Here are the 6 candidates running for Hilton Head mayor and the issues at stake

The six candidates in Hilton Head’s crowded mayoral race generally agree on the major issues facing the island.

They don’t agree on the best way to address them.

Incumbent Mayor David Bennett is not seeking re-election.

Here’s a look at the six candidates, the issues and how each would tackle them.

The information in this guide was gathered from Island Packet interviews with the candidates, from their campaign websites and from four public forums held Aug. 28, Oct. 4, Oct. 30 and Nov. 1.

Key issues

• Building housing for the workforce: The new mayor will continue the town’s work to develop housing for the those who work on the island. That will include receiving recommendations from the housing consultant hired by the town and deciding on zoning changes that allow unused commercial buildings to be developed into apartments.
  
  

• Preservation of the Gullah-Geechee culture: Building on one of Bennett’s goals, the new chief executive will work with the Gullah-Geechee cultural preservation consultant hired by the town and address native islanders’ concerns about zoning and the loss of property to road improvements.
  
  

• Transparency from the Chamber of Commerce: The new mayor will have to decide, along with Town Council, how to proceed on requesting A-TAX spending reports from the chamber. At least one member of the special committee appointed to examine the relationship between the two has recommended the town terminate the contract in 2020 that makes the chamber the town’s destination marketing organization.
  
  

• Funding for the arts: The town has considered proposals for arts venues around the island, and hired a consultant to make recommendations earlier this year.
  
  

• Working with the town manager: Last year, Town Council got into hot water when the mayor and council discussed town manager Steve Riley’s contract while he was seeking new employment. Riley stayed with the town. The new mayor will have to work well Riley and staff if the town is to accomplish its goals.
  
  

• Improving U.S. 278: SCDOT is completing an environmental study on alternative for the U.S. 278 corridor from Moss Creek to Squire Pope Road, which may include rerouting traffic or widening the bridge. The project would be funded by a 1 percent increase in sales tax if the transportation tax referendum is passed Nov. 6.

The candidates and where they stand

Six people are running for Hilton Head mayor. In alphabetical order, they are:

Barry Ginn

Barry Ginn is a realtor on the island who wants to focus on bicyclist and pedestrian safety at crosswalks and on roads. He was the subject of an Island Packet column in May where he advocated painting “YOUR LIFE IS IN DANGER” on pathways to make people aware of passing cars. He also served on the town’s water commission from 1994 until 2002.

Some of Ginn’s positions, based on his responses at public forums, include:

• The island cannot afford to build any more timeshares. More development will drive people away from Hilton Head.
• Ward 1 is the “last really historic place” on the island, and he supports cultural preservation efforts.
• The land management ordinance needs to be reviewed in order to provide more workforce housing.
• Riley needs mayoral support.
• Rental properties should educate guests on bike safety and crosswalks.
• He does not support funding the Palmetto Breeze trolley, calling ridership numbers “dismal” and an “abomination.”

Kim Likins

Kim Likins represents Ward 4 on Town Council, where she has served two, four-year terms. She is the director of operations at the Boys & Girls Club of Hilton Head Island who wants to focus on workforce issues such as housing, preserving Gullah culture and continuing Hilton Head’s “environmental stewardship” and conservation.

Likins’ positions are based on her responses at public forums and on interviews with the Island Packet:

• Supports heirs property rights and said native islanders should be able to keep their land. She said the Destination Marketing Organization should focus on marketing Mitchelville as a tourist destination.
• Supports rezoning unused commercial space to allow workforce housing development. Says the town should be “intentional” about changing the land management ordinance to allow that rezoning.
• Supports funding for the arts and culture organization, but said she voted against a $575,000 lighting request from the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina because the council did not have enough information to evaluate the lighting needs.
• Likins initiated a request for quarterly spending reports by the chamber in August, and has consistently voted for chamber transparency. She said the public should see “every penny” the chamber receives from the town as the DMO.
• Is most proud of the Shelter Cove redevelopment project, which took place in her ward and during her term on Town Council. The bankrupt mall was turned into an open-air shopping center with apartments.

John McCann

John McCann represents Ward 6 on Town Council, where he has served since 2012. He said he wants to increase council transparency by cutting back on executive sessions, promote fiscal responsibility and focus on Hilton Head bridge and U.S. 278 corridor improvements.

Some of McCann’s positions, based on his responses at Island Packet interviews and public forums, include:

• Calls the town’s visioning process a “mistake” with no real “end game.”
• Said Mitchelville is the “history of the island” and frequently talks about cultural preservation efforts.
• Says he supports transparency from the chamber, but that his main concern is staying within the marketing contract. McCann amended a motion to include members of the chamber leadership on a committee that discussed the chamber’s budget and spending reports. Later, he said the chamber should not release specific invoices because it may receive discounts from vendors that “should not be known to anyone.”
• Wants unused commercial space re-purposed to allow private companies to develop workforce housing. McCann said he is against using the term “affordable housing” because it implies government subsidies.
• Said the town should be the driving force behind the U.S. 278 corridor project, and suggested appointing native islanders to a committee to give input on land preservation.

Alan Perry

Alan Perry is a loan officer at SunTrust Bank who is the president of People for Parks, a non-profit organization that raised funds to update the Island Recreation Center with new equipment. His platform — “Change and Tradition” — focuses on investing in infrastructure such as Hilton Head’s bridges, town-wide conservation efforts and increasing “civility” during Town Council meetings.

Some of Perry’s positions, based on his responses at public forums and in interviews with the Island Packet, include:

• Said Riley displayed good leadership after Hurricane Matthew, and that his role contributes to a “big family” feel on the island. Later, he blasted last year’s closed-door council sessions on Riley’s contract as “despicable.”
• Supports the USCB island campus and doesn’t see a threat from increased traffic. He said students will bring additional people to the workforce.
• Said U.S. 278 corridor improvements have to make the area safer. He said he doesn’t want to see people removed from their property, and suggested that there may be a way to compromise and only expand the bridge to five lanes instead of six.
• Said he is comfortable with how the chamber is operating, and won’t push for further transparency.

• Believes in a “limited services” government and intends to continue working his full-time job while in office.

Michael Santomauro

Michael Santomauro is a retired publisher of books that debate the Holocaust who believes Hilton Head is overdeveloped. His platform focuses on improving transparency in town council meetings, increasing traffic-flow efficiency and stopping all residential and commercial building.

Some of Santomauro’s positions, based on his responses at public forums, include:

• Said the island should be “as dark as possible” and that artificial light harms “sea turtles and alligators.”
• Said the art community on Hilton Head is wealthy, and that he does not think it’s government’s role to support it. Later he said the town should use public spaces for art galleries and art parks.
• Supports stopping all commercial and residential development on the island. Does not support expanding the Hilton Head bridges.
• In an August interview with the Island Packet, Santomauro said his Holocaust-revisionist beliefs would have “no effect on (his platform) whatsoever.” However, he frequently emails literature that questions the Holocaust to other mayoral candidates, posts about his beliefs from his official campaign Facebook page, and he has mentioned issues such as the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict, ethnic cleansing and the Holocaust in several public forums.
  
  

Rochelle Williams

Rochelle Williams is a native islander and chairperson and president of the 12 Jewels of Life Foundation, a nonprofit mentoring program for middle school and high school students. She ran for mayor in 2014, and wants to address expanding the sewer system and building affordable housing.

Some of Williams’ positions, based on her responses at public forums, include:

• Said at a September forum she would fire Riley, but later said he’s doing well. She repeated in the November forum that she would fire the town manager.
• Said native islanders need to be able to build on their land and supports efforts to rezone for housing developments.
• Said the north end of the island should be developed as the south end has been. At other times, she has opposed building and extra development on the island
• Wants to get more young people and families to the island by getting more teachers for Hilton Head schools.
• Said she “admired” the power held by Adolf Hitler in August. She later apologized, but told the Island Packet, “what I was really trying to say is I like the power and the control (that Hitler had politically).”

How do I vote for mayor?

Voting is Nov. 6 at 18 polling places across the island. Any registered resident of Hilton Head Island can vote. A list of polling places by precinct is provided here by the South Carolina Election Commission.

If no single candidate receives 50 percent of the votes, a runoff election will take place on Nov. 20 between the top two candidates, per the town’s code.

This story was originally published November 2, 2018 at 9:21 AM.