Hilton Head mayor: JoAnn Orischak aims to repair citizen mistrust that ‘permeates’ government

A pair of lingering issues remain atop mayoral candidate JoAnn Orischak’s list of priorities. Whoever wins the mayor’s office Nov. 8 will continue to handle the U.S. 278 bridge project and Hilton Head’s critical need for affordable — two problems that have loomed for years.

After serving two terms on the Beaufort County School Board, Orischak, 58, hopes to ride her electoral winning streak into the town’s top elected office.

Orischak and her opponents have a less-crowded path to victory after former mayoral hopeful Tom Cleary withdrew from the race in early October.

She is considered one of the leading candidates along with Alan Perry, a longtime Hilton Head resident who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2018. Second-time candidate Michael Santomauro also is on the ballot.

Orischak is currently a representative for Lowcountry Inside Track, a group that helps individuals, businesses or organizations stay updated on government decisions that could affect their interests. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Pennsylvania’s West Chester University.

The Island Packet sent questionnaires to candidates and asked them to limit their answers to 150 words.

Here are Orischak’s responses:

What campaign issue is most urgent to you? Why do you feel that issue should be the top priority?

The corridor/bridge project with accompanying independent, end-to-end reviews are paramount.

Simultaneously, the sheer number of citizens coming forward expressing concerns about affordable and workforce housing have also made this issue a top priority for the Town Council. In this election, these two issues are tied for top priorities per citizen input.

What is your position on the recently approved U.S. 278 plan? Do you feel it was appropriate for the decision to be made before the election of a new Town Council?

Optimally, new [elected officials] would have been seated before the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) was approved by the Town Council. Now that the MOU has been executed, there are potential factors that could still slow the project down, i.e. legal challenges.

In the meantime, the Hilton Head Island Town Council could proceed in parallel with their own independent end-to-end review of all options. Given Hilton Head Island’s status in the state as a generator (of revenue), there is little risk for funding loss.

As a side note, if elected representatives continue to turn a deaf ear to significant public input on this or any other issue, mistrust in government will continue to grow. Mistrust permeates every aspect of governance. As mayor, I’ll work to do the public’s business in public, with strict adherence to the SC Freedom of Information Act.

What steps would you take to address the workforce housing shortage? Is the solution a public or private sector issue? Should Hilton Head focus on encouraging housing off-island through the Regional Housing Trust Fund or build locally?

Housing solutions generated both on and off island should be a combination of private sector workforce housing and public/private partnerships. Since there is already a Regional Housing Trust Fund in place, recently agreed upon by the Town Council, we could also consider a local housing trust fund.

Wages play a big part in this discussion, but have seldom been referenced by the electorate.

The Chamber of Commerce receives significant public funding each year, but is not subject to the same transparency laws as the Town Council. What steps would you take, if any, to secure greater transparency from the chamber on where public funds are being used?

I’ve been told the chamber presents financial reports to the Town Council, but I’ve not observed chamber presentations to the council in this calendar year thus far. The larger issue for me is whether our designated marketing organization (DMO) aligns with the Town’s Comprehensive and Strategic Action Plans.

When a new council is seated, as mayor I will ensure copies of all contracts (not just DMO) are presented to council for review. My personal leaning is that we are spending too much on marketing our island. If Hilton Head Island boasts 70% repeat visitors, do we really need to invest in marketing to the extent we have in the past? This is just one of many questions the council will need to explore when reviewing contracts.

Friction between development and maintaining Hilton Head’s character has been highlighted recently. How do you think the town should balance the two? At this time, is it more important to develop for the future or preserve the past?

First, redo the town’s 2018 study determining accurately how much “housing” the island needs. The current study may be obsolete, as it relied on 2016 US Census data.

Second, clearly define who the target audience will be for the housing. Land preservation is critical to maintaining our way of life on Hilton Head Island. Ultimately, I won’t prioritize housing over land preservation.