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Kiawah Island forum: candidates all cite roads, flooding and growth as top priorities
Summary
County and state candidates at a Kiawah Island forum agreed infrastructure — especially roads and stormwater — is their top priority, debated how to pay for projects and wrestled with development controls and trust over how transportation funds are spent.
At a candidate forum hosted by the Town of Kiawah Island, county and state candidates said roads, flooding and overdevelopment would be their top priorities if elected, and debated how to bring state and county funds to Lower Johns Island and Seabrook.
The forum, moderated by Kiawah Island Mayor Brad Belt, featured opening statements from county-council hopefuls Jaxi Ferguson, Adam Friend and Caroline Parker and State House candidates Johnny Garman, Nick Euricchio and Carlton Walker. Candidates repeatedly pointed to chronic road deterioration, frequent flooding and the pace of new development as problems that cross party lines and demand immediate, practical fixes.
Why it matters: Kiawah Island is an outsized local economic engine, the moderator noted, generating roughly $100 million a year in property-tax revenue and substantial accommodations-tax receipts. Candidates acknowledged both the financial contribution and the political friction that can arise between island communities and the rest of Charleston County, and most pledged to be responsive if elected.
Candidates offered a range of proposals. Carlton Walker stressed procurement and contracting changes — including a proposed specialty license for local road repair and more transparent bidding — as a way to stretch dollars and speed repairs. Several candidates urged decentralizing some SCDOT responsibilities so municipalities or counties could act faster on local issues. Nick Euricchio and Johnny Garman pushed for coalition-building among municipalities, the county and the state to prioritize safety projects such as a Seabrook road that currently floods at high tides. Caroline Parker pointed to "shelf-ready" county projects that could be started quickly; Adam Friend suggested exploring an increase in the accommodation (lodging) tax with a guarantee that the incremental revenue would be returned to the counties that raised it.
Development and growth management were frequent themes. Multiple candidates endorsed stronger urban-growth boundaries, more aggressive stormwater regulation and conservation easements to preserve marshland and slow sprawl. Several said they would press county council to adopt city-level stormwater standards and to refuse zoning approvals for projects that lack adequate infrastructure.
On partisanship, candidates across the aisle described most local problems — potholes, drainage, emergency access — as nonpartisan. "You still want your roads fixed," Carlton Walker said. Several candidates said they would "answer the phone" and work across parties, while others emphasized restoring citizens' trust in county budgeting and project delivery.
The forum also touched on the pending transportation sales tax referendum, concurrency legislation and potential tax increases, subjects that drew more divided responses and a focus on delivering results and transparency rather than abstract policy promises.
The forum was recorded and will be posted on the town's YouTube channel; the moderator reminded the audience that early voting was underway and urged attendees to vote on Tuesday if they had not already.
The recorded discussion gives voters a line-by-line look at how each candidate proposes to fund and prioritize local infrastructure, and which projects they would pursue first if elected.
