Paul McLaughlin Candidate for Seabrook Island Town Council
Let me introduce myself. I am Boston born and raised, and married to my wife Susan of Pittsburgh for 48 years. I had a successful 40 year career as a gerontologist (non-biomedical), non-profit executive, and founding CEO of a faith-based charitable foundation for 20 years. I earned my BA (cum laude) from Suffolk University in Boston and masters from St. Louis University in gerontology. I taught undergrad and graduate students at Boston College, Northeastern University, and William & Mary. We have one married daughter and one beautiful granddaughter. We are Seabrookers for 21 years and been very involved in many governance and related matters of consequence facing the Island. The more notable being my tenure on SIPOA’s Finance Committee and the financial planning for building the Lake House. I am active in advocacy, community services, and faith-based endeavors. I know Seabrook well!
However, this election is not about anyone’s resume, but the future and the Town. This begins by expressing my ethos about leadership which center on transparency in governance, fiscal prudence, respect towards all, accessibility for all voices and opinions, truth in dealings and communications, and seeking common ground where there are differences.
Moving from principles to specifics, I will always stand for preserving the peace, beauty, tranquility, and sense of community that makes Seabrook different from other coastal communities. Therefore…
- We should step up our ecological and environmental efforts to protect the beaches, waterways, and marshes without encumbering the enjoyment of these precious gifts.
- We should look at the impact of the Town raising fees and taxes that now make it more costly to live and do business on Seabrook.
- We need to work more closely with our neighbors on Kiawah and Johns Island to get the County and State to act on fixing our roads and explore joint efforts to address the worsening flooding in the area.
- We must sit down and talk face-to-face to reach a common understanding about the balance between the residential communities and the rental communities, as they both have their place on Seabrook.
- We need to support more properties on Seabrook and lands on Johns Island being preserved in perpetuity for the common good.
The operative word in my agenda is “we.” I am confident, working together, we can make Seabrook even better. In this regard, my first step is to share my phone number (336.918.1194) and email address electpmclaughlin@gmail.com. I encourage you to contact me with your thoughts, suggestions, questions, or concerns. And, if you elect me to Town Council, I assure you I will keep these and other lines open so we can continue to talk with each other. To paraphrase a poem: “If we don’t speak, we cannot hear; and if we don’t hear, we cannot listen; and if we don’t listen, we cannot address matters of any consequence.”
Thank you for reading this statement. I ask you for your vote on November 7.
-Submitted by Paul McLaughlin