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Volume 21 • Issue 10
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October 31, 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 have published their answers in pairs over multiple issues. You can find their responses to the first four questions in the Oct. 3 and Oct. 17 issues of the Island Eye News or online. Below are the candidates’ answers to the final two questions, presented in random order. 5. Do you believe that IOP fire and police salaries are competitive with surrounding municipalities? If not, please address specific gaps and how you would find funds to bridge the gap. Be specific. SCOTT PIERCE Public safety is one of the few professions where we ask an individual to put their life on the line. I’ve witnessed what that means. I sincerely believe we should treat the men and women willing to do these jobs not only with the utmost respect and dignity but also ensure they have the tools to do their jobs and are proactively and consistently compensated competitively. I also believe public safety is the No. 1 priority and should be funded above all else. We’ve fallen behind in competitive compensation. Part of my career experience includes managing human resources organizations and developing compensation plans for large and
diverse organizations. In all instances, the guiding principle was to continuously monitor the market and adjust as needed, because retention is less disruptive and costly than losing personnel, which requires recruiting, hiring, training, and recovering lost experience and productivity. It’s table stakes for an effective organization. We should never find ourselves in a reactive position on any issue, especially with the No. 1 critical service of the city. When I met with the fire chief and reviewed some comparisons and gaps with other departments, it became clear we are behind not only in pay but in basic compensation structure. For example, to close the gaps, we could consider compensation components that are competitive with surrounding areas, such as: •Incentive pay structure – a significant pay tool that is not being competitively applied •Pay for milestones – certification, education, training, etc. •Pay for service – for recruits who come with years of experience •Re-evaluate shift and overtime structures – possibly lower OT thresholds •Provide chiefs with discretionary funds for retention •Increase step compensation to a competitive leading position and widen bands •Consider progressive career paths – if Isle of Palms cannot offer the experience/path an employee desires, work cooperatively with other regional departments •Discourage poaching – staff poaching hap-
pens, and there are ways to address it •Continuously monitor the marketplace – no need to wait for formal compensation studies •Communicate proactively – let’s avoid being reactive Funding starts with knowing the need, which will be quantified by year-end with the new competitive study. I see an opportunity to shift dollars from the “want to have” and “nice to have” buckets to this essential “need to have” investment in our community – safety comes first. Specifically, our current budget process treats all functional areas and requests equally. Do we need a new city hall? No. Do we need to spend $800,000 per year on IT? No. Can we bid out other services and reduce the “sole-source” reflex to cut costs? Absolutely. Are there new and existing revenue sources we can consider that do not require a resident tax increase? Of course. This is just the tip of the opportunity. Apply that rationale across the board, and we can find the funds to address first responder pay and remain competitive going forward. PHILLIP POUNDS (INCUMBENT) During the past four years, we have conducted two wage and compensation studies and increased salaries for our employees, especially our Isle of Palms fire and police personnel. We recently approved a third study to be completed by year-end, again primarily focused on reviewing surrounding community pay packages for (Continued on page 2 public safety staff. Many mu-
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 have published their answers in pairs over multiple issues. You can find their responses to the first four questions in the Oct. 3 and Oct. 17 issues of the Island Eye News or online. Below are the candidates’ answers to the third and final set of questions, organized by the seat they’re seeking and presented in random order. 5. Is the town in good fiscal shape? How do you feel about the current debt?
MAYOR PATRICK O’NEIL (INCUMBENT) The town is in excellent fiscal shape. Just ask Moody’s, which most recently gave us an Aa1 rating, its second-highest possible. The rumor mill is operating at warp speed about our bond debt. It is hardly news that the town issued municipal bonds in 2018 and 2020, totaling about $38 million borrowed at an average interest rate of roughly 3.1%, made possible by our excellent credit rating. Those funds were for necessary long-term capital projects, not operating expenses. In particular, they funded our new sewage treatment plant, overdue upgrades to sewer mains and lift stations,
the fire station rebuild, the storage/maintenance building, and other capital projects. Carrying—and paying off—bonded debt is not the same as running a deficit. Like virtually all municipalities and other governmental entities, we issued bonds to allow us to pay for important capital projects in current dollars while repaying the bonds with future dollars. Otherwise, there would be huge sticker-shock issues with tax increases or critical system failures due to unaffordable projects. We pay this down reliably every year as agreed. In other words, the bonds were issued responsibly and have been paid responsibly ever since. This is an accepted and normal approach to local government funding of large projects. For example, last year, more than (Continued on page 15)