Page 13 - Tri-County NCG Flipbook

March 2025 Meeting of the Mayors

Meeting

of the
Mayors

The Tri-County Region’s 11 Mayors Gather to Elevate our Region.

By Lydia Cobb
W ithin Berkeley, Dorchester and The Chamber invites the mayors several times growth. Folks coming down South want to get to
a year to a roundtable and luncheon to share
Orangeburg counties, there are
the water.”
11 town mayors who collaborate
in planning with the Tri-County Regional best practices, offer peer advice on municipal What happens in Charleston ripples … and same
challenges, and to collaborate for the future of
Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber began our counties’ healthcare, education, industry, for Columbia. Residents seeking to live outside
hosting Meeting of the Mayors in 2019 to foster and quality of life. the big cities are moving into the smaller towns
collaboration, communication, and regional around our metropolitan areas. This means
strategy among the towns. “A lot of growth is coming, and big powwows apartment growth and housing. It was described
are going on lately,” said Mayor Michael Aiken in a recent mayors meeting as the “circle of life”
“What started as a simple roundtable has of Vance, South Carolina. “We’ve got to tighten with the building of infrastructure for sewer,
up our bootstraps because there is going to be
grown into a meaningful platform where water, homes, restaurants, stores, etc.
local leadership connects regularly on
The agenda provides an update on living in South
shared goals and challenges,” said Sandy
Carolina. Price emphasized, “Our mayors face
Price, Executive Director of the Tri-
many of the same issues — from infrastructure
County Regional Chamber of Commerce. needs to workforce development — and
these conversations lead to problem-solving
One example of success is the regional partnerships rather than isolated efforts. It’s
coordination for broadband expansion in rural about removing silos and building a stronger,
communities. Several mayors had concerns more resilient region together.”
about internet accessibility in their towns,
and from these meetings came a unified voice
to strengthen broader coverage and state- The mayors of Bowman, Branchville, Elloree,
supported infrastructure investment. Eutawville, Holly Hill, Santee, Vance, Harleyville,
Reevesville, Ridgeville, and St. George are at
“When mayors speak with a collective voice, it work together, and in their communities, to
resonates more strongly with state agencies and ensure the Tri-County Region remains a beautiful
legislators,” Price said. place to live.

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