Personal Background
Carl Brown has been a resident of Walterboro for 36 years. He attended Clemson University and finished there in 1983. While at Clemson he bought a business. He finished school and ran the business for eight years. Brown the moved to Walterboro and took over Mitchell Construction, a general contracting service here in Walterboro. Mitchell Construction has been in Walterboro since 1932, and Brown has run it for 35 years.
Why are you running for City Council?
Brown is running as an incumbent this election. He describes himself as an action guy. If things are wrong, he wants to see them get right. Just like in business, if Brown sees something that can be done better, he wants to take the steps to make it better. He approaches his time on City Council and the problems in Walterboro the same way. He could complain or run for office and see if he can help change it from the inside. He ran for a city council seat and was elected. He is finishing his second term now which makes 8 years he has served as a city councilman. Brown comments he is really happy for what council has done in those 8 years.
When asked about the violence that has been happening in Walterboro, Brown declares there has been a misconception Council was not doing anything about the problem. He further expounds Police Chief Wade Marvin and council have their fingers on that for a long time. Brown points out there were officers spending the night in the woods in ghillie suits trying to apprehend suspects. The open carry law has made things more difficult. Council and the Police Department fought against it with the help of Sheriff Hill and SLED. Brown relays there have been several arrests, and those arrests have stuck rather than have a person in jail, and they get out the next morning.
Regarding the Police Department, Brown talks about how the department has been decimated by officers leaving to pursue higher salaries in places such as Ridgeland and Jasper County and even to Colleton County at the Sheriff’s Office. He explains council wrestled with that and ultimately was able to get more money for not only the Police Department but the Fire Department. Currently the Police and Fire Department are fully staffed and that includes two recruits in the Academy right now.
Regarding infrastructure, Brown informs around 8 or 9 months ago council voted to spend $50 million in Walterboro, which is a lot of money which was for the new sewer plant, new fire truck, and new police cars with the main focus being the sewer plant. Brown comments the sewer plant is very impressive and encourages people to go see it if they have not. The city is also running sewer lines between the county, and as the city is running new sewer lines to the mega site you get big industry. They need sewer, and they need water. Brown also explains a line is going the Forest Hill subdivision is part of that. It goes across 57 where there is development. That is positive signs development coming out there when it gets there.
Brown was questioned about how some constituents have commented it is difficult to get a new business up and started and run into roadblocks instead of the city asking how they can help to achieve the goal of opening a new business. Brown answers one of the good things about Walterboro is its charm, the downtown area, and the historical area, and those need to be preserved. With city ordinances such as paint colors and what can or cannot be done with a building, those aspects are set and so things need to be done correctly. He goes on to say the on the way outside of Walterboro it’s loose, but what Walterboro needs, and Brown says this all ties together, is housing. The city needs people to want to come to Walterboro, but they do not have a place to live. Once the city gets grocery stores and other businesses, they base their locations on the population. So, if there is not more population, decent grocery stores will not locate here. Decent restaurants where people will enjoy themselves, will not locate here. Brown relays there has been some interest with some track homes, decent, nicer track homes that is on the horizon. The city has been negotiating with those guys for a year or two, but they want to make sure that they’re the right track homes, so the city has been, kind of courting them to come. So, the hope is to get them and obviously you must have the infrastructure to support it. The good thing about it is, when they come, they pay for the infrastructure to be hooked into our system. It does not cost the city a dime to get it to them.
Speaking on his next term if elected Brown reflects, he really was not going to run again. However, eight years is a lot, but he said to himself, we made such really good inroads and certainly could not give up in the third quarter, and so, he is trying to run with the ball. “We’ve had a good council. We have a good incoming Mayor, in James Broderick. Broderick has been on council for a long time.” Brown also gave a shout out to Bill Young, saying he has “been there forever, and has done a great job.” Brown feels the council has gotten the ball rolling in the right direction and he wants to see at least four more years.
To see the full interview visit The Press and Standard's YouTube page at this link: https://youtu.be/u2wMYjTQJgs
