Thursday, September 24, 2009

AT LAST, THE ANSWER

GE&P read with great interest the Post & Courier article yesterday about the new "Strategic Plan" for Berkeley County offered up by the supervisor. According to Mr. Dan Davis, he has wanted to implement a "strategic plan" in BC since he was first elected supervisor three years ago. Funny, this is the first GE&P has heard of this plan and we have a few questions.

(Before and after his election, GE&P thought we heard Mr. Davis say all he wanted to do was to change the form of BC's government and that he would only serve for one term.)

What are Mr. Davis' new and improved plans for bringing new industry and new jobs to Berkeley?
With only a little over a year left in Mr. Davis' term, isn't it a bit late to begin devising a plan for the success of his tenure? Just asking.

According to official records, the previous administration secured $8.5 billion in industrial and job creation investments for Berkeley County. During the same time period, 43,000 new jobs were created in Berkeley County. Has anyone seen the numbers for the present administration? (Remember now, you cannot include any projects that were initiated by the previous administration, such as Google, Dupont, etc.) Well? We're waiting.

Are we to understand that, at this late date, Mr. Davis plans to "keep citizens informed and handle complaints..." and to bring to his administration "integrity, being truthful, ethical and honest..."? If we could be so bold, why has it taken this supervisor three years to conclude that these elements are vital to the success of any administration?

GE&P could offer one suggestion that could address these two areas of Mr. Davis' new plan and, in so doing, could save time and work. The new "public information service" and the "core values initiative" could be combined by simply observing the existing FOIA laws. During the previous administration, when GE&P needed or just wanted information, all it took was a phone call to the supervisor's office. Any information and/or documents requested were provided without protest. No FOIA request was needed. Unfortunately, that has not been our experience with the current administration. Even with a FOIA request, all requested information is not always forthcoming.

In the article, Mr. Schurlknight is quoted as saying, "I'm going to take the high road on this." Mr. Schurlknight, what does that mean? We'll make it simple by offering a multiple choice.

A. I will continue to do as I am told.
B. I will continue to support a Democrat leading a Republican Council.
C. I'm still holding out hope for an equestrian center in Moncks Corner.
D. I didn't understand the reporter's question and this was all that came to mind.

We digress.

In this article, Mr. Davis said he had implemented such a plan when he was the administrator in Hanahan so GE&P decided to check out his results. According to Hanahan officials, the city had a $2 million surplus when Mr. Davis took office. When Mr. Davis left office, the city was carrying a $3 million deficit. If we compare the budget of Hanahan to that of Berkeley County and convert that figure to a percentage and then compare the results of Mr. Davis' efforts in Hanahan to equivalent results in BC, GE&P has but one more question. How would THAT work for you, taxpayers of Berkeley County?

1 comment:

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