HILTON HEAD NEWS | Alex Brown, Town Council Candidate | August 31, 2020 | WHHITV

Link to Full Opinion Page

ON THE BRIDGE PROJECT

Thanks to the combined efforts of Beaufort County Administrator Ashley Jacobs, Hilton Head Island Town Manager Steve Riley, state Sen. Tom Davis and our legislative delegation, the funding for the U.S. 278 bridge project has been secured.

Recently the public and Town Council learned that the state Department of Transportation has dropped “increased capacity” as one of the project goals. By removing that goal, engineers should be capable of designing a smart solution for the corridor within its current footprint.

Taxpayers expect and deserve to get the most value for their $272 million investment, and the state transportation department’s revised goals deserve an independent engineering consultant to ensure that our corridor is a model of excellence.

In addition the project should meet our unique values in these ways:

▪ Enhanced safety.

It must replace a bridge that is beyond its useful life while also improving safe access to the Historic Stoney Community, Windmill Harbor and Pinckney Island.

▪ Reduced congestion.

It must provide connection to the Cross-Island Parkway and make other enhanced intersection improvements.

▪ Improved functionality.

It must create an iconic entrance to the island that is “human scaled” and provides bicycle and pedestrian access to the mainland — and is also safe for both residents and those who operate businesses (whether they are future establishments or existing ones such as Crazy Crab, Lowcountry Seafood, Willie Young’s Upholstery, etc.).

We the people of Hilton Head Island are tasked to ensure that this once-in-a-generation project is designed and executed with excellence defined by our own community.

I am in favor of implementing the best practices that many coastal communities employ to ensure that their large-scale road project are successful. In order to achieve this, a dedicated professional should be hired to ensure equity for all stakeholders.

Alex Brown, Hilton Head

Link to full article by Katherine Kokal, Island Packet

Excerpt:

Alex Brown filed for candidacy as the Ward 1 Town Council Representative:

• A native islander, Brown was born and raised on Hilton Head. He has worked as vice president of operations at Resort Retail Associates for 30 years.
• He is the assistant boys varsity basketball coach at Hilton Head High School.
• He has served as chair of the Town Planning Commission, treasurer of the Martin Luther King Celebration Planning Committee, a member of the Town of Hilton Head Island Vision Project Management Team and is the former chair of the Greater Island Council Vision Steering Committee.
• His top issues: Gullah Geechee Land and Cultural preservation, controlling short term rental capacity on the island, promoting cultural tourism to island historic sites and revising the town’s relationship with the Chamber of Commerce, where he thinks the town should take back more responsibility for leading the business community.

Link to full story by Riley Miller, WJCL

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. —

A big announcement on Hilton Head Island today.

After serving the town for eight years, Ward 1 councilman Marc Grant says he will not run for re-election this November.Advertisement

Instead, he’s endorsing Alex Brown for the job.

Brown and Grant made the announcement today at Historic Cherry Hill School.

Brown, a Hilton Head native, says his plans for the town include preserving the Gullah presence, bringing unity throughout the island and making it an overall better place to live, work and play.

With experience serving as chair of the town’s planning commission, treasurer of the MLK Celebration Committee, and member of the Our Plan Committee, Grant believes Brown is a great fit for town council.

“All the things that I’ve accomplished, it was not by myself. It was because of him and many other people in the community. And I just know for a fact he’s the best person for the job because he has run the race,” says Grant.

“I find myself in a lot of different situations locally. I like to describe it as being ‘in the streets,’ so to speak. And I’m going to continue that. I will be very accessible. And I’m a much better listener than I am talker, so I’m willing to listen,” Brown says.

Some of the major neighborhoods that make up Ward 1 include Squire Pope, Honey Horn, Jarvis Creek Club, Spanish Wells and Marshland Landing.