GOOSE CREEK, S.C.—In less than a month, Goose Creek voters will head to the polls to vote for several city council seats as well as who they want for mayor.
For more than three decades Michael Heitzler, a retired Berkeley Co. School teacher and principal, has served as the mayor of Goose Creek. He’s run unopposed since 1998; however, this year city councilman, Jerry Tekac, is challenging him. It’s a challenge the city’s current mayor welcomes.
“I’m happy that we’re having an election,” stated Heitzler inside the city’s newest business, Fender Mender. “Every four years the people of Goose Creek needs to stand back, talk to their neighbors, assess where the city is going, assess what their city council and mayor are doing and decide if they want to continue with what they have you or go with an unproven track.”
According to Heitzler, he’s not ready to walk away from the title of mayor just yet. He says his focus continues to be on moving the city into the future.
“All of us (city council) fashioned a strategic plan for this year that will carry the city ahead to the next 20 years,” stated Heitzler. “We’ve been strategically planning since 1981 and the plan has 12 elements that has to do with livability, roads, open space, hiker/biker trails, and also economic development.”
Currently, the city has plans to build four new fire stations. Heitzler says the city will break ground on two of them within the next thirty days. Although, the city was debt-free for a period of time, the mayor says the city did have to borrow the money to build them.
“It’s going to provide another new level of safety. It’ll be the first fire department that the city has on the eastern side of the tracks, so we can provide unobstructed service to the people that live on Liberty Hall, Brick Hope and along Montague Avenue, Green View and W. Green View.
While some critics have argued that the city is not business friendly, Heitzer says he disagrees. He says the city focus heavily on bring businesses to the area in 1995 after the first round of base closures, creating an economic development advisory committee.
“They’re made up of seven business owners in Goose Creek, and their only responsibility is for them to advise city council on initiatives and on strategies that we can employ to make our community business friendly without selling our souls,” said Heitzler. “There has to be a constructive balance to all of that.”
Heitzler says it’s the city’s current strategy that has brought Wal-mart, Lowes, Publix and Bi-Lo to the area. He added that the city has also created a business hub in downtown Goose Creek.
“We’ve spent $ 5 million in renovating our roads in downtown Goose Creek and in landscaping by putting in curbs and gutters,” stated the mayor. “We have a beautiful downtown that is ready to emerge as soon as the economy gives us a little break we are going to have businesses . Old businesses are going to come down and new businesses are going to go up in their place.”
After multiple attempts to pass a smoking ban in Goose Creek, city council succeeded late last year; however, the mayor was one of the few who voted against it.
“We (government) should never reach into people’s homes and we should not reach into people’s businesses. That’s their business. Whether you’re in a restaurant or bar or private club, you can turn around and walk away or just not go there if you don’t want that nasty old smoke,” said Heitzler. “there’s going to be one or two businesses, they’ve told me they’re going to have to close because of it—and I’m sorry to hear that I wish I could think of some way for them to stay.”
Late last year, the city also passed a two percent hospitality tax. It went into effect on January 1, 2014. The mayor’s opponent, Jerry Tekac, voted against the tax stating that the city had not clearly stating what the money would be used for.
“It’s not knowing what it’s going to go to, it’s what is it going to go to first,” said Heitzler. “We know that it’s going to build parks, an amphitheater, meeting places for families, and public facilities to bring tourists into the city to help boost the local economy.”
Voters in Goose Creek will head to the polls on April 8th to cast their ballots, and Heitzler hopes once again the people will put him back in office.
“We are a strong-mayor form of government. I’m a full-time mayor, and the people of Goose Creek deserve a full-time mayor,” he said.
