Beaufort City Council: More diverse economy needed, candidate Josh Scallate says
Josh Scallate sees the lack of economic diversification as the city of Beaufort’s biggest issue.
Scallate is one of five candidates after two seats on the City Council. The election is Nov. 8. The two candidates with the most votes will win four-year terms.
Scallate, 31, is a lieutenant with the Lady’s Island-St. Helena Fire District and has worked at the fire department since 2013. He was named firefighter of the year in 2018. He graduated from the South Carolina Fire Academy in 2012, and completed the EMT program at the Technical College of the Lowcountry in 2013.
He is a member of the 1% Committee for the Fire District, which determines expenditures from the 1% tax the district receives. He is a frequent volunteer at local schools, where he teaches students about public safety.
Scallate and his wife, Ryan, have two children.
Candidates were sent questionnaires by The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette and were given 150 words per question.
What’s the most-pressing issue facing the city?
The most-pressing issue could easily be our lack of economic diversification. This leads us to heavily rely on property taxes and new growth to provide over 60% of our revenue, which tips the scale toward increased development and new infrastructure. All the while our current infrastructure fails to be properly maintained. Poorly maintained infrastructure coupled with wider roads and rising sea levels lead us to suffer from constant flooding in both commercial and residential areas.
What are your top issues in the campaign?
Responsible growth, workforce housing, economic development, public safety.
Development and maintaining Beaufort’s historic areas can collide at times. What is your position on development vs. historic preservation?
In the city I feel we spend a lot of energy on preserving dilapidated historical homes and not enough on maximizing historical attractions. There is no argument that we need to preserve our history, however we should not prevent families who own non-contributing structures from utilizing their property to better their families future in the name of preserving history while contributing structures and attractions fail to offer the very best to both tourist and residents alike.
Affordable housing is an issue throughout Beaufort County. What should the city do in response, if anything?
The first thing we must do is understand how big the problem is. Closing the application process for affordable housing in less than a week after receiving 1,400+ applications is essentially turning a blind eye to the bigger picture. The city needs to work with local jurisdictions to develop a housing trust that ensures we have affordable housing for essential employees and first-time homebuyers. This will require reevaluating our regulatory process to prevent unnecessary costs and extended delays. Sensitive infill to better utilize already developed infrastructure could help prevent urban sprawl.
What do you think of Safe Harbor Marinas’ plans to expand and improve the Beaufort marina?
City Council should work to gather input from the citizens they represent to better understand the community’s stance. Factors that need to be considered that have not been addressed are the economic benefits/ burdens and the environmental impact. I sympathize with those citizens who would have their view impacted by such expansion.
Several incidents in which gunshots have been fired in Beaufort have occurred in the past year, raising neighborhood concerns. Is there anything more that the city can do in response to these incidents or crime in general?
Violent crimes in the city dropped in 2021 — 47 violent crimes compared with 68 in 2020. Having a greater police presence in areas subject to higher crime along with building a trusting relationship with the community would help continue this trend. We would be wise to look closely at our repeat offenders and work to prevent their endangering acts in our community.
Keeping the police department fully staffed has become a challenge. What more can the city do to keep these positions filled, if anything?
Recruitment and retention is an issue nationwide. This problem extends itself past the police force and into the public safety sector entirely. Beaufort City Police Department received 147 applications in 2019 and 50 in 2021. We need to encourage accountability and strive to build the best relationship possible with the citizens we serve and swear to protect. In addition we would benefit from having incentives that inspire our youth to join the force and serve their community. This not only gives them vested interest in SC retirement but gives them the opportunity to better understand their community’s needs.
What can the city do to diversify its economy and bring more jobs to Beaufort?
As I understand it, the current economic development program is about 5 years old. This venture is long overdue and we should strive to nurture its success. Bringing jobs to Beaufort requires growth, therefore we should put great diligence into responsibly bringing career style jobs that help us retain our youth and adopt innovation.
Web site or social media page?
This story was originally published October 21, 2022 at 3:22 PM.
