Hilton Head mayor: Alan Perry focuses on housing, accountability in his run for office
Hilton Head mayoral candidate Alan Perry is no stranger to the race.
After receiving 22.5% of the vote in 2018 and missing the runoff election by about 1,100 votes, Perry said he’s better prepared in this campaign.
Perry, 57, a senior loan officer for Mortgage Network, is also the vice chair of the town’s Planning Commission. The long-time island resident first moved to Hilton Head in 1972, and returned to the island after studying business at Anderson College and the College of Charleston.
Perry has identified affordable housing on the island and government accountability as top issues for his campaign.
The Island Packet send questionnaires to candidates in contested races before the Nov. 8 general election and held them to 150 words per answer. We are rerunning them here for the runoff election.
Here are Perry’s responses:
Which campaign issue is most urgent to you? Why do you feel that issue should be the top priority?
Islander housing is our top priority. Alongside that, I believe in:
▪ Transparency — As your mayor, we will create a voting dashboard on the Town of Hilton Head Island’s website. This will allow you, the residents, easy access to see how your representative and the mayor are voting on critical issues such as housing, park funding, flooding Initiatives and more. This accountability ensures our priorities are your priorities.
Recreation, the arts and history — My roots run deep in support of opportunities that only exist on Hilton Head Island, an area ripe with water-based activities, unbelievable golf, and cultural assets such as Mitchelville and the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, to name a few. Each adds a dynamic to the overall lifestyle picture and creates enjoyment for our residents, and as mayor, they will be supported.
What is your position on the recently approved U.S. 278 plan?
The current bridges do not meet the needs of our community from a service and safety standpoint. I understand the county moving forward on the bridge and support the town taking a leadership role in the corridor.
In my opinion, the current move ... to promote Island Gullah history is most important. Offering all those who pass through the area an opportunity to experience a unique culture only adds value to our rich heritage and history.
Continuing with the balance/harmony will be a need to address parking on the island. We will be faced with more day trippers, which will only create more congestion on our limited roads. The need for a system to provide real-time parking availability will be critical to reducing the daily trips to the island.
What steps would you take to address the shortage of workforce housing on Hilton Head? Is the solution a public or private sector issue? Should Hilton Head focus on encouraging housing off-island through the Regional Housing Trust Fund or build locally?
An issue that has affected Islanders for far too long is the lack of housing available to our critical workers. Most of our fire/rescue employees reside off Island, and we lack housing for health-care workers.
Just as we invest our tax dollars into beach renourishment, we must invest in housing. A coastal community with our demographics cannot afford to have our quality of life threatened while other communities of our means and size are moving forward with smart public/private partnerships.
We’ve talked, we’ve studied, and when I’m your mayor, I’ll act.
The Chamber of Commerce receives significant public funding each year, but is not subject to the same transparency laws as Town Council. What steps would you take, if any, to secure greater transparency from the chamber on where public funds are being used?
The chamber and the town have a contract that follows state law. That contract will be up for renewal during the time I am mayor. I will work to ensure spending transparency within the confines of state law. I will not be stepping over state law and allowing the town to get into unnecessary lawsuits with our partners, such as what’s happening with the sheriff’s office and the county.
Friction between development and maintaining Hilton Head’s character has been highlighted. How do you think the town should balance the two? At this time, is it more important to develop for the future or preserve the past?
It is important to do both. Without change, we wither and we need to be cognizant of what changes will affect our entire Island community.
As your mayor, I will push to swiftly analyze the land management ordinance to mitigate the current issues, such as the clearcutting in the Mitchelville and Jonesville areas. The [land management] document served us well over 10 years ago, but it’s time we augment the errors that impact us today.
My strong business background allows me to understand the economics of land and assets and how it can benefit the people of Hilton Head Island. I will continue the work of Sen. (Tom) Davis and the Town Council and work with the town manager to develop the Community Development Corporation (CDC) to stabilize, protect and promote historic communities.
This story was originally published October 21, 2022 at 4:29 PM.
