Beaufort City Council race hinges on financial decisions
Depending on whom you believe, the city of Beaufort is on the right path and in need of a steady hand or guilty of financial mismanagement and needs to tighten up.
Voters will choose two City Council members from three candidates on Nov. 8. Incumbent Mike McFee is seeking a third term, downtown business owner Nan Brown Sutton is looking to follow the path of her husband, Mike, a city councilman for eight years and current chairman of the city’s Redevelopment Commission. And former mayor David Taub wants to return to city hall.
Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling is unopposed for a third, four-year term.
The two successful candidates will usher home the Boundary Street project, sort through an ongoing downtown parking saga and address traffic, annexation and development issues along Sea Island Parkway.
McFee and Sutton have aligned in the belief that city has been managed soundly in recent years and should continue a similar path. Taub has countered with a sweeping rebuke of city spending and what he says are unnecessary costs to taxpayers.
Taub’s targets include the purchase of the Beaufort Commerce Park, money spent to develop the city’s Civic Master Plan and an a 2 percent fee added to utility bills that will reimburse SCE&G $2.8 million for burying utility lines as part of the Boundary Street project.
Taub announced his intention to repeal the fee during a candidates forum at USC Beaufort earlier this month. His opponents expressed skepticism it was possible.
Taub was Beaufort’s mayor from 1990 to 1999 and more recently a Beaufort County magistrate judge.
Sutton has touted her knowledge of city operations from having absorbed meetings during her husband’s eight years on council and as owner of Bay Street gift shop, LuLu Burgess, for 16 years.
She has also noted her service on the boards for Main Street Beaufort for seven years and the Child Abuse Prevention Association.
“I believe after being there for eight years — I only missed a handful — that our city is in good shape, despite what you might hear,” she said during a forum at USC Beaufort on Oct. 18. “I believe it is very well managed ... I have watched the city leverage your tax dollars to get you the best bang for your buck.”
McFee is seeking a third term, having been elected in 2008 after two stints as chairman of the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce. The Beaufort real estate agent has headed the Redevelopment Commission’s infill committee, working on an incentive program for homeowners who want to renovate property on Duke Street downtown.
The city wants Duke Street to become a blueprint for other areas. McFee points to the project as part of the city’s momentum he hopes to continue.
He has touted the city’s plan to budget for necessary capital projects and maintenance. And in the face of Taub’s jabs at unnecessary spending, McFee said investment was necessary to maintain areas like Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park.
“We do it as efficiently and cost effectively as we possibly can,” McFee said.
Stephen Fastenau: 843-706-8182, @IPBG_Stephen
Beaufort City Council race
The candidates
Mike McFee, incumbent
Age: 58
Family: Five brothers and sisters.
Education: Bachelor’s degree from USC.
Nan Brown Sutton
Age: 58
Family: Husband Mike.
Education: Bachelor’s degree from The College of Charleston.
David Taub
Age: 73
Family: Wife Pam; daughter.
Education: Bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas Austin, master’s degree from UCLA and doctoral degree from The University of California Davis.
The Issues
Answers have been edited for length and grammar. Full answers can be found at http://bit.ly/2016Elex.
Why do you think young families are leaving Beaufort and how specifically might you work to attract and retain young people to the city while in office?
McFee: It's the availability of well-paying jobs, decent-paying jobs — opportunities are less here. We have an opportunity of growing (Beaufort Digital Corridor) as well as our collaboration with TWEAC (Transitional Workforce Education Assistance Collaborative), keeping some of our transitional military with skills in our marketplace and finding jobs.
Sutton: I think families are leaving because of lack of job opportunities. Our first step is already in progress and that’s the incubators/initiates for economic development to attract that age group.
Taub: I believe the city should be more supportive in providing educational, social and housing options that are important to many young families. I plan to work with USCB and TCL to expand educational options in Beaufort, including student housing as recommended by Historic Beaufort Foundation and others.
Beaufort has multiple economic development initiatives/incubators now —The Beaufort Digital Corridor, Beaufort Black Chamber of Commerce and a new partnership with the Don Ryan Center for Innovation. In a city as small as Beaufort, are three incubators sustainable? And how would you help ensure they all work?
McFee: There are a number of success stories through Don Ryan that are in the local marketplace. And the Charleston Digital Corridor success ratio over the past 10 years has just been phenomenal. I think they are sustainable.
Sutton: Sustainability cannot be determined without trial. We don’t know if they’re going to be successful without trying. Each of these initiatives are different and will attract a different type of participant. I believe they can work in synergy rather than competition.
Taub: I support all efforts to generate economic development in Beaufort, most especially within our commercial corridors. I am dedicated to working diligently with my colleagues to support these new initiatives. These efforts require sustained commitment for following through and I have time and experience to see these efforts succeed.
What should the city do about the downtown parking garage and improvements to Waterfront Park and Southside Park if the capital projects sales tax does not pass?
McFee: One of the reasons we have hired a consultant in doing a structured parking area was to identify what opportunities may be available to us from a long-term financing arrangement.. And I think if the private parking garage is built in the downtown area it will lessen some of the strain. I think we have been very good about looking at long-term capital improvement projects, so I think we will continue with those.
Sutton: If the capital penny sales tax doesn’t pass we will continue to work with private development partners to source all opportunities to improve parking in downtown Beaufort. The Waterfront Park and Southside Park will have to have some other funding stream created. Perhaps a funding stream developed with partnerships with the county that create a revenue source to handle countywide parks and open space maintenance.
Taub: I am told that downtown parking has been funded in many cities without a sales tax and we should be examining carefully all options with a laser-like focus. I propose establishing a “Friends of Southside Park” citizens’ group to work with the city to establish a realistic program implemented in phases. We must develop a phased plan for improving the western end of the Waterfront Park.
This story was originally published November 3, 2016 at 11:48 AM with the headline "Beaufort City Council race hinges on financial decisions."