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Support for Small Business. As the mayor of Bluffton along with our town council, we have always supported our local businesses in many ways. The Don Ryan Center for Innovation (DRCI) is one of the most visible ways we demonstrate this local business support.
Planning Best-in-Class Projects for Our Community
You’re Only a Click Away I write about this often but feel it is important to make sure you have the tools in your hands if you ever have questions or concerns. While you are always welcome to...
Gratitude, Respect and Fun I am so grateful and proud to be part of a community that has stood strong and rallied together through one of the most challenging times I’ve ever seen. The world is a...
Passive Park Planned for Historical Shell Ring Site
Understanding the Role of Our Town Building Inspectors
Get in the Loop: Join the Don Ryan Center for Innovation
Our Comprehensive Plan a Reflection of Excellence I was thrilled to hear that our recently adopted comprehensive plan earned the 2020 Outstanding Planning Project, awarded by the South Carolina...
Although Town Hall remains closed for the public for safety precautions related to the current pandemic, town staff is still doing business as usual, with a new normal. Town staff continues to review plans and permits, conduct site inspections and conduct Zoom meetings.
Hilton Head Island Town Council voted in December to offer the Hilton Head Island town manager position to Marc Orlando, who most recently served as town manager for Bluffton. Our action represents one of the highest duties of Town Council in employing a manager and determining what skills, experience, and personality are best suited to meet the needs and opportunities of the Town of Hilton Head Island.
Have you ever noticed when someone paints a house, the actual painting doesn’t seem to take very long? What takes the most time is getting ready to paint. We call it “the story of the blue tape.” You know that blue tape that comes off really easily? When someone is going to paint a house—if they are going to do it right—they spend a lot of time with that blue tape. They put that tape everywhere. They cover up everything that could cause a problem down the road. Every window is wrapped in plastic and taped with that blue tape. I bet if it takes a week to paint a house, five of the seven days are spent on the prep work. That’s where the time is spent.
Welcome 2021. I say this with an abundance of caution after the year we had in 2020 and with hope that this year will be better for all of us. As we continue dealing with COVID-19, I’m hoping that the vaccines now available will bring the level of protection we need for our health. It would be great to return 100 percent to the normalcy we had before COVID-19 entered into the picture.
Bluffton’s new police chief was sworn in on Monday, October 12, and on behalf of Town Council, Town Manager Marc Orlando and all the men and women who serve the Bluffton community, we are thrilled she is here. Chief Price was the former assistant chief of police for Savannah, Georgia, and she plans to make Bluffton her new home. Her conviction, compassion and dedicated to best practices made her shine among the more than 100 candidates who applied for this position.
You may be familiar with Benjamin Franklin’s quote, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” What I know for sure is our town is never planning to fail, and we never fail to plan. Planning is synonymous with all of our actions, and we rely on the planning process to guide our path forward to the future.
Your Taxes Already Pay for Law Enforcement, So Why the Extra Fee? As mayor, I want to bring you up to date about an ongoing situation between Beaufort County and the Town of Hilton Head Island...
At the Don Ryan Center for Innovation, we are continually working on ways in which we can best serve the Bluffton community. Among our entrepreneurial programs and business development endeavors, we choose to focus our efforts on improving the program, which is most beneficial to individuals living in the Bluffton community: Membership!
Before the end of this year, Hilton Head Island’s Town Council will have fulfilled its most important role: the selection of a new town manager. When current town manager Steve Riley announced his retirement in June, council gathered to choose an experienced firm to guide us through the recruitment and selection process. This is the first time in 26 years that our town council has been through the hiring process for its top employee, so you can imagine what a huge responsibility we have before us.
The HUB at Buckwalter Construction Update The new home of the Don Ryan Center for Innovation (DRCI) nearing completion
The coronavirus pandemic has given me multiple reasons to pause and think about how we live and work, how we conduct business, and how we govern. Over the last two months, our lives have changed dramatically, and I wonder what our new normal will look like once we get through this crisis and return to our prior existence.
Have you ever gotten out of your vehicle with your hands full, or when you are trying to get your kids inside and thinking about what to cook for dinner, and forgotten to lock your car? We are all...
Hilton Head Island has beautiful scenes from sunrises and sunsets to our beaches and golf courses. These very scenes captured the attention of islander and photographer Jeffrey Keefer, whom I would...
Reinvesting in Ourselves: Our Focus for 2020 and Beyond
Local Governance Matters on Business Licensing and Local Taxing Authority
Welcome to the new year, one we hope brings much prosperity for the communities we are fortunate to serve. As elected officials, we’re charged with using our platform as town council bodies to govern our community and meet the needs of our residents—from addressing affordable housing, economic development and stormwater issues to protecting our waterways and maintaining and adding to our parks. With the support of local businesses, we strive for a healthy economy and jobs our residents can depend on for their livelihood.