WMBF News - Meet Mayoral Candidate Jay Doyle
GEORGETOWN, S.C. (WMBF) – People will soon be heading to the polls to elect their next mayor and city council members and WMBF News wants to make sure you’re prepared when you cast your ballot.
Early voting begins on Monday, Oct. 20, and ends Friday, Oct. 31, with Election Day being on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
WMBF News reached out to each Georgetown mayoral candidate and provided each one with the same five questions to give you a better idea of their positions and actions they will take if they become the city’s next mayor.
Each candidate was given a deadline to turn in their answers, and some did not meet the deadline.
Below are the answers from mayoral candidate Jay Doyle as they were written to WMBF News:
First of all, tell the community about yourself. What is your background and what is the platform that you are running on?
I was born and raised in the Boston area where I was an owner/operator of two successful businesses, one being a remodeling company and the other a property management company. My wife and I relocated here 17 years ago and we have enjoyed being part of the great community that is Georgetown.
The first of my three main goals if elected is to bring good paying jobs back to the area. If you visit my website, JayDoyleforMayor.com, you will see a presentation that I put together for an industry that would be a perfect fit for the area. The product is Cross Laminated Timber, and it would utilize many of the assets we have here in the low country; 12 million acres of timberland, loggers, truckers and skilled labor. This industry could bring millions of dollars back into our community, and have the “rising tide lifts all boats” effect.
My second goal is to bring the rising utility bills under control and if at possible, lower them. The eight distinct parts that make up our utility bills have risen more than what is required to adequately fund the utilities. Too many people are forced to make tough decisions regarding keeping the lights on, buying groceries, or having their prescriptions filled. In the 2024 fiscal year, the City of Georgetown shut off electricity to 3410 customers out of a total customer base of less than 5400. This red flag was not heeded by the current administration, but instead they raised rates even higher.
My third priority is transparency. Too much of what goes on the city happens behind closed doors. One example is the new facility on Highmarket Street that will be used to combine multiple city services together. The city held a press conference to announce the start of work on the new city hall and disclose the costs. Why did they not do the same for this facility? How much is the project going to cost? How much of the cost of this facility is being funded by the utilities? Are our utilities bills being used to pay for this project?
Another project that is not being revealed to the citizens of Georgetown is the old steel mill. This project could and should be a major source of revenue for the city. Currently, the steel mill only pays $5000.00 per year for the 60 acres it occupies. Redevelopment of this property will have an impact on this city for years to come and I believe the people of the city should have a voice in how the property is redeveloped.
A spike in utility bills in the city of Georgetown has become a big issue for residents recently. What do you think needs to be done to address the rising utility prices impacting Georgetown residents?
I would appoint an independent, bipartisan Utility Commission to establish utility rates and over see the budgets of the utilities. Right now, the city is co-mingling utility expenses and regular city administration expenses. If the utilities were separated and collected their fees separately, I believe the citizens would be able to realize long term savings on their utility bill.
There has been a recent uptick in shootings in the city of Georgetown, and police have recognized that people are concerned with these acts of violence. What is your plan for addressing gun violence and safety in Georgetown?
I don’t have a short-term solution to the recent rise in gun violence here in the city. The best thing I can do is support the police department and see that they have what they need to combat the problem. Long-term, we need to provide better schooling and opportunity for our youth. Georgetown High School has a dropout rate of 14%, this is an unacceptable high rate. Beyond that, with the closure of the mills, there is little opportunity for jobs for our youths, with new industry we can provide better choices for them.
Georgetown has lost two big employers with the closures of the steel and paper mills. What is your strategy for bringing in new businesses that provide good paying jobs?
The city of Georgetown has been without an economic director for seven years. One of the first things I would do is fill this position and instruct the new director to focus his/her attention on bringing new businesses to the city and to work with NESA (North Eastern Strategic Alliance) to bring industrial jobs to the city. Three quarters of the city is made of working-class families. We need to do everything we can to bring businesses to the city and provide living wages to these families.
The city of Georgetown’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan addresses the need for more affordable housing, while also caring for old homes in disrepair. What is your approach to increasing the supply of affordable housing, while also caring for the historic homes in the city?
The 2040 Comprehensive plan discusses the lack of housing but does not “address” any remedies beyond relaxing zoning regulations. I believe the cap for the number of short-term rentals needs to be lowered. Any taxes or fees collected from the short-term rentals should be used to develop more work-force housing. We can create more attainable housing by forming a redevelopment authority that would buy vacant lots or dilapidated building, construct new dwelling units and resell them to Georgetown citizens that meet income requirements. The Housing Authority would make a minimal profit so they can repeat the same process over and over again.
As for caring for the historic homes in the neighborhood, I have been a leading opponent of keeping the historic district’s current density intact and fighting against building that exceed the current 35’ height limitation. The Historic District is one of the most significant features of the city and I will work to tighten enforcement of our current Architectural Guidelines.