Charleston Metro Chamber PAC announces endorsements for Mount Pleasant Town Council
October 20, 2021
The Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee (Chamber PAC) is pleased to announce its endorsement of Lee Dittrich, Myra Jones and Carl Ritchie for Mount Pleasant Town Council.
“All of the candidates endorsed by the Chamber PAC support a positive business climate and are aligned with the Chamber’s pillar priorities: mobility, livability and business climate,” said David Hand, Chairman of the Chamber PAC. “All understand the connection between local decisions and the continued economic prosperity of the larger region.”
Lee Dittrich has 25 years of law enforcement experience. His last years were served with the Mount Pleasant Police Department where he experienced firsthand the issues the town was facing. Dittrich says the three most critical issues for Mount Pleasant are the current public safety crisis with the police and fire departments, traffic congestion and proposed solution for the redesign of our highways and parking areas, and maintaining a limited government without unnecessary overreach on residents and businesses.
Myra Jones has lived and raised her family in Mount Pleasant for over 30 years. She began getting involved in local politics when local beach communities instituted restrictions to beach parking. Jones was one of the founders of the Charleston Beach Foundation and was instrumental in getting a law passed ensuring that municipalities cannot restrict access to public roadways that lead to our state’s public beaches without prior approval from SCDOT. Myra believes the three most critical issues for Mount Pleasant are controlling growth while maintaining the quality of life, affordable housing and infrastructure to meet the growing demands of the community.
Carl Ritchie has served as the Police Chief for the last eight and a half years before retiring in May of 2021. He still has a strong desire to serve the Town of Mount Pleasant and believes he can have a positive impact on Town Council. Ritchie brings prior experience working with six different Mayors and numerous Town Council members in his 32 years of Mount Pleasant Law Enforcement experience.
His vision for Mount Pleasant in the next 20 years includes continuing to be the safest community in the nation, more business opportunities for residents in Mount Pleasant to reduce travel times and road congestion, traffic improvements that include a public transportation component and attainable housing for those who want to live and work in Mount Pleasant.
To be considered for the endorsement, candidates for open seats completed a written questionnaire and participated in an interview with Chamber PAC members. The process revealed candidates’ perspective on critical issues facing Charleston County and the metro region including: housing attainability, infrastructure investment, regional planning, Lowcountry Rapid Transit, flooding and the completion of the Mark Clark Expressway.
About the Charleston Metro Chamber
With approximately 1,600 member organizations representing 160,000 professionals, the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce serves as the collective voice of the business community, and a catalyst for regional economic advancement and member success through Talent, Advocacy, Leadership and Business Development. Visit charlestonchamber.org.
