Gary White brings experience and success for island recreation to City Council

When I first began serving on City Council 8 years ago, I was the first person to serve on Council from Daniel Island. I ran on the premise that everyone deserves a voice on City Council. District 1 is now comprised of Daniel Island, Cainhoy, and a portion of downtown Charleston. I fight every day for each of these areas of our city equally ensuring that each part of our District has a voice at City Hall. Before I was elected, there was no Governors Park, there were no restrooms at any of the parks on Daniel Island, there were no free public tennis courts on the island, and there was no dog park. These were big projects, and they took substantial planning and funding. Eight years later, Daniel Island has all these amenities and more because I made them a priority with City Council, and fought hard to gain the votes needed to approve these projects and get them funded. To date, I have made substantial progress on the community and indoor recreational center project. I have had numerous meetings with the directors of our Parks Department, Recreation Department, Capital Projects Department, Planning Department, the City’s Chief Financial Officer and the Mayor. In working with the Mayor, I have been able to have this project added to the City’s Capital Improvements Plan. I have personally been involved in reviewing and finalizing a proposal with a local architectural group that will be hired to take this project through the next stage of the planning process. As part of that process, they will develop programmatic architectural plans, identify a site location, define area requirements, and develop initial site plans. Getting projects passed through the City requires a continuous and significant effort on my part to ensure they are made a priority and get support from the majority of City Council. Over the last eight years I have built strong working relationships with my colleagues on City Council and I am confident in my ability to gain their support to see this project through to completion. For the first time in 40 years, Charleston is going to have a new Mayor. There will be significant challenges that come with the change in the Mayoral administration. I am running for re-election because I know how vital it will be to have a strong City Council during this time of change. I also know that if we are to get anything accomplished for District 1 in the next 4 years, it will require my tenure and experience. I have served for the last 8 years on City Council, not for the money, or ego, or for any personal gain. I chose to serve because I truly care about our City and want to preserve it for generations to come. I am not a politician and this is not a stepping-stone for a political career for me. I am family man who loves his wife and children and is committed to helping our community.