2025: The Year of Servant Leader Hearts, Data Driven Minds

January 2025

Like many of you, my thoughts at the outset of a New Year tend toward making resolutions. Some are personal, some are professional, and many of them relate to the kind of servant leadership we aspire to in our town government.

As your Mayor, I take the concept of servant leadership very seriously; defined in the 1970's by Robert Greenleaf, this leadership philosophy prioritizes the growth, well-being and development of individuals and communities so that everyone's full potential can be reached, and organizations can achieve success. Fortunately, our Town Council and Town staff rosters are full of individuals who subscribe to this idea, too, and it's what is fueling our momentum as we enter 2025.

I often say that when trying to find solutions that actually solve problems, without data, you're just another person with an opinion. We're going to take our data-driven mindset to the next level during our upcoming Town Council strategic planning sessions with Town staff this February and I've resolved for my focus in those discussions to target these top five priorities for 2025:

1. Land Management Ordinance (LMO) - this overhaul of town codes, decisions about island characteristics that carry us into the future, and improvements in how we develop and build on the island to preserve and protect our natural environment is one of, if not the most, impactful work we will do this year. We will tackle a comprehensive review of all chapters, overall code organization, user-friendliness of the code, and will incorporate amendments to further align the LMO with the community's stated strategic intentions and a right-sized growth framework.
2. Parks and Recreation - we've got a lot of shovels poised to hit the ground this year with projects related to building, renovating or improving most of our existing parks and beaches. The differences will be notable and easily seen, from new pickleball courts and ground-breakings on long-awaited new family parks to increased efforts to protect the flora and fauna around us.
3. Economic Impact - anecdotally and through the generation of hospitality and tourism related tax revenues, we know that Hilton Head Island generates more than just local economic impact. What we need to understand better is where we fit into the larger discussion of regional and statewide economic impact. We have an opportunity now to get a better seat at the table as critical decisions are being made related to statewide growth and development, and to explore more fully how we can attract business growth that is high tech, high income, and low physical and environmental impact.
4. 278 William Hilton Parkway Corridor - we've come a long way as a community in discussions related to this critical infrastructure and quality of life improvement. It's no secret that the collective "we" face funding challenges in relation to a replacement bridge, and we must find solutions that encourage a positive fate for our local, regional and statewide economies and simultaneously champion roadway safety.
5. Beach renourishment - part of our bread and butter has always been the pristine, unique and restorative elements of our island's beaches. Protecting and preserving it is as natural to us as the tide itself and we plan to get started in late spring / early summer, followed by at least three phases of renourishment that will take place through 2026.

Please don't misread me, I don't intend to make it sound like the new year is going to consist of a simple to-do list where we check the boxes, celebrate some wins, and move on. It's going to take due diligence, respect, thoughtfulness and our servant leadership hearts and data-driven minds; but with that said, I've never been more hopeful and enthusiastic about the future of Hilton Head Island.