I am pleased to announce my candidacy for mayor of Isle of Palms in the Nov. 4 election. For the past four years, I’ve had the privilege of serving on City Council. Your support, trust and candor have been my greatest motivators, and I’m deeply grateful.
Why I’m Running
Residents deserve better, Council can do better, and I will ensure your voice shapes every decision. We are at a crossroads. Residents’ quality of life is under pressure, with accelerating external demands on public services, increasing neighborhood traffic from 10 million annual bridge crossings, serious beach deterioration not seen since Hurricane Hugo, and aging infrastructure. Each pillar requires attention, sustainable solutions and meaningful investment.
The mayor’s job is to deliver results — by collaborating with Council, listening carefully, and ensuring every resident’s voice is heard, respected and reflected in policy. My priorities are clear:
- Protect quality of life for residents
- Strengthen public safety and core services to meet growing demands
- Engage more formally with IOP’s business community for partnerships and investment
- Restore and preserve our beach with stable, long-term proactive plans and funding sources
- Modernize and maintain infrastructure (roads, drainage, beach access, parking, facilities)
- Practice fiscal responsibility with full transparency
Think Bigger. Move Faster.
IOP is a regional engine, generating more than $550 million in annual revenue from more than 3,500 businesses thriving here. Yet the dollars we send to the state and elsewhere far exceed what we receive back. As mayor, I will fight for investment and other service support proportional to our scale — to maintain and protect what makes IOP extraordinary and to ensure contributions match real-world usage, instead of placing the burden solely on the 4,400 residents and local property and business owners.
Offering Leadership and Commitment
I’ll deliver and communicate. My career has been about building teams, earning consensus and producing tangible results. I am direct, proactive, prepared and objective. I will hear all sides thoroughly so we reach durable solutions.
Partnerships matter. We will work more closely with neighboring municipalities, Charleston County, state leaders and federal agencies to secure funding, protect our shoreline and invest in the infrastructure that everyone uses. That is how we safeguard our future.
I have no doors. You can contact me anytime, and what you see is what you get — always.
Experience
I spent 28 years as an executive at Verizon in global operations, finance, mergers and acquisitions, and systems implementation. I spent my career moving large initiatives from plan to completion. Since retiring, I’ve advised Fortune 25 companies as a management consultant. I earned a BSBA, MBA, and am a CPA, CFP® and retired investment adviser.
As an elected Council member, among many initiatives I’ve helped drive to completion, one stands out for its enduring impact: passing the Isle of Palms Conservation Zoning Ordinances, which protected IOP from another potential wave of large-scale development. You will always know where I stand.
I previously served on the Planning Commission, am a board member of the Exchange Club, was a founding member of LENS and support many other charities.
I respectfully ask for your support and vote on Nov. 4.
Reach me directly: scott.pierce@prodigy.net