If you’ve watched Councilman Blair Hahn lately, you must wonder how he ever got elected—let alone how he ever became a member of the bar. Well, I can shed some light on the first item and take responsibility for being the one who talked him into running.
I first met Mr. Hahn when he was chair of BIPA, a group formed to represent residents’ interests when the City Council at that time was being overrun by state mandates on parking and access. I mistakenly thought Mr. Hahn would carry the zeal he displayed at BIPA meetings to City Council. Over a cup of coffee, he agreed that running would be a good idea. He was part of a team of five that ran on a common agenda of putting residents first—the others being Pounds, Anderson, Bogosian, and Miars.
Boy, has Hahn been a disaster or what?
I made the cardinal error of offending his giant ego when my opinion piece questioned whether it was a conflict of interest for him to be an Isle of Palms council member while simultaneously serving as co-founder of another entity, The Palm Republic, which declared “independence” from South Carolina and sued the state. Apparently, no one can question his “Beaudacious Highness,” as he wanted to be called. I have been a target ever since, including when he filmed a video—later publicized—criticizing me while standing at the entrance to my home, endangering me and my family.
Several residents have discovered the real Mr. Hahn the hard way, getting yelled at and insulted simply for questioning his Highness at council meetings. After witnessing all of his angry, public eruptions, his Highness decided to put on a grand act last month—complete with aggressive yelling, name-calling, and flipping off other council members. The outburst was so extreme that one member left, while another publicly stated she felt threatened and feared for her safety.
Of course, like most weak, high-ego individuals, his Highness takes no responsibility, issues no public apology, and instead attacks others. His favorite target? My longtime friend, Councilman John Bogosian. Why? Because John is a decent guy who doesn’t indulge in vile, nasty attacks. Hahn’s reasoning? John must be corrupt, a suspicious figure placed on the council by me as a “puppet” so I can take over the island. His proof? Zero. Ignore the fact that Hahn ran on the same platform as John at the same time. Ignore the fact that not a single piece of legislation has ever been requested or passed by John—or anyone else—that would benefit me. Ignore the fact that I have no business or commercial interests on the island. Not a shred of evidence. But a convenient attack line for his Highness to deflect from owning his behavior.
He recently attributed the entire sham surrounding the hiring of the administrator to John. Why? Because, apparently, I did not like Doug. I barely know Doug, and I have never even discussed the hiring process with anyone. But facts don’t matter to Mr. Hahn. It’s just another convenient deflection.
What an embarrassment to the island to have someone like Mr. Hahn representing the wonderful people of this community. Let me take responsibility for my part in this fiasco. While I have never attempted any of the things Hahn so freely accuses me of—driven by his blind rage that I don’t bow to his Highness—I did have coffee with him and encouraged him to run in 2021.
And for that, I apologize.
Reddy or Not represents the opinion of Lucky Dog Publishing owner Rom Reddy but not necessarily the opinion of the newspaper. In keeping with our philosophy of publishing all opinions, we welcome responses, which must be limited to 400 words and will be published on a space-available basis.
