
After two separate stints on the Town Council during Mount Pleasantâs meteoric rise in population 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.
âWill I miss it?â he mused. âWeâll find out. Right now I want to focus on family and business, but that door is wide open. After all these years, weâll find out how Iâm going to deal with it.â
Gawrych, who served with three different mayors during Mount Pleasantâs 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. Controversy 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 community of luxury homes, shops and restaurants. Some people thought it was a good idea; others felt Mount Pleasant wasnât ready for a town within a town. The decision of whether to rezone the area was left to the Town Council.
Despite Gawrychâs vote for rezoning, the effort failed by a 5-4 margin. However, a year later a modified plan was approved. Those who opposed developing the land that would eventually become IâOn Village vowed to remove Gawrych from the Council. They made good on their promise in the 1998 elections; needing to finish in the top four to retain his seat, Gawrych came in fifth.
âI learned a lot,â he commented. âIt stung a little bit. Special interest groups could make a big difference in an election back then. A thousand votes got you in.â
Gawrych, a 1985 graduate of The Citadel who has lived in Mount Pleasant most of his life, was working for Fenn- Vac in the environmental emergency response business during his initial term. By the time the 2002 elections rolled around, he was with Banks Construction Company, 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 Gawrychâs estimation, was ânasty.â
âI worked like I never worked before,â he commented. âIâve always felt a calling to serve. I love this community. Itâs about Mount Pleasant. Donât ever make it about you. If you do, you shouldnât serve as a public official.â
Gawrych was re-elected in 2006, winning a four-year term that stretched to five years when the town changed its election schedule. In November 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 canât assume his regular duties.
Gawrych pointed out that most of the Town Councilâs work is done at committee meetings, which are open to the public and where three or four members hash out ideas and prepare recommendations for the full Council. Gawrych currently chairs the Economic Development Committee and serves on the Finance; Planning and Development; Police, Legal and Judicial; and Transportation committees.
In September 2011, he earned the South Carolina Recreation and Parks Association Local Government Official Award. Gawrych, who also chairs the Mount Pleasant Councilâs Recreation Committee, was cited for his support for a wide range of recreation- related projects, including Memorial Waterfront Park; Shem Creek Park; and the Blanchard/ Morrow Recreation Volunteer Wall of Honor.
Gawrych credits Mount Pleasantâs three most recent mayors with playing key roles in the townâs growth. He said Cheryll Woods-Flowers, who served as the townâs top official from 1992 to 2000, âwas the right mayor at the right time.â
âShe grew up here and cared deeply about Mount Pleasant, and she had a lot of fire. She spent so much time fighting for the Ravenel Bridge. She gets the credit for doing all the leg work up front,â he commented.
He added that Harry Hallman, who held the job from 2000 until he retired in 2009, provided the town with a statewide perspective because of his tenure in the South Carolina House of Representatives.
âHarry could reach out to Columbia and to Washington for help with our infrastructure, and he deeply cared for this town,â Gawrych said.
He added that current Mayor Billy Swails has âan unmatched love for this community.â
âHe is gifted in bringing people together, and you always know where he stands,â Gawrych said.
âThereâs no hot air. He works fulltime, but he doesnât take a salary. His dedication is very moving.â
âWe should be thankful for allthree mayors,â he added. âWeâve bumped heads from time to time, but then we moved on to the next item. We always kept our eye on the prize, and the prize is Mount Pleasant.â
Gawrych, who started his own business in 2004, does not rule out a return to Mount Pleasant politics. For now, he prefers to spend his time growing Asphalt Concepts, a company that specializes in downtown revitalizations, streetscapes and traffic calming, and enjoying his family â wife Zoe, daughter Sophie, a junior at Wando High School, and son Scott, a sophomore at the University of South Carolina.
âMaybe itâs time to take a break,â he commented. âBut the future is wide open. If this break does what the last one did, youâll definitely see me again.â
By Brian Sherman
Paul Gawrych has been an incredible public servant. He has served for the right reasons with integrity and determination to make Mount Pleasant the best. We congratulate him and know that the future holds many wonderful opportunities for him and his lovely family.