Featuring
Taking a Political Break Paul Gawrych Leaves the Door Open
the fastest-growing municipalities in South Carolina might go a long way toward extinguishing the fire that drew
S BY BRIAN SHERMAN
you to public service in the first place. After two separate stints on the Town Council during Mount Pleasant’s meteoric rise in popula- tion from under 40,000 to nearly 70,000 in 15 years, Paul Gawrych has chosen to end, or at least interrupt, his political career. He said he agonized over the decision before opting not to compete with nine candidates seeking four seats on the Council in the November 2011 election. “Will I miss it?” he mused. “We’ll find out. Right
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ERVING AS AN ELECTED official in a small town can be a rewarding endeavor or a frustrat- ing attempt to balance the needs of your constituents with those of your family and your profession. Taking the oath of office in one of
was left to the Town Council. Despite Gawrych’s vote for rezoning, the effort failed by a 5-4 margin. However, a year later a modified plan was approved. Tose who opposed developing the land that would eventually become I’On Village vowed to remove Gawrych from the Council. Tey made good on their promise in the 1998 elections; needing to finish in the top four to retain his seat, Gawrych came in fifth. “I learned a lot,” he commented. “It stung a little bit.
“I’ve always felt a calling to serve. I love this community.”
now I want to focus on family and business, but that door is wide open. After all these years, we’ll find out how I’m going to deal with it.” Gawrych, who served with three different may- ors during Mount Pleasant’s ascent from a sleepy suburb to the fourth largest municipality in South Carolina, entered the world of politics as a feisty 32-year-old, claiming a vacated seat on the Council in a special election in December 1995. Contro- versy and a battle over how Mount Pleasant would face the future awaited him. Real estate developers wanted to turn a tract of wilderness along Highway 17 into an upscale com- munity of luxury homes, shops and restaurants. Some people thought it was a good idea; others felt Mount Pleasant wasn’t ready for a town within a town. The decision of whether to rezone the area
Special interest groups could make a big difference in an election back then. A thousand votes got you in.” Gawrych, a 1985 graduate of Te Citadel who has lived in Mount Pleasant most of his life, was working for Fenn- Vac in the environmental emer- gency response business during his initial term. By the time the 2002 elections rolled around, he was with Banks Construction Com- pany, and he was ready to stoke the fire that drew him to politics
in the first place. With 15 people seeking four seats, the race, in Gawrych’s estimation, was “nasty.” “I worked like I never worked before,” he com- mented. “I’ve always felt a calling to serve. I love this community. It’s about Mount Pleasant. Don’t ever make it about you. If you do, you shouldn’t serve as a public official.” Gawrych was re-elected in 2006, winning a
four-year term that stretched to five years when the town changed its election schedule. In Novem- ber 2009, he was chosen as mayor pro tem by his fellow Council members; he presides over Council meetings and handles other duties when the mayor is absent or can’t assume his regular duties. Gawrych pointed out that most of the Town Council’s work is done at committee meetings, which are open to the public and where three or four members hash out ideas and prepare recom-
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