North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey outlines goals in 2022 State of the City address

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Hours before delivering his annual State of the City address, North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey laid out some of his goals for 2022 while recapping 2021 across the city.

2020 was a year of isolation for the city, 2021 was a year of recovery, and in 2022, Mayor Summey says the city is focused on moving forward into the future.

“Get on the train because the track is open and we’re going for a ride,” says Mayor Summey.

The city entered 2021 with an $18 million budget deficit largely blamed on COVID-19. The city received results from it’s Racial Bias Audit, and implemented a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all city employees.

“Our community has actually grown, we’ve managed our money well, we’ve had some new construction projects going on,” says Mayor Summey.

Mayor Summey says the city pushed forward with improvements to roads and infrastructure over the past year. The work will continue in 2022, the city is also looking at ways to support the surrounding community.

“We’re working with all of the industries, all of the retail, everybody in the area trying to help them make sure that they can stay viable,” says Mayor Summey.

A challenge for the city in 2022, increasing first responder staffing in both the police and fire departments to prevent a drop-off in service to residents.

“Hiring and maintaining,” says Mayor Summey. “I think every police department is pretty well short in manpower right now.”

Mayor Summey says on the list for 2022, building a senior center and replacing Danny Jones Pool. Looking beyond 2022, Mayor Summey says he’s considering his plans for re-election.

“You know it’s two years away basically and so somewhere in the next year I’ll make a decision on what I’m going to do,” says Mayor Summey. “If I had to say right now, I am enjoying serving the people of North Charleston.”

Watch the full address below: