Longtime Hilton Head Island resident makes decision at last minute to run for town’s mayor
A longtime Hilton Head Island resident and president of People for Parks announced his candidacy for mayor shortly before the deadline last Wednesday, saying he’s not happy with how town government is currently being run.
“If the Town Council cannot work cohesively to move projects through, it adds to the divisiveness in the community,” Alan Perry, of Hilton Head Plantation, said on Friday, Aug. 17.
Perry, 53, moved to Hilton Head from Charlottesville, Va., when he was 7 years old and is a sales manager at a local branch of SunTrust Bank.
His platform, which he has titled “Change and Tradition,” focuses on issues that he says need new solutions, such as developing housing for the area’s workforce, investing in infrastructure like the Hilton Head bridges, and “protecting the waterways” that surround the island.
Perry has never served in office or on any government committees, but said his work with the Island Recreation Association — particularly as the president of the organization that funded the rec center expansion — has allowed him to become familiar with the way Town Council works, noting he “knows what it takes” to get things done at the local level.
He said one of the most important aspects of getting things done on Town Council is research.
“It comes down to a true understanding about what is being voted on,” he said.
Perry added that understanding a project means visiting the site, which he believes Town Council members have not done enough in the past. As mayor, Perry said he wants to see less micromanagement of town staff and more civility during Town Council meetings.
“The role of the Town Council needs to be rolled back,” he said, adding that he’s dismayed that a number of town staff have left in recent years. “Let town staff do their job.”
Seven people are running for Hilton Head mayor. They are:
- Town Council member John McCann
- Native Islander Rochelle Williams
- Holocaust revisionist Michael Santomauro
- Hilton Head resident and waiter Sandon Preston
- Real Estate broker Barry Ginn
- Sales Manager at SunTrust bank Alan Perry, who originally posted on Facebook that he was running for the Ward 2 council seat, then changed his mind to file.
- Town Council member Kim Likins, who currently represents Ward 4 and had not previously announced her intention to run.
This story was originally published August 17, 2018 at 3:50 PM.