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Mayor
Joseph P. Riley, Jr. is widely considered one of the most visionary
and highly effective governmental leaders in America. First elected
Mayor in December, 1975, Mayor Riley is serving an unprecedented eighth
term. Under his leadership, Charleston has increased its commitment
to racial harmony and progress, achieved a substantial decrease in
crime, experienced a remarkable revitalization of its historic downtown
business district, seen the creation and growth of Spoleto Festival
U.S.A., built Waterfront Park, developed nationally-acclaimed affordable
housing, and experienced unprecedented growth in Charleston's size
and population. Mayor Riley has led a city government with an impressive
record of innovation in public safety, housing, arts and culture,
children's issues, the creation of park and other public spaces, and
economic revitalization and development. The City of Charleston is
recognized as one of the most livable and progressive cities in the
United States.
Mayor Riley
has held a number of national leadership positions and received
many awards and distinctions. He served as President of the U.S.
Conference of Mayors (USCM) 1986-87 and currently
serves on the USCM's Executive Committee. He served as Chairman
of the Cities Task Force of the Southern Growth Policies Board,
served as President of the National Association of Democratic Mayors
(1988-92). He was given the Outstanding Mayors Award by the National
Urban Coalition, the Distinguished Citizen Award by the National
Association of Realtors and named the 1991 Municipal Leader of the
Year by American City & County. Mayor Riley has received the
Order of the Palmetto, been named South Carolinian of the Year,
and given the 1982 Verner Award by the South Carolina Arts Commission
for outstanding contributions to the arts. Mayor Riley received
many commendations for his leadership of the Charleston community
before, during and after Hurricane Hugo in 1989. In June, 2000,
he was awarded the first President's Award from the U. S. Conference
of Mayors for outstanding leadership. In July, 2000, he was honored
as the first recipient of the Urban Land Institute J. C. Nichols
Prize for Visionary Urban Development.
Mayor Riley's
vision, leadership, and impressive list of accomplishments have
brought him and the City of Charleston national and international
acclaim. Washington Post columnist David S. Broder said, “...what
has been achieved here under his leadership is extraordinary,”
adding “...it is mainly the way that Charleston treats the
social problems that all old cities share that has made Riley's
long reign so remarkable.” Conde Nast, in its August, 1997
issue, said, “...of America's colonial cities, Charleston is
the most dramatically reborn.” The article further noted that
“Charleston's revival is a story of shared pride and work...”
. Newsweek named Mayor Riley one of the twenty-five most dynamic
mayors in America. The City of Charleston has also been named an
All-America City.
Through his
lifetime of experience in Charleston, Mayor Riley has become a leading
expert on urban design and livability issues and is a frequent speaker
across the country on these topics. He was a founder of the Mayors'
Institute for City Design (MICD) and has provided
critical urban design support to over two hundred fifty mayors across
America. Mayor Riley received the 1994 Thomas Jefferson Award from
the American Institute of Architects for Public Architecture for
“his exceptional leadership and 'Jeffersonian' vision in redefining
the promise and, ultimately the future, of our nation and its cities.”
In 1997, he received the Seaside Prize from the Seaside Institute
for exemplary leadership and contributions to high-quality urban
design throughout America. The American Society of Landscape Architects
named him an Honorary Member for his leadership and vision.
Joseph P. Riley,
Jr. was born in Charleston in 1943. He graduated from Bishop England
High School, The Citadel (1964) and the University of South Carolina
School of Law (1967). In 1968, Mayor Riley was elected to the South
Carolina House of Representatives, where he served for six years.
He and his wife Charlotte have two sons, Joe and Bratton.
PUBLIC
SAFETY
Charleston has seen a tremendous decrease in serious crime over
the past two decades and has, under the leadership of Police Chief
Reuben Greenberg, been a national leader in innovative police practices,
especially in the field of community-oriented policing. The Charleston
Police Department is frequently recognized as one of the best trained
and most successful departments in the nation. Charleston's Fire
Department, one of the most effective fire departments in the nation,
has been recognized for its performance as well as innovations such
as its residential smoke detector installation program. The Fire
Department has also achieved an ISO Class I Rating, the only city
in south Carolina to do so.
DOWNTOWN
REVITALIZATION
Mayor Riley has actively used public-private partnerships to leverage
all of the city's resources to stimulate new development and restoration
in historic downtown Charleston. Restoring the “heart”
of the City of Charleston, Mayor Riley has helped create one of
the most vibrant and productive downtowns in America, including
the dramatic rebirth of King Street, Charleston's main street. From
Saks Fifth Avenue on King Street to the development of Charleston
Place, a major hotel and retail shopping complex, to the creation
of the award-winning Visitor Reception and Transportation Center
(VRTC), Mayor Riley has provided the leadership and incentives necessary
to make Charleston a great place to work, live, and visit.
HOUSING,
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & HOMELESSNESS
The City of Charleston has been one of America's leaders in the
creation of sustainable affordable housing for its citizens. Charleston's
scattered-site housing program has been widely recognized, including
a Presidential Design Award and three HUD Blue Ribbon Awards For
Best Practices. When Prince Charles held his Business in the Community
conference in Charleston in 1990, he requested a visit to one of
the newly created scattered site public housing units. In addition
to the city's initiatives, Mayor Riley has also fostered the creation
of a number of non-profits dedicated to the creation of affordable
housing. He established the Mayors Council on Homelessness and Affordable
Housing with the goal of creating affordable housing opportunities
for very low-income families. Together, the public and private sectors
have provided opportunities for housing and home-ownership for thousands
of Charlestonians. Other innovations include programs for Minor
Home Repair, the Paint Program, HOME, an owner-occupied and rental
rehabilitation program, and the Charleston Bank Consortium, a cooperative
effort with local banks to provide financing for mortgages for low
to moderate income families. Charleston was designated in 1994 as
an Enterprise Community and in 1997 was named one of 11 top national
performers. For Charleston's homeless, the Mayor worked with a group
of religious and community leaders to create the Crisis Ministries,
a model shelter staffed significantly by citizens which provides
comprehensive services to the homeless.
CHILDREN'S
ISSUES
In 1996, Mayor Riley continued his leadership on children's issues
and dedicated his sixth term of office to the children of Charleston.
He created the Mayor's Office for Children, Youth & Families
(MOCYF) to serve as a clearinghouse for information and ideas and
a Mayor's Commission to involve a broad range of community leaders
and activists in these efforts. Through the MOCYF, the city has
pursued a number of exciting initiatives, including a mentoring
program which currently involves over six hundred adults in mentoring
relationships, and Project Go, an innovative initiative to prevent
teen pregnancy. In April 1997, the Mayor headed the Charleston delegation
to the President's Summit for America's Future and has actively
followed up on ideas that came from the Summit. Mayor Riley works
closely with the Charleston County School District to improve the
public schools in the city of Charleston.
ANNEXATION
& GROWTH
Recognizing that the economic well being of Charleston is dependent
on a diverse and expandable tax base, Mayor Riley has successfully
pursued an aggressive annexation strategy. The physical size of
Charleston has increased from 16.7 square miles in 1975 to almost
90 square miles today. With the relocation of the Family Circle
Cup Tennis tournament, the addition of Blackbaud's corporate campus
and several neighborhoods developed, Daniel Island, annexed by the
City in 1991, is well on its way to becoming a diverse and high
quality urban development..
PARKS,
PUBLIC SPACES & THE WATERFRONT
Mayor Riley has paid special attention to the creation and protection
of Charleston's very special parks and public spaces. Providing
his “generation's gift to the future,” Waterfront Park
opened in May, 1990 and serves as a public gathering place for thousands
of Charleston residents and visitors. Citing the waterfront as “the
birthright of the people of Charleston,” Mayor Riley has pursued
an ambitious plan to give the public access to the water's edge:
from the South Carolina Aquarium to the Charleston Maritime Center
to the Waterfront Park to the Battery to the Ashley River Walk to
the Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Baseball Park, the public will one day
have access to nearly every foot of Charleston's precious waterfront
resource. Mayor Riley has also renovated many parks and playgrounds,
including the gorgeous 54-acre Hampton Park. He used abandoned railroad
right-of-ways to create the West Ashley Bikeway and the West Ashley
Greenway. In addition to the Aquarium, major new parks include the
West Ashley Park and the Dill Tract.
ARTS & CULTURE
Under Mayor Riley's watch and with his active support, Charleston's
cultural renaissance has become a national model for cities of all
sizes. Mayor Riley has played a major role in the success of Charleston's
many world-class arts festivals and organizations, including Spoleto
Festival USA, Piccolo Spoleto, the MOJA African-American Arts Festival,
the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and the Charleston Ballet Theater.
Preliminary plans are underway for a new symphony hall to be located
near the Charleston waterfront. Work is currently underway to renovate
the historic railway property, the Camden Tower Sheds, into a Children's
Museum.
CITIZEN
PARTICIPATION
Mayor Riley has always stressed the importance of giving Charlestonians
avenues for participation and input into city government and constantly
searched for new ways to provide increased access. Early in his
administration, he created the Office of the Ombudsman and Citizen
Participation and an Office of Neighborhood Services, which has
fostered the creation of seventy very active neighborhood associations.
These neighborhood associations serve as a conduit for information
from the city to neighborhoods and neighborhoods to the city. Through
Mayor's Night In, a monthly period set aside for citizens to have
an opportunity to meet with the Mayor in his office, every citizen
knows that they have the opportunity, at least once a month, to
share their concerns and ideas with the Mayor personally. The Mayor
and selected city staff also attend regular meetings with neighborhood
presidents to review their concerns and create solutions for neighborhood
issues.
ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
Citing small business as the backbone of our community, Mayor Riley
has worked to assist in the development of a strong and vital economy
for the City of Charleston. Mayor Riley created the Charleston Citywide
LDC to provide assistance and low-cost loans for businesses throughout
the City. He has wisely leveraged public funds and projects to enhance
and partner with private development. The support of the City has
additionally helped with the expansion and growth of business in
the areas of tourism, shipping, medical services, and high technology
development. With newly annexed areas, the City is attracting larger
projects such as Mikasa, a major international corporation. Economic
efforts have led to increased opportunity for all citizens and to
the economic well being of the Charleston region.
(Courtesy of
the City of Charleston: http://www.ci.charleston.sc.us/)
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