“Short Stack” Gets Charleston Chamber Endorsement

LEON STAVRINAKIS ENDORSED BY LOWCOUNTRY CRONY CAPITALISTS

|| By FITSNEWS || We said S.C. Rep. Leon Stavrinakis (a.k.a. “short stack”) was the establishment favorite to become the next mayor of Charleston, S.C. – and the establishment wasted little time in proving us right.

Mere days after Stavrinakis formally filed for the office, the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce has endorsed his candidacy (well, it’s “political action committee” has).

And while we’re more than two hours up Interstate 26 from the Holy City, we could smell the status quo stench from here …

“The business community agrees that Charleston needs a tested, proven leader who will be a hands-on mayor, focused on the best city services and producing results that improve people’s lives,” Stavrinakis said in a statement hailing the endorsement. “That means less traffic, safe streets, great schools, and excellent neighborhoods.”

What … no mention of hundreds of millions of dollars in corporate handouts?

This website has made our contempt for “economic development” organizations like the Charleston chamber perfectly clear: They are leeches.  They suck the lifeblood out of individual taxpayers and small businesses in the name of providing competitive advantages to large corporations.

How’s that strategy worked out for the Palmetto State?  Abysmally … as our anemic workforce and income levels attest.

Anyway, longtime Charleston mayor Joe Riley is stepping down from his post after four decades on the job.  Nonprofit community leader Ginny Deerin, businessman John Tecklenburg, city councilman William Dudley Gregorie, businessman and community leader Maurice Washington and former city councilman Paul Tinkler are also seeking the seat.

***