Mount Pleasant Magazine Sept/Oct 2013

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The idea that you shouldn’t
complain if you don’t have a solution was the
driving force behind Michael Perkis’ political
aspirations – that and the issue of whether
dogs should be allowed on the beach.
Perkis, elected mayor of Sullivan’s Island in May
2013, moved to the island full-time with his wife,
Linda, in 2003. They bought their lot in 1988 but had
to rebuild their home
after it was destroyed by
Hurricane Hugo a year later. It didn’t take him long to
get involved.
“I felt strongly that I had to be engaged in the com-
munity,” said Perkis.
He was given the opportunity in 2003, when the
Sullivan’s Island Town Council was wrestling with the
issue of revising the island’s dog ordinance. Perkis, the
proud owner of Paddy, a mixed-breed, and Rosie, a
Newfoundland, stepped right into the controversial
issue. He led a citizens’ group of dog lovers, along
with those who were less enthralled with animals of
the canine persuasion, crafting an ordinance that “gave
everyone time on the beach.” The meetings were held
at the Perkis home, and, “in true consensus, we worked
hard together to get something we all could live with.”
The Sullivan’s Island Council accepted the group’s
recommendations and passed an ordinance that set the
standards still in use today.
“It was positive feedback on a touchy subject,” Perkis
explained.
Elected to the Town Council in 2005, Perkis has
continued to face controversial issues head-on. The
demolition and rebuilding of the island’s elementary
school and management of the accreted land area on
the beachfront come to mind. He said he and the Town
Council will work with the Charleston County School
District to complete the school by August 2014.
During his first term on the Council, Perkis served
on the Ways and Means Committee and the Water and
Sewer Committee. When he was re-elected in 2009,
Still Solving Problems
Feature
Sullivan’s Island Mayor
By HeLen RaveneL HaMMond
he became chairman of the Water and Sewer Commit-
tee and was elected mayor pro-tem by his peers on the
Council. He has continued to work to make Sullivan’s
Island an excellent place to live and visit.
Perkis explained that Mount Pleasant’s rapid growth
has created a “new reality” of increased traffic on Sul-
livan’s Island, which is not necessarily a bad thing. He
said the island’s eating establishments have become
destinations.
“People are actually coming to the beach to eat, as
Michael Perkis, elected mayor of Sullivan’s Island in 2013, has been a
full-time resident of the island since 2003.
Photo provided by Michael Perkis.