

Santos, 50, an executive with a waterfront company, said he also is talking with voters but soon hopes to finalize plans for a televised debate with his two rivals.

"I make my case by asking them to review my history on council as well as my opponents'. If you do that, it's very clear who has been working the hardest," Santos said. The town's no-smoking law and vender preference ordinance are just two examples, he said.

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Santos said he would call for a transportation summit with town, county, state and federal officials. "Let's get everybody to the table to find out what's going on, how can we move these along?"

He said he also would like to spur the town's economy with a new pier at Patriots Point that could handle visiting military ships as well as cruise ships. He said he also is pushing the State Ports Authority to turn over 100 acres along Hobcaw Creek to the Mount Pleasant Open Space Foundation.

Santos, who had raised about $1,000 by late June, said his enthusiasm is what really sets him apart. "I like to jump in and roll up my sleeves and work close with the community," he said. "I historically have not had to spend a lot of money on my races. They see me in the newspaper. They see me working hard."

Billy Swails

Swails had raised $11,285 as of June 30 and said his war chest is now more than $30,000, well within reach of his goal to raise $50,000 to $60,000. Also, many prominent East Cooper political figures, such as former Gov. Jim Edwards, Charleston County School Board member Arthur Ravenel Jr. and Hallman appeared at his kick-off event in July.

Swails said Hallman helped persuade him to run for mayor, and he considers himself the favorite.

"They know I'm a fiscal conservative," he said. "Most people understand that I know more about money than the other two candidates, and I'm willing to do whatever is necessary so we don't have a tax increase for our people because most people are hurting."

Swails said he delayed his entrance into the campaign to provide a time of transition between Hallman's resignation and the race to succeed him.

Swails, a 62-year-old insurance agent, said his business experience will make a big difference, and he would focus on widening U.S. Highway 17 to a point beyond Wando High School.

"The main thing is to manage what we have now. This town has progressed very nicely with everyday operations. We've got a great staff. We need to keep them and make them happy."

Swails said he favors letting voters decide if the mayor's job should be made full time. "I think we certainly should take a look at it," he said. "Sometimes we need to be on a level playing field with the city of Charleston."

Oct. 3 is the last day to register to vote in the election, which will be held Nov. 3.