Reprinted from The Post and Courier
By Eugene Platt

This is a very special Thanksgiving Day for me as well as thousands of other James Islanders. I give thanks that at last a court of law has ruled we have a town we can call our own. In the American hierarchy of values, this is a blessing of the first magnitude. Thanks be to God, indeed!

Our celebration is tempered only by the realization that, although we have won a major battle, the war is far from over. As an old soldier, I liken the recent circuit court decision to the American victory at the Battle of Midway early in World War II. Just as all Americans were given new hope in 1942, James Islanders are given new hope in 2008 that a turning point has been reached.

Mayor Joe Riley has said the city of Charleston will appeal the circuit court decision to the state Supreme Court. This comes as no surprise. After all, more than any other single individual, Mayor Riley, motivated by Napoleonic visions of a municipal empire (some would say from Beaufort to Georgetown and out to Bermuda), is to be held responsible for endless roadblocks placed in the path of James Island’s long quest to maintain its independence from its much larger neighbor. My fellow Irishman the mayor should note the remarkable parallel here with the centuries-long struggle between Ireland and its own much larger, aggressive neighbor, England.

A poor record of environmental stewardship on the part of Mayor Riley — and the city government he has effectively controlled for decades — is not only a major source of public concern that reaches beyond James Island, but also is a legitimate reason for distrust by James Islanders. A quintessential example of Mayor Riley’s concept of environmental stewardship was what happened with the Dill Sisters’ tract. The tract morphed from a wilderness preserve of hundreds of acres (as was intended by those sisters) to a puny remnant surrounded by nondescript and excessive development.

Remarkably, during the same period that the town of James Island has tried to stay alive, 4,201 (as of Nov. 14) Americans have died in Iraq. These fallen answered the call to duty, ostensibly trying to establish in that faraway land a people’s right to self-determination. The irony is inescapable.

Granted, if considered solely in terms of governmental efficiency and Mayor Riley’s concept of what is good public policy, re-establishing the town of James Island may have been a bad idea. Indeed, it may be the worst idea since the Revolutionary War was fought to assure certain inalienable rights for all Americans. Nevertheless, even if it were a mistake, it should have been our prerogative to make. Although I could not have known as a young soldier serving with the 11th Airborne Division, I know now that the inalienable right of self-determination for my community was one of the reasons I jumped out of airplanes.

In fact, today most residents of James Island are doubly blessed. Not only has their town been given a new lease on life, but also they will continue to enjoy what the James Island Public Service District has provided for almost a half-century. These two entities have different responsibilities and complement each other perfectly. By electing me to serve on one, my fellow James Islanders have accorded me a high honor for which I am deeply grateful.

EUGENE PLATT
James Island PSD commissioner