Things Hilton Head needs to fix

In his recent column, “Has Hilton Head been ruined? Five reasons the answer is no,” David Lauderdale doesn’t go far enough on the “ruin” side:

Hilton Head Island contains three major stakeholders: permanent residents, tourists and a work force. At times, all are at odds and competing for power/influence, but they converge on common interests and values, too.

Dissent and transparency are too frequently ignored or given only lip service.

One should not have to use the Freedom of Information Act so often to get routine budgets and audits of taxpayer-derived money, especially that given to chambers of commerce, or arts and cultural entities.

Strategic plans are rarely complete documents. Rather, they are mostly inputs and budgets, not results and outcomes.

Some issues are so important they demand a voter referendum, such as the USC Beaufort campus on Hilton Head.

Visioning exercises and specialized committees can be full of pre-judgments, such as a need for a new arts center or large-audience venue.

Our sheriff has done an outstanding job for the county for 20 years. Why a policing consultant?

Approved development agreements should have an expiration date. Use it or lose it in, say, five years.

Yet we still have issues with low-cost housing, sewer service, and land ownership. What happened to our priorities?

Our airport remains vital to Hilton Head and tourism. But we are down to three commercial flights a day.

Thank goodness for the balancing effects of conservationists, charities, volunteers and local churches.

This story was originally published July 27, 2017 at 1:18 PM with the headline "Things Hilton Head needs to fix."