Hilton Head Plantation to choose council member Tuesday

Tuesday's runoff election for a new Hilton Head Island Town Councilman comes down to two candidates, each with a great deal of management experience.

About 5,000 voters in Hilton Head Plantation must decide between a man who climbed the ranks of the private sector and another who's risen in the nonprofit world.

Bill Harkins, a retired health care company CEO, says he'll bring business sensibilities to the office and reinin unsustainable spending.

Michael Marks, CEO of the nonprofit Coastal Discovery Museum, says he can get things done because he already knows the key players and system.

The special election will fill the seat of Bill Mottel, who resigned in March because of health problems.

The winner will fill the remainder of the term, which expires in November 2010.

Harkins

Harkins, 66, of 3 Old Fort Lane, first bought property on Hilton Head in the mid-1980s, and relocated full-time about four years ago with his wife, Mary Ellen.

He is a graduate of Providence College and Yale University who worked for more than 30 years as the CEO of several health care businesses. He currently works part-time as a consultant.

After reviewing the town's finances, Harkins concludedHilton Head overspends now that undeveloped land is scarce.

Duringthe past four years, Hilton Head's total revenues have declined from $60.8 million to about$56.2 million this fiscal year. Expenses, too, have dropped but still are about $7.5 million more than revenues this coming year, according to Harkins' analysis.

Meanwhile, the town's debt has grown from $114.4 million in 2007 to about$126.3 million this year.

"The town has enjoyed the opportunity of being able to fund most requests in the past," Harkins said. "We now need to come up with strict criteria that objectively measure the need and efficacy of each project."

Instead of merely delaying projects the town has little chance of affording, Harkins said leaders need to decide one way or another, and then move forward.

"I really bring a very, very seasoned business sense to this," he said. "I love this community. If I'm chosen, I'll give 100-plus percent."

Harkins also wants to createtools and incentives to promote redevelopment and take a cooperative approach for determining the fate of the Salty Fare ferry terminal, which is for sale and could be developed.

Marks

Marks, 60, of Bayley Point Lane, moved to the island with his wife, Pat, in 2002, when he became president and CEO of the Coastal Discovery Museum.

He's spent 38 years in the public, nonprofit sector andled museums in Virginia and Ohio. He also worked for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America.

Marks is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and has done post-graduate work at Old Dominion and Case Western.

Because of his current job, he already attends manyTown Council meetings, which he said has helped him stay abreast of current issues.

"I'm used to working with people who represent a wide range of interests," he said.

Marks said the town needsflexibility in its planning code, which would encouragepeople to rebuild tired properties.

"But we do need to remember the design elements that have become the brand of the island," he cautioned. "It has to be done with a lot of thought and a lot of creativity."

With the struggling economy and real estate market, Marks said the town needs to maximize its revenue streams, while minimizing costs.

He'd like the town to create an arts district of walkable galleries, studios, gardens, shops and restaurants.

"We have all of those things, but they're all spread out," he said. "By having them all in a district ... that adds to the town's quiver of arrows."

Marks said he'll also push to keep development restrictionsin place at the ferry terminal and for drainage improvements in the neighborhood, now a town responsibility.