As November 5th is less than two weeks away, I set out to find Charleston’s best mayoral candidate to inform raptor nation. After extensive research into the candidates, I discovered that city councilman Mike Seekings is by far the best man for the job. Voted Charleston’s best city councilman for the last nine consecutive years, keep reading to see why Seekings would propel Charleston to a bigger and brighter tomorrow.

Tides

We can all agree that Charleston has a major flooding problem, and Mike is prepared to tackle this issue head on. On day one, Mike says he will begin an application with the State Infrastructure Bank to secure 200 million dollars to finance drainage and mobility projects for the Church Creek Drainage Basin and Calhoun West areas. Already, he has implemented dozens of check valves downtown to prevent tides from going into the city’s drainage pipes and flooding the city.

Towers

Mike is ready to fight overdevelopment, stating that he “can and will work effectively to develop a long-term plan for growth and development that puts residents first.” Mike’s priorities include, but are not limited to enacting positive zoning changes, requiring more financial investment in the community from developers, and combing the city planning and transportation departments. Mike plans to only allow increased density where it benefits our residents, such as along the lowcountry rapid transit corridor, and not in the West Ashley floodplain. A complex construction attorney himself, Mike knows exactly what it takes to facilite healthy growth and development for our community. 

Traffic and Transport

The CARTA chairman since 2015, Mike has steered the organization out of a six million dollar deficit and spearheaded progressive public transportation advancements. His pet project, the Lowcountry Rapid Transit plan will create a “26-mile bus rapid transit system between Charleston, North Charleston and Summerville that would provide reliable travel, connect communities, and energize economic opportunities along the corridor,” according to the LCRT’s website. Mike plans to use the city’s AAA bond rating to maximize fiscal investments in private- public partnerships to project Charleston forward in terms of sustainable transportation models. Mike has worked closely with the Coastal Conservation League throughout his career to ensure maximum environmental protections for our city.