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Volume 21 • Issue 9
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October 17, 2025
Mayoral Candidates Weigh In on Key Issues Facing Isle of Palms The Island Eye News asked the three candidates for mayor of Isle of Palms to share their opinions on several questions we believe are important to island residents. We asked six total questions and will publish their answers in pairs over multiple issues. You can find their responses to the first two questions in the Oct. 3 issue of the Island Eye News or online. Here are the answers they provided for the second set of questions, presented in reverse order from the last issue. The Oct. 31 issue will feature responses in random order. 3. Do you think the current rules and regulations regarding short-term rentals on Isle of Palms effectively balance the rights of short-term rental owners with the quality of life for all island residents? If not, what would you do to change the current system? JON REGAN WALTERS The short-term rental situation is largely settled for now, but it continues to resurface because it is deeply personal to many residents. I understand both sides, since short-term rentals are an important part of our local economy, yet preserving the residential character of our island is equally vital. What concerns me most are the tear-downs that are changing the look and feel of the Isle of Palms. In just the past year, we have lost several smaller, character-filled homes along Cameron Boulevard, replaced by oversized, cookie-cutter houses built for short-term rentals. They may be profitable, but they are erasing the unique “Mayberry with
a Beach” charm that defined the island I grew up on, and they are pricing young families out of our community. I believe short-term rental licenses should be able to transfer to heirs, but a reasonable cap makes sense to maintain balance. When the referendum came up a few years ago, both sides dug in, and no one was willing to compromise. As mayor, I will encourage both sides to come back to the table and find common ground. A healthy community requires balance, civility, and compromise, where no one gets everything they want, but everyone gets a fair deal. For transparency, the only short-term rental I personally own is in Pickens County, where this is not an issue. SCOTT PIERCE Property rights are fundamental and apply equally to all property owners on the Isle of Palms—whether they are full-time residents, second-home owners, or short-term rental operators. No one group is entitled to special treatment. The challenge we continually face is how to cohabitate respectfully, ensuring that every property can be enjoyed without disrupting neighbors. Our current short-term rental rules provide a framework that the majority of owner-operators and managers abide by diligently. We should always ensure they fully achieve the balance between property rights and quality of life. Residents have an expectation of quiet enjoyment of their homes, and that must be protected with the same vigor with which we recognize the rights of those who own and operate rentals.
My commitment is to ensure the system supports this balance. That means: • Enforcing existing rules consistently — so that well-run, non-intrusive rentals continue without issue, while disruptive operations are held accountable. • Adopting measurable standards — such as reasonable quiet hours and enforcement of occupancy limits that align with practices in other coastal communities and provide clear expectations for owners, renters, and residents alike. • Listening to both residents and rental owners — to ensure that policies are fair, transparent, and sustainable for the long term. The goal is not to pit one group against another but to work together to ensure that everyone’s property rights are respected. All policies should be driven by the objective of keeping the Isle of Palms a livable, safe, family-friendly, and welcoming community with a high quality of life. PHILLIP POUNDS (INCUMBENT) Our city has been a leader in managing and balancing the demands of being a vacation destination. IOP was one of the first municipalities to require business licenses for short-term rentals. We instituted occupancy limits for people and vehicles, limited the square footage of houses, and set requirements for pervious surfaces and lot coverage—all aimed at maintaining a balance for residents and rental owners. Our residents voted in a recent referendum not to cap short-term rentals. Leading up to the vote, we conducted numerous resident listening sessions. As a result, where residents were (Continued on page 2
Sullivan’s Island Candidates Share Views on Key Community Issues The Island Eye News asked the one candidate for mayor and the five candidates running for three open seats on the Sullivan’s Island Town Council to share their opinions on several questions we believe are important to island residents. We asked six total questions and will publish their answers in pairs over multiple issues. You can find their responses to the first two questions in the Oct. 3 issue of the Island Eye News or online. Here are the answers they provided for the second set of questions, organized by the seat they’re seeking and in reverse order from the last issue. The Oct. 31 issue will feature responses in random order. 3. Do you think the government of Sullivan’s Island could be more transparent? If so, what would you do to make it more transparent?
MAYOR PATRICK O’NEIL (INCUMBENT) Transparency is a hallmark of the town government under our current council. 1. We recently created an online Transparency Center for user-friendly public access to capital and operating budgets, with capabilities for realtime, project-specific, and other financial reporting (https://bit.ly/SITownFinances). 2. All council workshops and regular meetings are live-streamed and archived for later viewing. PDF meeting packets are posted online prior to each meeting. Meetings of council committees, the Planning Commission, Design Review Board, Board of Zoning Appeals, and Tree Commission are recorded and placed online for on-demand viewing. Recently, we have added closed captioning for new recordings. Recordings of these
meetings go back several years—so you can cancel Netflix and binge-watch your town government at work! 3. We have numerous communication channels to keep citizens informed: the Everbridge system for emergency information, TOSI Talks for other notifications, the town newsletter, our newly active Instagram account (accessible via linktr.ee/sullivansisland), and my monthly mayor’s column in this paper. 4. True transparency requires two-way communication. We encourage citizen input via email, TOSI Talks, and the designated public comment period during council meetings. Phone numbers for the mayor and council members are always readily available. 5. There is always room for improvement. Our staff constantly review transparency measures used by other municipalities to identify methods we can adopt. (Continued on page 18)