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Awendaw, SC -
There is a new mayor and new challenges for the town of Awendaw. The mayor elect, Samuel Robinson is being sworn in as the first new mayor in seventeen years.
Robinson admits he has a tough job ahead of him and voters are still divided over some hot button issues.
In an exchange from old to new, Awendaw’s former Mayor William Alston is handing over control of the town to Samuel Robinson.
“I didn’t lose,” Alston said. “The community lost. Our vision is totally different. My vision for the community is to go forward and not become stalemated.”
Alston has been in power for seventeen years. Samuel Robinson, a former councilman, narrowly beat Alston at the polls. He says it is time to tackle growth and development.
“For too long, developers have come with what they want,” said Robinson. “I am going to say this is what the people want and you need to build within the confines of what the people want.”
What the people want differs. Susan Kenin has lived in Awendaw for the last six years. She moved from Mount Pleasant because of the congestion in the area. Kenin knows growth will come, but she wants it to be properly managed.
“The land that has been annexed is for large developments,” she said. “That’s what we’re opposed to.”
Leroy Scott, on the other hand, has lived in Awendaw for twelve years. He does not have transportation and says managed growth may not be enough.
“We don’t have a grocery store. We don’t have a gas station. Any time we have to buy food, we have to commute to Mount Pleasant or Georgetown,” Scott said.
The future of Awendaw is now resting in the hands of a new mayor who vows to keep development in check while bringing new opportunities to the town.
Robinson says the first thing he plans to do as mayor is to look at the financial records of the town.
The voter turnout in Tuesday’s election for Awendaw was 68.7%. Officials say that was the largest turnout in any of Tuesday’s municipal elections.
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