Letter to the editor from Eugene Platt
Reprinted from The Post and Courier

As a native Charlestonian who over the past seven decades has sadly witnessed the loss of much of what makes the Lowcountry unique, I was particularly dismayed to read in your June 18 editions about the proposal to build yet another marina.

Or, if you care to “split hairs,” specifically the proposal is to expand an existing marina “out into the Ashley River and add enough docking space for 200 more boats.” The difference in what it is called is insignificant — the damage, aesthetic and otherwise, will be just as great.

It is further dismaying to note the Coastal Conservation League “did not spot any major concerns” with the proposal.

The S.C. Green Party has “major concerns” and, in general, is unequivocally opposed to unsustainable development. As set forth in one of our party’s Ten Key Values, “All persons should have the rights and opportunity to benefit equally from the resources afforded us by society and the environment.”

The developer says it “will be able to draw a luxury clientele whose larger vessels need deep water.”

Please, Mr. Developers, give a break to longtime residents of the Lowcountry who neither have nor covet “luxury clientele” status.

Many of us were here well before the proliferation of marinas, waterside condos and office buildings, etc., began to make us weep. Members of Charleston City Council, Charleston County Council, the state Legislature: Why aren’t they speaking out on this issue? Have they lost touch with the people who voted them into office? Enough is enough.

EUGENE PLATT
Lowcountry Coordinator
South Carolina Green Party
Gilmore Court
Charleston

Letter to the editor from Eugene Platt
Reprinted from The Post and Courier

The well-written story in your June 26 edition about Islanders for Responsible Expansion was timely.

Thank you for acknowledging the accomplishments of this wonderful organization and its dedicated leaders, Amy Fabri, Robin Welch, Katie Dombrowski and Patricia Damico. The South Carolina Green Party salutes them.

Just as irresponsible developers appear to be accelerating their efforts to destroy what relatively little is left of our natural environment and to dilute our quality of life, there are encouraging signs the trend is about to be reversed. Efforts by groups such as Islanders for Responsible Expansion, the Sierra Club, and others are intensifying. Their membership is increasing. Throughout the Lowcountry, there is a growing awareness of the wisdom in “going green.”

Thanks again for a fine story complemented by such striking photos. Among your thousands of readers, there is keen interest in environmental issues. Here’s hoping you report on such issues routinely.

Eugene Platt,
Lowcountry coordinator of the South Carolina Green Party and James Island Public Service District Commissioner

Reprinted from Greenline, the Green Party of the United States newsletter

GL: Congratulations on being the first Green elected official in South Carolina. As a former Democrat, what attracted you to the Green Party?

EP: I have been leaning toward the Green Party for a while now. My son, Paul became very involved with the party when he moved to San Francisco about 10 years ago. He’s been sharing the Green philosophy with me ever since, and he was recently nominated for a seat on the council. Paul has been an inspiration to me to join the Green’s, but it has also been a natural progression in my own political career. When I lost the Democratic Primary in South Carolina earlier this year, it was a sort of blessing in disguise. This event opened the door for me to make the switch. I had always thought of myself as a “Green Democrat,” but now I think of myself as a “Pure Green.” I found that my personal political philosophy is more in tune with the Green Party’s philosophy, and I feel that the Green Party is where I need to be.

GL: What issues are you currently working on?

EP: Last Thursday I made my first official appearance as the Low Country Coordinator of the Green Party of South Carolina. The event was a public hearing in Johns Island, S.C. about the plan to build a toll road across the island where workers often travel to their jobs on affluent Kiawah and Seabrook Islands. However, this toll road would be disastrous for Johns Island residents because it would encourage development and separate communities. Johns Island has been able to retain its rural character, which is distinctive of few remaining small southern towns. But, this rural flavor would be destroyed by a toll road being financed by those who could least afford it.

GL: What excites you most about this next political phase in your life?

EP: I am encouraged because there seems to be an awakening to the merit of Green Party values in this country. This shift in ideals is happening nationwide, and it is particularly apparent in the move toward environmental values which the Green’s have always supported. I give a lot of credit to former Vice President Al Gore for his well-recognized work making people aware of global warming’s impact, and I think we will continue to see a shift in consciousness. It can be difficult to be an idealist in our society; in fact I often imagine the song, “The Impossible Dream,” would be a fitting theme song for the Green Party as we continue to move toward the values we believe in. But, we can have plenty of hope, and I am the quintessential example of how one’s values can lean further to the “left,” or to a more socially just ideal. I am 69 years old, and I am still leaning!

More information, as well as some poetry by Mr. Platt, can be found at www.voteplatt.com.