Mount Pleasant Magazine Fall 2011

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The town
of Mount
Pleasant has
grown expo-
nentially during the past half
century, from 5,116 residents
in 1960 to 67,843 in 2010,
but Swails’ attitude toward
the value of hard work hasn’t
changed a bit. Though he puts
in full-time hours as mayor, the
position, and the $24,000 per
year salary, are officially part-
time. His real job, the one that
pays the bills, is as a State Farm
insurance agent.
Over the years, Swails, who
graduated fromMoultrie High
School and attended The Citadel
and Charleston Southern Univer-
sity, has always found the time to
serve his town and its residents. He
was a councilman from 1976 to 1984,
then again from 2006 until he won the
mayoral election, and he has coached
and sponsored youth football, base-
ball, basketball, soccer and volley-
ball teams for more than 30 years.
“No public service could be
more rewarding or pay higher
dividends,” he remarked.
The national recognition the
town earned last year must have
come close, however. Swails
was among 41 Mount Pleasant
residents who traveled to Kansas
City, Mo., to convince the
judges that their town deserved
to be a 2010 All-America City.
Their efforts were rewarded.
“It was quite a thrill, I’ll
tell you,” Swails said. “When
I was first elected, I said let’s
go for it. We raised $18,000
and put together a 10-min-
ute dog and pony show. We
chose three projects: the $5
swimming lessons for kids,
the revitalization of Coleman
Boulevard and the construction
on Johnnie Dodds Boulevard.”
Part of the money the town raised
to compete for All-America City
honors came from what should have
Billy
Swails