Beaufort County Council: David Bartholomew says unchecked growth is the biggest issue

David Bartholomew says he doesn’t want to see Beaufort County become too developed and commercialized.

Bartholomew, 35, is an attorney with Schiller and Hamilton and is the Republican candidate for Beaufort County Council in District 2.

He graduated with a Bachelor’s Arts degree in psychology from Greensboro College and a Juris Doctor from Charleston School of Law.

This is his first time running for office.

The Island Packet sent questionnaires to all candidates in contested races. Candidates were asked to keep their responses to 150 words per question.

Here are Bartholomew’s answers.

What will your expertise or past experiences bring to the County Council?

My background as an attorney will benefit the community in making sure that proposed legislation does not violate the rights of the people. We have seen government overreach at every level of government and my background can help prevent that from happening in the future. I also work on highly contested cases and I can help County Council navigate difficult issues in order to reach amicable resolutions.

What’s the biggest issue facing Beaufort County?

The biggest issue that Beaufort County is facing right now is the exponential growth in this area. This growth puts a strain on the current infrastructure and it also threatens the natural beauty of Beaufort County.

Development and maintaining Beaufort County’s historic character sometimes collide. What is your position on development versus historic preservation?

I believe that we need to strike a balance between historic preservation and new development. There is no doubt that we are growing and development is bound to happen. With that being said, I do not want to see Beaufort develop so much that it becomes just another commercialized American town. One of the many charms about living in Beaufort is being surrounded by hundreds of years of history and I truly believe that we need to protect those properties.

Affordable housing is an issue throughout Beaufort County. What more should the council be doing, if anything, to address it?

Affordable housing is a major issue in Beaufort County and I support the current efforts of County Council to move forward with an Affordable Housing Trust Fund. I believe the focus of this fund should be for workforce housing for our first responders and public servants. The county should continue to monitor foreclosures as well as coordinate with local and national non-profits to help provide affordable housing in the area. I believe that the county should also be working with private developers to incentivize affordable housing in the area without having to utilize tax payer money to front the cost.

Do you support the direction the county is going with the 278 bridge project and the one bridge vs two bridge debate?

I do ultimately support the expansion of the 278 Bridge project, however I do not agree with how the process has been conducted. I believe that the citizens of Hilton Head should have more of say in the direction of the project since they are the ones that will have to physically live with the impacts of the expansion. I understand that further delays in the project will only add to the overall cost of the project and I believe that decisions need to be made quickly with proper input from the public.

Many candidates have mentioned transparency as being important. If elected, how will you strive to be more transparent with the public?

When elected, I will strive to provide accurate and timely information to the citizens of District 2 and the county as a whole by utilizing social media and direct e-mail with constituents. I personally feel as though the county makes the bare minimum effort to communicate with the public and more effort should be placed on getting the information out to the public prior to final decisions being made. I welcome input from the community in the decisions that are being made since I am ultimately beholden to the people and will represent their wants on county council and not my own. I will work hard to help restore trust and transparency.