Seabrook Island club membership not ideal

I own a small $150,000 condo on Seabrook Island. My husband and I live and work as teachers in Brussels, Belgium, and spend the summers at Seabrook as I am from the Charleston area originally and love it there. Your article on Island One (“Island One’ first step in new Seabrook campaign; minimum $6K fee required,” Feb. 7, 2005, issue) seemed one-sided to me, and I am wondering if you interviewed any of “the few” (and personally, I consider one-third of the island more than a few) who didn’t vote in favor of it? There are a few things I think you should know about this whole situation, if you aren’t aware of them already.

1. Tacking on the cost of membership in the club to a small villa like mine is different from adding that cost to a multimillion-dollar house. If you look at which property owners voted which way, I think you will find there was a division between those who owned expensive properties vs. those who own less expensive properties.

2. The rich guys want less rich guys to subsidize their golf. I am insulted at the comments of the Property Owners Association board and Club board that requiring membership in the club will bring diversity to the island. How does requiring membership in a golf club bring diversity? It will bring the wealthy to the island and virtually no people like me—middle class and middle age.

3. A group named Island Voice was organized to put out alternative information. Island Voice had to pay to send out their mailings. The Island One POA franked all of their propaganda advocating their position, and the “few” of us who opposed the idea paid their postage.

4. The POA has a committee that vets people who wish to run for the board. Once you go through getting the required signatures to have your name placed on the ballot, do you know how your name is listed? The “board-approved” candidates are listed, followed by the “alternative slate.”

5. Non-permanent residents are virtually barred from being on the board because members must attend in person, and little of what the POA and Club have done has been beneficial to many of the non-residents. One non-resident who wanted to be on the board asked if they would hold meetings on the weekends so that he could work out his work week and fly to the island to attend the required meetings. The answer was “no.” Video conferencing also isn’t an option.

I could go on for hours and pages, but I still work for a living. I have 22 eager 10th-grade students who’ll be coming in soon, and I want to give them the kind of instruction they deserve, but if you ever choose to write about this issue again, please consider presenting the views of the other side. I feel like everyone is working against the working man, and something doesn’t seem quite right about that.

Judi Nicolay

Brussels, Belgium

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