Wiley Johnson - Mayoral Candidate

Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet Wiley Johnson and sit down with him at Coastal Coffee to discuss the upcoming Mayoral Election.  Wiley exudes confidence in his chances of winning and looks forward to the November 3rd election so he can instill some positive changes into our great "little" town.  Of course our "little" town is the 7th largest city in South Carolina and if you drive down our roads you won't call us little.  Actually, there is a strong chance you'll use other words as you sit on Main Street through multiple red lights.

Disclaimer - I am not endorsing any candidate nor will I. I am here to report what I read and what I hear. 

As I got to know Mr. Johnson the word that kept coming to me was "transparency."  As a resident of Summerville for over 20 years, and his wife born and raised here, they are committed to our town and feel they have the majority of residents supporting their platform.  The boutique hotel/condo/parking garage/retail, known as the Dorchester, and Wiley's opposition to it is what prompted this non-politician to enter into the world of politics because he feels he will make a difference.  He is frustrated by what he refers to "behinds closed door" meetings where many of the town decisions are made without the residents (tax-payers) knowledge and he insists that when he is mayor those doors will remain open for all to hear and even be televised.  Wiley discussed the Redevelopment Corporation (RDC) that is responsible for many of the decisions of the town (such as the Dorchester) and that committee is made up on the Town Council and the Mayor which as he feels goes against the heir of transparency and trust from the town.  One rumor going around is that he will decrease police wages but insists there is nothing farther from the truth. He says the Summerville Police are one of the lowest paid in the area and feels this needs to be improved upon. One thing he does not understand is why the town is spending $35,000 for two Harley Davidson motorcycles for "crowd control" when that money could be better used elsewhere.  A very important issue for Wiley is keeping our "grand old trees" in town and especially in the Historic District.  He feels we need to add sidewalks and crosswalks, have better lighting, place utilities underground and overall improve our infrastructure.  We are growing so fast we can't keep up and we are 20 years behind on our infrastructure needs.  Wiley discussed the sidewalks that Mayor Collins boasts about and says those were paid for by a HUD grant (to be used on low-income areas) but the sidewalks were not built in a low-income area of town.  Mayor Collins had the downtown area declared a low-income area so he could use HUD funds to refurbish Hutchinson Square.  One big part of his platform, he is insistent on, is that the town hire a qualified and experienced town administrator and that position not be filled by the Mayor.  When asked what will be the first thing he'll do as mayor he said he will "inspect all aspects of the town operations."  Wiley wants to weed out inefficiencies and duplication of effort.  Another issue at the forefront of our town is the sheep island exchange.  The current council and mayor want for a road to be place directly through the subdivision of Weatherstone and the residents are against that.  This would be a part of the new interchange off of I-26 but Wiley said why not just expand Sheep Island Rd so children are not crossing a major road to go next door.

Wiley has the passion to run our town because he is invested in it and has been for years.  He and his wife ( a retired teacher) enjoy going to the Continental Corner for dinner or Palmetto Flats and strolling beneath the old trees in town.  He pushes for transparency in our local government and does not feel we have been informed of the entire truth regarding many issues.  Some folks in town believe we are run by a "good-old-boy" network and that needs some rearranging.  Wiley served our country for many years in the air force, was a commercial pilot, and now wants to run our town with a renewed energy and willingness to consult the town before making decisions that will cost the tax-payers.

I am appreciative of Mr. Johnson taking time out of his very busy schedule to meet with me and I hope you, the residents of Summerville, find this helpful. Please make sure you get out there and vote on November 3rd.  Last election period only 4,000 (give or take) residents voted and we are close to 50,000 in town.  Your vote makes a difference and in my opinion you cannot complain if you do not vote.  For more information on Wiley and his campaign go to https://onecmc.com/wileyformayor or his Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/Wiley-For-Mayor.

-Jason