By Molly Parker
Staff Writer

Even in times of a strong regional economy, political and business leaders should not lose sight of their role in bolstering and supporting the most fragile segment of the community: its children.

That was the common thread of the messages delivered Jan. 9 by Charleston County political leaders at the second annual State of the Region address sponsored by the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Asked by an audience member what he would fix first about the region if given a magic wand, North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey said he would “give every child in the Lowcountry a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Charleston County Council Chairman Tim Scott would wish for stronger families, and Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. would use his to build a better educational system.

A wave of the wand by Mount Pleasant Town Administrator Mac Burdette, standing in for Mayor Harry Hallman, would lead to a major reduction in crime.

Speaking to a crowd of about 150 area business leaders at the Charleston Area Convention Center, Scott pointed out that social issues do not exist in a vacuum and have a way of sucking the economy dry if left unchecked. To illustrate his point, he noted that Charleston County will spend nearly $110 million to build a new detention center to house more than 1,300 new inmates in just two years.

A future inmate starts on the path to destruction at a young age, he said.

Riley called on the crowd to write every member of the General Assembly — as he plans to do — asking them to fund kindergarten programs for students as young as 4 years old across the state but particularly for the most disadvantaged children.

“We know it works,” he said.

During the meeting, there was plenty of finger-pointing at state lawmakers. Both Summey and Riley called for an increase in the gas tax to augment road construction funds and to move away from the notion that raising taxes is always a bad idea.

The state has failed to take charge of its own roads, they said, and many are quickly aging and becoming overcrowded.

“There’s no such thing as a tax cut,” just a shifting of the burden, Summey said, noting the major property tax relief program the General Assembly passed in 2006 in exchange for a 1% sales tax increase.

If money comes up short, he said, local governments and schools will feel the pinch and programs for the most disadvantaged are likely to end up cut or squeezed.

Riley stressed during his short speech that local political leaders are embarking on a “wonderful era” of regionalism, a notion that was seconded by the others during various points in the meeting.

The Charleston-Berkeley-Dorchester Council of Governments is leading the charge to create a regional blueprint that crosses the invisible municipal boundaries that often pit political leaders against one another on growth and design issues.

With the implementation of a true regional plan, “we will never be the same,” Riley said.

Molly Parker is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail her directly at mparker@setcommedia.com.

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