Why Likins says she should be Hilton Head’s next mayor after 8 years on Town Council

Hilton Head mayoral candidate Kim Likins stands by nearly all of her votes on Town Council, which she says sets her apart from her opponent John McCann and that her experience building relationships makes her the best choice to replace political ally David Bennett.

In an interview with the Island Packet editorial board Oct. 26, Likins talked about big issues facing Hilton Head including the development of timeshares, funding for the arts and the request for spending reports on tax dollars from Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce.

Likins is a two-term Town Council member whose campaign focuses on balancing the needs of island residents such as infrastructure and amenities with the tourism economy, continuing the island’s environmental conservation and strengthening arts and culture organizations.

She said she is proud of her eight-year voting record, but if she had to go back and change any votes, she would have voted against rezoning for timeshares on Folly Field Road in 2015, because she said there “are enough timeshares” on the island.

“If there’s any one that I could change, this would be the one,” Likins said, adding that she approved rezoning for the development because the island was coming out of a recession and “everything was about redevelopment.”

Alliance with Mayor David Bennett?

Likins, who represents Ward 4 on Town Council and works as Bennett’s mayor pro tem, said she frequently is asked by voters about how she is different from the current mayor.

Bennett and Likins have typically voted on the same side, and she has made several motions to approve items on the agenda that Bennett brings to the council.

“A lot of times I’m looked at as someone who is very aligned with David (Bennett),” Likins said. “I think David and I think alike in a lot of ways, and that hopefully is a good thing.”

However, she said they have disagreed on some projects, such as the development of Shelter Cove and the University of South Carolina Beaufort hospitality campus on the island, both of which she supports.

Differences between Likins and John McCann

When asked how she differs from McCann, Likins said although they both have served on Town Council for two terms, they have voted differently on budget and development-related issues.

She said she voted against a $575,000 request for funding for lighting for the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina because it was not budgeted and said council did not have enough criteria to evaluate the needs of arts center given the large amount of money requested. McCann voted to approve the project.

“(McCann) does talk quite a bit about fiscal responsibility, and in my opinion, that was an situation where fiscal responsibility was not demonstrated in a vote,” Likins said of McCann’s vote.

Where she stands

Here’s a breakdown of other opinions Likins shared with the Island Packet during the one-hour interview:

Chamber of commerce transparency

• When asked about her request for accommodations tax spending reports from the chamber, she said she supports the town putting the chamber on notice it will terminate the chamber’s contract at the end of its term as a way for the public to see how the chamber spends approximately $2.5 million in annual tax dollars.
• She said she thinks the public should see “every penny” that the chamber receives from the town, and that the “responsibility has been put square on (the town’s) plate” to ensure citizens can see how public money is spent.
• Likins differs from both Alan Perry and McCann on this issue, who told the Island Packet they don’t feel the public needs to see specific invoices from the chamber.

Workforce/Transportation

• When asked about rezoning for workforce housing, Likins said she wants to repurpose vacant commercial space for housing, but that doing so requires the town to be “intentional” about the Land Management Ordinance and zoning land for residential use. She said unused buildings, such as the Sam’s Club, could be “repurposed for artist enclaves or housing for teachers” and the town should take recommendations from the workforce housing consultant.

• Likins works as a director at the Boys & Girls Club of Hilton Head Island and said she has a “great passion for the individuals in our community who are less fortunate” and that she wants to make clear that although “Hilton Head is considered an island of significant wealth,” the “reality is it’s a very poor island.”

• She said the island is “a service industry and ... the backbone of our service industry are those families that are working day in, day out.” Likins applauded Bennett’s work on the sanitary sewer project.

• Likins said she supports transportation initiatives to help island workers commute, and mentioned the possibility of a ferry from Buckingham landing to Lady’s Island to move people back and forth between the islands.

Arts Center funding

• She said expenses and salaries at Shelter Cove’s arts center are too high, and that the theatre misses out on revenue because performers rehearse on-site, meaning it cannot be rented out for other uses.

Steve Riley

• When asked about the public perception of “closed door” executive sessions by council, she said that executive sessions are called by Town Manager Steve Riley to discuss “contractual matters, legal advice and personnel issues.” She said that for some issues “we can’t bring them to the public” until council has “reach(ed) a point where we’re going to take an action.”
• Likins said she supports Riley in his role but would like to see him “more involved” in the town’s visioning process, arts and culture organizations. She said he has done “an amazing job at managing our community” and that he’s “very talented” at land planning and supported her when she was trying to build a fire station in Palmetto Dunes.

Shelter Cove

• Likins said she is proud of the Shelter Cove revitalization project, which is in her ward, and “was the best thing for the community” when the owner of the mall went into bankruptcy.

Election information

Voting in the Hilton Head mayoral election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 6. Voters can check their registration and polling places with the South Carolina Election Commission here.

If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two candidates will move into a runoff election, which will take place Tuesday, Nov. 20.

Six people are running for Hilton Head mayor. They are:

• Town Council member John McCann
• Native Islander Rochelle Williams
• Holocaust revisionist Michael Santomauro
• Real Estate broker Barry Ginn
• Sales Manager at SunTrust bank Alan Perry
• Town Council member Kim Likins, who currently represents Ward 4.

The Island Packet interviewed several candidates in its editorial board endorsement process, and the endorsement will be published in the newspaper Saturday, Nov. 3.

This story was originally published October 30, 2018 at 8:30 AM.