Featuring Chris O’Neal Meet the New Town Council C BY AMY KEHM 68
HRIS O’NEAL IS PASSIONATE about the Lowcountry. After forg- ing a personal path through South Carolina, he happily returned to call Mount Pleasant home – and Mount Pleasant calls him one of its newest town councilmen.
Te 31-year-old was born in Charleston, moved to Columbia and returned to the region after earning bachelor’s degrees in economics and speech and communication
at Clemson University. A certified public accountant and small business owner with Moody CPAs & Ad- visors in Mount Pleasant, he also received a master’s in accountancy at the Col- lege of Charleston. In November 2011,
O’Neal was elected to his first term on the Mount Pleasant Town Council. He chairs the Economic Development Commit- tee, serves on the Finance, Recreation and Water Supply committees and is the Council representative to CARTA. He warns not to toss him into a pile with other politicos. “I’m not a politician,”
O’Neal said. “Tat’s proba- bly not a good label for me.” O’Neal had never
run for office before his successful effort to gain a seat on the Council. He de- scribed the race as “challenging,” with nine candidates vying for four seats. He also described the campaign process as positive. “It was an interesting experience. I really enjoyed
it. For me it was really getting out and meeting a lot of people,” he explained. To those people, O’Neal said he hopes to bring “a
different way of looking at things.” “I think it’s new ideas – a fresher perspective,” said
O’Neal, who lives in Mount Pleasant with his wife, Tifany, and son, Simms. “I’ve not been part of the town establishment, not that they’ve done a bad job. I bring a different perspective – a business perspective.” O’Neal said he ran for the Council seat because he
believed his financial background would be an asset to the town. He wants to focus on making Mount Pleasant more business-friendly. According to O’Neal, business growth means revenue for the town in the form of license fees and taxes. And small business owners might then buy homes in Mount Pleasant and spend money at other town businesses. “A lot of people in
Chris O’Neal with his wife, Tifany, and son, Simms, the night he was sworn in as a Mount Pleasant town councilman.
Mount Pleasant would like to see their children have opportunities to come back and live and work in Mount Pleasant,” he said. “It’s a wonderful community, but it’s not always easy to find a well-paying job in Mount Pleasant for new graduates. We need to find opportuni- ties for those folks.” O’Neal cites friendly neighborhoods, safety and
recreation as reasons he calls Mount Pleasant his home. “It’s just a great place to live. Everybody is so nice.
Te schools are great. It’s convenient to beaches and parks,” he beamed. “I think we want to continue the quality of life we have here.”
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