Mayor Cogswell to engage with Berkeley County, tackle city issues

“The people have spoken, and we’re ready for a new direction.” 

 

These were the first words then Mayor-elect William Cogswell said after his win in November. In a close race decided by only 566 votes, Charleston elected the former Republican state legislator to the nonpartisan mayoral post. He is the first Republican to hold mayorship since the mid-1870s.

 

Officially sworn into office at his inauguration on Jan. 8, the new mayor expressed gratitude for the widespread support and, speaking from a podium in front of downtown’s iconic City Hall, shared his plans for the future. 

 

“Being mayor is not just an honor, it is a service and a huge responsibility and one that I take very, very seriously,” Cogswell said. “My focus will be the work. I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get to it. As your mayor, I promise to work hard, put my heart and soul into it, and to live and breathe this city during my time in office because you deserve nothing less.”

 

His words of commitment to the city resonated with the diverse audience of residents and well-wishers. 

 

“Today marks a pretty historic moment for Charleston and it’s exciting to experience it,” Bob Lewis said, a longtime Charlestonian who was in the inauguration crowd. “I’m looking forward to the change around here and I was truly, truly inspired by the new mayor’s words.” 

 

Laura Wessinger, who also attended the inauguration, said she was a Cogswell supporter throughout the campaign. “His vision for this city is exactly what we need. You can tell he’s a guy who isn’t just all about the talk. I feel better about the future here knowing he’s going to put in the work.” 

 

Last week, in an interview with The Daniel Island News, Mayor Cogswell talked about his election campaign, how he will engage with Berkeley County, and what he hopes to accomplish in his first 100 days as mayor.

 

A Path to Victory: Daniel Island, Cainhoy and Johns Island

 

Running against five other candidates, the campaign process was no easy feat. Cogswell said the real battle was running against an incumbent, though he revealed his strategic approach behind the win.

 

“I felt like there was a real path to victory from voices that were typically underrepresented, and nowhere is that more true than Daniel Island, the Cainhoy peninsula, and Johns Island. We focused a lot of attention there, and it ended up working out for us thankfully,” Cogswell said.

 

His testament strategy proved successful. If it wasn’t for Berkeley County, the former state representative and real estate developer might not have secured victory in the election. The difference came down to two percentage points between Cogswell and former Mayor John Tecklenburg, who was seeking his third term in office. 

Cogswell won 62.65% of the Daniel Island and Cainhoy peninsula vote and won every Berkeley County voter precinct, which helped him overcome Tecklenburg’s slight 50.32% edge in Charleston County.  

 

Engaging with Berkeley County

Grateful for Berkeley County’s role in his win, Cogswell was already engaging with the county prior to his inauguration to address specific concerns involving development and infrastructure. He expressed a commitment to close collaboration, citing recent meetings with county council chairman Josh Whitley, who he says has been helpful in the transition process. 

 

“I plan to engage pretty closely and often with Berkeley County. I think there’s a lot of low-hanging fruit, so to speak, and we can work together to make the people’s lives better on the Cainhoy peninsula.”

 

The mayor highlighted two of the more prominent concerns facing the Daniel Island and Cainhoy area: development at Point Hope and the subsequent traffic along Clements Ferry. Cogswell said he is committed to ensuring a strong presence of first responders as the Clements Ferry corridor continues to grow. 

 

He also said he plans to spend “a lot of time” in Columbia working with state officials to secure necessary infrastructure improvements.

 

“If you look at where growth in Charleston is happening the fastest, it’s Johns Island and Daniel Island. Those are the two parts of the city that have probably been most underrepresented for at least the last 10 to 15 years.”

 

Tackling the issues

The transition to mayor has been a busy but positive experience, Cogswell said. Already having met with various city and county council members, the city’s new leader said he’s begun working aggressively on solutions for Union Pier as well as street redevelopment across the city. 

 

He’s named a new executive team selected from key members who assisted in his campaign as well as one of his opponents. 

 

Mika Gadsden, local activist and co-founder of Friends of Gadsden’s Creek, who endorsed Cogswell in the runoff, now serves as his special advisor in community and environmental initiatives. The mayor is working with his former election challenger, he said, because he values the importance of having different viewpoints on board as he plans to move the city forward.

 

“Mika in particular is somebody that I got to know pretty well through the campaign. While we didn’t agree on certain items during debates, I respected her opinions. They were well thought out and frankly, she had some good ideas that made me shift my stance a little bit.”

 

Gadsden’s new position will incorporate her ideas into the city’s decision-making process, Cogswell said. 

 

When asked about collaborating with the previous mayor, Cogswell says he will continue Mayor Tecklenburg’s work addressing the city’s homelessness crisis but indicated a focus on implementing his distinct initiatives. 

 

“We’re going to be a lot more proactive when it comes to handling growth. Most of these issues we’re facing– be it affordable housing crisis, be it sea level rising, be it infrastructure needs– the city doesn’t have the funding sources to solve those problems,” he said. “We’re going to have to work and listen more closely to get the necessary funding.”

 

Cogswell’s approach to flooding differs from the previous administration.

 

“I’m not in favor of the storm surge protection that’s currently being contemplated,” he said. “I am in favor of an elevated edge around the peninsula. And while it may sound one and the same, they’re actually very different.”

 

Cogswell said problems associated with flooding are not limited to the peninsula. He cited the Church Creek drainage basin on Johns Island as one example.

 

“There are a lot of other areas in our city that flood that need to be looked at holistically and that’s what we intend to do as we move into the first year,” he said.

 

Cogswell said his long-term vision for the city is to enhance and preserve Charleston’s “unique DNA,” which he said is recognized across the globe. 

 

“There’s something special about this place that is vastly known, and that’s something that I take very seriously. I want to make sure it’s protected and not diluted. I want to make sure we put Charleston and its residents first, and we wear with pride who and what we are.”