Halt work of Beaufort’s Historic Review Board | Letters
In light of the fact that the City of Beaufort Historic Review Board has been incomplete for five months and will continue to be incomplete for at least another two months – over half a year – a moratorium should be placed on all board activities until such time that the board is complete.
I ask City Council members to answer the following questions:
How many permits have been reviewed since the fifth seat has been vacated?
During this time, how many were approved and what were they related to?
In the case of a tie vote on the board, what is the procedure taken? Who can break the tie? How many times did this occur during the period of the incomplete board and what were the decisions related to?
Any information they are able to share with the public would be greatly appreciated.
In an effort for greater accountability, and in light of the fact that the mayor recently placed a deliberate two-month hold on filling the missing seat, I strongly urge City Council to impose a moratorium on all activities of the Beaufort Historic Review Board.
Anne Tinari
Beaufort
Don’t let solar power industry go dark in SC
With the recent, unanimous passage of pro-competition legislation (the Energy Freedom Act), the future for South Carolina’s electricity customers was looking bright.
Unfortunately, that good news was overshadowed by a stunningly short-sighted vote by the Public Service Commission to price clean energy out of the market. Because of this decision, South Carolina won’t see a single solar contract signed for the next two years and many existing solar startup projects will be canceled, leaving South Carolina lagging in the solar energy boom currently boosting the economies of Georgia and North Carolina.
The facts and math are clear: solar power is now the least expensive power available in South Carolina. Solar power is much cheaper and environmentally responsible to build and operate than coal – and comes without unwanted byproducts like spent nuclear fuel, coal ash, and employee health issues.
We must demand that lower-cost energy competition from solar – be it solar farms or solar panels on roofs – is enabled by fair pricing and without barriers imposed by utility monopolies to protect their market-share.
With decisions like this made by the PSC, it is clear that our legislature’s job is not over. We urge the General Assembly to finish the job they started and select thoughtful, qualified candidates to serve on the PSC, and to ensure that the Energy Freedom Act is implemented in a way that benefits us ratepayers, not utility monopolies.
Michael Bogle
Beaufort
What Republicans believe
In a recent conversation with a Democratic friend, he asked, “In the age of Trump, how can you continue to call yourself a Republican?”
My answer was to say that the president, Republican or Democrat, doesn’t necessarily reflect the basic beliefs of the party. As an example, I don’t think that a President Bernie Sanders would be reflective of what most Democrats believe, but he could become president.
The conversation got me to thinking about what it means to be a Republican, and this led me to a card that I picked up a meeting one time. I don’t know its author, but I think it comes very close to most Republican’s views.
It read:
“I believe the strength of our nation lies with the individual and that each person’s dignity, freedom, ability and responsibility must be honored.
I believe in equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, creed, sex, age or disability.
I believe in free enterprise and that encouraging individual initiative has brought this nation opportunity, economic growth and prosperity.
I believe government must practice fiscal responsibility and allow individuals to keep more of the money that they earn.
I believe the most effective and responsive government is government closest to the people.
I believe the proper role of government is to provide those critical functions that cannot be performed by individuals or private organizations.”
I also believe that these values are not too far removed from what most moderate Democrats and Independents also believe.
Jim Dickson
St. Helena Island
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This story was originally published December 12, 2019 at 9:08 AM with the headline "Halt work of Beaufort’s Historic Review Board | Letters."