MAYOR REFLECTS ON TOWN'S STRUGGLE

By: DENESHIA GRAHAM    Of The Post and Courier Staff
Originally Published on: 01/02/03

     AH: James Island faces uncertain future as town awaits outcome of city's lawsuit
     To say the town of James Island and the city of Charleston are at odds would be an understatement.
     With both municipalities awaiting a court decision on the city's lawsuit against the town's existence, James Island Mayor Mary Clark has much to say about Charleston as it relates to the town.
     Here are some of the comments Clark voiced during a conversation about the recently reincorporated town of James Island, its challenges and its future:
     Q: Since the town reincorporated in May, what have been its challenges?
     Clark: Right upfront were the legal actions (by the city of Charleston seeking to dissolve the town). Of course, the city sued us and we had to defend ourselves. And that has taken, of course, money from the town that we should have been using for other things, and I suspect it has taken money from residents from the city of Charleston that should have been used for other things.
     Then we had to immediately bring action about the annexation of the Grimball Farm by the city of Charleston. The city annexed the Grimball Farm after our charter was given.
     Q: Both the town and the city recently went to court over the city's lawsuit against the town. Comment further on this legal challenge from the city.
     Clark: We found out this past week in the court proceedings that we are their annexation corridor. And indeed they have a map that says "city of Charleston, James Island area." So they considered us fair game, no matter what we wanted. It doesn't matter that we voted in 1969 and 1975 not to annex and (in 1975) not to incorporate either. And then we saw that they didn't respect our vote, so we formed the town (in 1993). And they still didn't respect our wishes. They want us as their annexation corridor.
     Q: We know how the town feels toward the city, so comment on the town's relationship with Charles-ton County.
     Clark: Oh, it's been a great relationship. Barring none, those employees in the county department are the greatest in the world. They have been so cooperative with us. They have done everything we've asked to help guide us in our role as a town and to provide services. It's been absolutely great.Q: Talk about some of the challenges you've faced as mayor of the reincorporated town.
     Clark: Life has been a challenge for me for the last five years in getting the town together. (Clark was a leader of the James Island Alliance for Self-Government, a citizens group that fought successfully for the town's reincorporation.) So it really was just more of the same.
     That means fighting every day for the rights of the people of James Island. We have done that since the beginning of 1997 (when the first town was dissolved by a city of Charleston lawsuit that challenged the town's boundaries). And fighting for the bill to be passed to enable us to incorporate. (Sen. Glenn McConnell introduced a bill in 2000 that made it unconstitutional for a municipality to claim ownership of marshes or waterways, the basis for the city's challenge of the former town's boundaries.). Fighting for the money to have the elections, fighting for the signatures. We've just had to struggle, and James Island is a place of struggle.
     And we're still struggling today, because we do not yet have a ruling from the judge telling us whether we can indeed be a town and continue. (The ruling in the trial, which ended in mid-December, is expected in February.)
     Q: Despite all the struggle in years past, has it been harder than you thought it would be with this new town?
     Clark: It's been different, but it's not harder.
     Of course, as always over the years there have been good people standing to the right and the left and behind and in the front. It's very easy to step up for a cause if you have good people, and I knew there would be people coming forward.
     The alliance was not just Mary Clark - it was a lot of people. I was able to stand out front, talk and wear the red shirt and all those things. But basically the people stepped up, and when the time came, they stood up to be counted.
     Q: What are some of the ways people have stepped up for the town?
     Clark: They have totally donated the furnishings for (Town Hall) except for a fax machine we had to buy at one point. ... We had everything down to a coffee pot. All the furnishings in this building were donated by people. And not only furnishings but money. Until we got our first check ($126,000 in state Aid to Subdivision funds, given quarterly to municipalities), we had to keep the utilities on. We had three months' free rent ... and then we had the donation of paint and supplies (and volunteers).
     Q: Barring issues with the city, what have been some of the dominant town issues?
     Clark: It seems the main one is speed - speeding in the neighborhoods, people wanting speed humps. People getting speed humps and others wanting speed humps. And then basically (people) wanting junk cars moved and that sort of thing.
     But basically (town issues) had to do with road issues.
     We haven't had a lot of big issues. We have had the cloud hanging over us of the legal issues (with the city), and that has been the dominant issue. ... Really, all we want is to have our own government, and we don't want to be swallowed up by the city of Charleston.
     Q: What is the financial state of the town of James Island? At its reincorporation, the town had no money.
     Clark: We didn't have any money, and citizens came forward and donated. (Resident) Phil Bates had a car show and that raised $1,500. He literally kept the utilities on until we got the first check. Citizens came forward and just gave money in small amounts and larger amounts.
     We had borrowed $45,000 from the bank, and we were able to pay that back and we still have money to operate the town. We've been able to hire a clerk/treasurer, which was badly needed. And we're going to hire a secretary/receptionist ... in January.
     Q: Comment on the services Charleston County will provide to the town.
     Clark: The county gave us a letter (during the incorporation effort) and agreed to the same level (of free) services until the end of the year (2002).
     There was a meeting of the Finance Committee of County Council because they're now going to look into charging everybody - I hope everybody and not just us - something. ... I don't know what they're going to charge for. But they want to have the staff look into (possible) costs.
     Recently the county (extended free services) for another 90 days so they could get with their staff and determine whatever they're going to determine.
     We are not deadbeats. We will pay our way (if need be).
     Q: Comment on the upcoming anniversary the town is commemorating.
     Clark: We're celebrating the 10th year of the founding of the town of James Island. No other town in the history of this republic has ever had to give its charter up before or had it challenged and taken. We don't believe that you can take the will of the people and just arbitrarily trash it.
     So this town will be celebrating the founding.
     We had a great town before and it served the people, and now we're going to celebrate. The fact that we have had to struggle and start all over again doesn't make any difference to us.
     Q: What is planned for this 10th anniversary?
     Clark: We'll have our first (Town Council) meeting (of the new year) on Jan. 7. Actually, Jan. 8 is the anniversary date. And we will have resolutions, we will have honors. ... Probably on Saturday we will have a big event that day of celebration and have everyone attend. (Plans for the celebration will be announced at the Jan. 7 council meeting.)
     Q: What has your relationship been like with fellow Councilmen Joe Qualey, Bill Wilder, Bill Woolsey and Parris Williams?
     Clark: Great. I feel that the people have elected me, and they have also elected (the councilmen). We need to work together for the betterment of James Island, and we have done this.
     Q: How has the town's relationship been with the James Island Public Service District?
     Clark: Absolutely cooperative. And that is a plus for all of James Island, because we're working together for a better James Island.
     Q: Comment on the town's stance on the controversial Charleston County half-cent sales tax that was approved in the November general election.
     Clark: No more taxes. We elected not to tax, not to levy taxes. ... I have asked for money for elections and things like that, but to beg for a tax increase on people for the next 25 years, is kind of ridiculous, I think, for mayors to be doing this.
     Q: Before your involvement with the town, you were a local historian. Weren't you working on a book?
     Clark: I was working on a book for about 35 years. I had researched the land grants, the wills and the deeds and the history of the people.
     When I (got involved with the alliance and the reincorporation effort), I said, well, I'll give this a year. I thought it'd be probably a year, and we'd have our town back, and (former) Mayor (Joan) Sooy could go on ahead with her business, because it was never my intention to ever be mayor, or even to work on it five years. But it just turned out that way.
     Q: What happened to the book - are you still working on it?
     Clark: I've researched some and collected maps and talked to people. In my old age, I guess, I'll go back to it.
     (The book) was a history of James Island and its people. It would be like a two-volume book.
     Q: What do you think the outcome of the trial will be?
     Clark: We'll win. We'll win. Justice is portrayed as being blind, but justice is not totally blind. ... It is right for us to have self-government in the United States of America.
     And actually, if we do not win, this is a challenge to America. This is not about Joe Riley and Mary Clark or the city of Charleston and James Island, this is about America. If you could pull out one of the foundation bricks of a town in America, then you could pull out another brick for another reason.
     If one person's charter or right to self-determination can be challenged, then can't someone else's, maybe even the city of Charleston's? It's a dangerous precedent to try to set here, just because you want the taxes that people pay.
     Q: What's ahead for the town for 2003?
     Clark: We want to really get going on our recreational complexes. We're getting grants to do a lot of things to preserve the way of life on James Island, to serve the people.
     Deneshia Graham covers West Ashley. Contact her at 937-5744 or dgraham@postandcourier.com.