►
Description
Joe Riley, former mayor or Charleston, SC, answers questions from a panel of Aiken business leaders about growth, leadership, and community concerns related to Aiken's path forward.
This is part two of two videos from the City of Aiken's first Main Street event.
A
A
B
It
it's
a
it's.
The
only
way
only
way
it
will
happen,
and
it's
a
very
appropriate
public,
though,
because
what
you
your
goal
is
a
public
enhancement.
The
goal
is
a
finer
downtown,
a
place
where
kids
or
grandparents
or
whatever
would
want
to
be,
and
it's
really
no
different
than
then
putting
in
roads
or
sewer
or
water,
its
infrastructure
and
so
to
to
leverage
a
catalyzed
redevelopment
of
a
city.
B
Then,
if
public
investment
is
important
to
get
that
going
that
that's
what
you
ought
to
do
and-
and
it's
not
going
to
happen
without
it
and
eventually
when
it
takes
off,
then
less
public
is
needed
and
that
eventually
the
free
market
system
will
completely
take
over,
but
it.
But
if
you
don't,
you
have
to
prime
the
pump
you
have
to
make
investments
and
public-private
partnership
is,
is
the
only
way
it
will
happen
happen
here,
I
mean
in
aiken
or
any
place
in
america.
B
C
You
for
coming
to
be
with
us
I've
served
for
29
years
on
count,
so
unnaturally
have
seen
many
changes
and
I'm
sure.
With
40
years
you
saw
an
abundance
of
change,
one
of
the
things
that
I
hear
from
individuals
that
have
been
here
for
a
while
is
that
they
think
Aiken
is
okay.
They
don't
want
to
see
that
much
growth
to
occur.
C
How
did
you
convince
individuals
that
we
can
have
a
healthy
community
Charleston?
For
example,
you
can
enjoy
your
historic
charm
and
still
grow
and
still
avoid
a
lot
of
scars
oftentimes.
As
you
mentioned
in
your
chamber,
there
are
people
that
will
come
and
very
concerned
about
too
much
growth
and
even
in
your
city
as
you
grow,
your
growing
leaps
and
bounds
has
Charleston.
Do
you
hear
that
the
child
has
grown
too
large?
Well.
B
You
don't
stay
still
either
go
up
or
you
go
down
it
just
you
just
you
just
can't
stay
still
and
if
you
stay
still,
you
start
to
slip
and
same
with
cities,
and
so
growth
is
important.
It
should
be
wise
growth
and
thoughtful
growth
and
in
the
right
kinds
of
things
you
need
to
look
the
gift
horse
in
the
mouth.
You
know
we
had
a
good
friends
come
to
me
saying
Joe.
We
got
a
piece
of
property
here
on
Market
Street
and
we
got
this.
B
Fella
wants
to
put
a
hard
rock
cafe
and
I
said
well
that
that
that
doesn't
fit
Charleston.
You
know
we
don't
need
a
hard
rock
aster.
Yes,
this
is
not
what
so,
it's
not
that
you're
for
limitless
growth
or
anything
goes
but,
but
it
gives
you
energy-
and
you
know
the
infrastructure
of
a
satyr
city
is,
is
an
investment
that
can
support
lots
of
uses
and
lots
of
people,
and
you
need
you
either
grow
or
you,
whether
you
can't
it's
one
or
the
other
and
and
go
you
got
great.
B
You
got
as
I
said
your
great
heritage
of
city,
leadership
of
Mayor
and
councils
and
city
management
and
wise
community.
So
you're
not
going
to
go.
You
know.
Often
you
know
some
uncontrollable,
you
know
whatever
it
will
be
wise
and
thoughtful,
but
but
you
need
the
antigen.
You
got
to
keep
going
and-
and
you
want
to
bring
young
people
here
for
a
host
of
reasons,
so
they'll
love
living
here
and
they'll
tap
children
and
grandchildren
and
bring
new
ideas
and
businesses.
B
D
Mr.
mayor
leaders,
whether
their
business
community,
our
elected
officials,
all
want
to
be
liked,
it's
hard,
though,
to
be
popular.
If
you
take
on
unpopular
positions
or
if
you
know,
leaders
leadership
position
in
times
of
crisis,
you
get
second
guessed.
You
were
a
mayor
of
a
community
that
went
through
a
national
natural
disaster
with
Hurricane
Hugo.
A
major
financial
setback
with
a
naval
base
closure
a
human
tragedy
with
Emmanuel
Church
slings.
In
addition,
you
were
an
outspoken
critic
of
the
state
flying
the
Confederate
flag
over
the
Statehouse
way.
D
Before
most
any
politician
would
touch
that
issue
you
an
early
supporter
of
Martin,
Luther,
King's
holiday
before
the
time
sort
of
caught
up
with
that
issue,
and
you
has
been
mentioned
and
went
through
periodic
battles
with
local
groups
when
you
were
pushing
your
vision,
yet
the
new
york
times
a
year
ago,
said
or
asked.
The
question
is
joe
riley,
the
most
loved
politician
in
America,
our
elected
officials,
are
getting
ready
to
make
a
lot
of
tough
decisions
for
this
community.
D
B
So
that's
that's.
You
know,
questioning
yourself
examining
your
your
conscience.
If
you
will
and
in
playing
the
devil's
advocate
with
yourself
and
is
this,
is
this
the
right
course
of
action?
Sometimes
you
do
that
just
within
yourself
or
with
with
people,
you
trust,
and
so
that's
that's.
The
hard
hard
part
is
to
be
confident
that
you're
right
then
then,
if
you
are,
then
you
commit
to
do
it,
but
never
do
it
in
a
hard
way.
B
It's
respectful
and
in
always,
trying
to
explain
it
in
a
manner
that
that
people
would
be
able
to
receive
so
I
always
pick
picture
picture.
The
other
end
of
the
television
camera
was
a
couple
sitting
at
home
at
their
coffee
table
or
breakfast
room
table
or
or
reading
the
paper.
And
so
am
I
articulating
this
in
a
manner
they
would
say.
Well
you
know
you
no
joke.
You
might
be
right
about
that.
You
know
so
you
don't
treat
everybody
with
great
respect
and
and
if
they
disagree
with
you
you
you
accept
that
and
listen.
B
A
Mr.
Muir,
a
friend
of
mine,
this
spring,
gave
me
the
book
about
you,
and
this
was
a
great
primer
for
me
for
me
to
help.
Remember.
I
was
early
in
my
career.
You
were
early
in
your
career
and
at
a
distance,
I
knew
things
that
were
going
on
in
Charleston,
but
not
to
the
detail
that
this
book
explores
those
issues
and
I'm
taken
by
the
fact
that
you
seem
to
have
a
battle
on
your
hands
from
the
day
that
you
were
led
to
me
from
the
very
day.
A
I
believe
there
was
a
battle
with
the
janitorial
staff
at
City
Hall,
because
you
move
the
furniture
in
your
office
and
they
moved
it
back
the
next
morning
yeah
they
thought
somebody
had
broken
in
and
done
some
damage,
but
at
every
step
you
took
to
improve
Charleston
over
the
last
40
years.
You've
been
met
with
varying
levels
of
adversity.
A
B
C
There,
for
a
long
time,
this
goes
back
more
than
three
decades.
You
earned.
You
earned
this
reputation
for
URI
of
being
fair
of
being
decent
of
being
honest,
I
practice.
My
comments
there
because
you've
looked
at
your
city
over
the
years
and
look
at
diversity
looked
at
arts
and
culture
and
wanting
to
expand
diversity
with
all
of
that,
including
the
african
american
museum
share
with
us.
How
that
got
started,
you
don't
mind
and
some
lessons
learn
from
that
and
some
obstacles
that
you
faced
with
trying
to
get
that
underwear.
B
B
My
older
sister
was
given
birth
to
a
baby
at
the
hospital,
and
so
we
were
all
on
pins
and
needles,
and
so
I
gave
all
my
attention
to
the
TV
set
and
her
doctor
king's
peak
and
and
I
had
grown
up.
You
know
with
all
the
apologist,
apologies
and
rationalization
for
why
should
be
separate
this
Antonella
and
and
in
dr.
King.
You
know
reached
me
in
ralph.
Mcgill,
who
was
the
editor
of
the
atlanta
journal-constitution
of
our
progressive
alta
paper
in
the
south
back
then
said
that
dr.
king
did
as
much
for
wife
saw.
B
That
is,
you
did
for
black
southerners,
because
the
exposed
wife's
evidence
of
goodwill
to
their
conscience
so
I
have
that
Awakening
and
then,
when
I
got
in
the
legislature,
I
found
myself
gravitating
towards
those
kinds
of
causes,
but
that
was
his
general
and
in
the
1998
fellow
who
had
a
Charleston
pedigree.
Edward
ball
I
wrote
a
book
slaves
in
the
family,
which
won
the
national
book
award.
B
I
read
it
because
I
do
the
fellow
not
well
and
and
that
I
was
then
confronted
with
the
history,
I
didn't
know
and
its
history.
That
America
doesn't
know.
That's
why
work
on
this
so
passionately
and
that
is
the
history
of
of
Africans
being
captured,
enslaved,
it
chained
and
brought
here
and
their
life
here.
We
know
we
know
a
fair
amount
of
civil
rights
history,
but
we
as
Americans
see
it's
what
I
realize
what
this
is.
American
history,
we're
all
Americans.
B
You
know
we
all
Americans,
and
so
we
know
about
the
Mayflower
and
the
Pilgrims
and
all
that.
But
we
don't
know
about
the
civilizations
that
existed
in
Africa,
which
will
hold
and
people
captured
from
those
and
brought
here
and
then
what
their
life
was
like
and
and
40
its
forty-eight
percent
of
all
enslaved
Africans,
who
came
to
auth
America,
came
to
Charleston,
so
I
realized.
After
reading
that
book,
the
Charleston
had
a
history,
I
didn't
know
and
that
it
was.
B
We
had
a
duty
for
all
those
who
have
brought
here,
but
we
had
a
duty
to
ourselves
to
help
us
out
this
history
and
it
isn't
a
history
that
leaves
you
depressed,
because
it's
an
ultimate
story
of
human
spirit
and
determination
and
courage
and
perseverance
and
and
and
a
story
of
a
government
founded
on
principles
that
all
men
are
created,
equal
endowed
with
unalienable
rights
and
a
country
that
went
confronted
with
the
realities.
That
goes
that
wasn't
in
practice,
work
to
change
him.
B
So
so
it's
it's
a
very
important
American
story,
but
in
Charleston,
if
the
new
museum
opened
in
DC
and
I'm
a
charter
member
that
museum
and
work
with
the
director
and
was
there
for
the
groundbreaking
there
for
the
opening
cup.
Aside
years
ago,
there
last
week
taking
a
group
of
supporters
at
museum,
and
he
said
years
ago,
when
we
were
you
two
working
on
our
idea
and
he
was
working
on
his.
B
He
said
you
know
Joe
there,
few
sacred
sites
of
african-american
history
in
this
country
and
then
creda
self
said
in
this
hemisphere
and
the
site
where
you're
building
your
museum,
which
was
Gatsas
war,
is
one
of
the
most
sacred
sites
in
the
cemetery,
because
it's
it
was
a
primary
place
of
arrival,
so
we
know
about
Ellis
Island
and
we
can
so
that
whether
our
ancestors
came
to
Ellis
Island
or
not
in
my
didn't
it's
it's
about.
You
know
it's
the
metaphor
of
the
of
of
people
coming
here
in
this
instance
voluntarily,
but
it's
a
place.
B
You
know,
there's
a
place
kind
of
put
a
movement
with
the
place,
and
so
with
gad
stearns
wharf.
Then
we
have
a
place
of
arrival
very
different
in
terms
of
that
arrival,
but
nonetheless
a
part
of
america,
and
so
that's
that's
why
I
work
on
it
every
day
the
Citadel
is
very
supportive
from
hard-working
honor
the
college
of
air
support
of
my
work.
My
wife
is
rad
support
of
my
working
on
I
work
on
it
every
day.
B
I
worked
on
it
today,
I
work
on
it
tomorrow
and
I'll
work
on
it
till
we
get
all
the
money
raised
and
but
I'll
tell
you.
This
Bobby
head
is
a
state
director
of
the
Commerce
okay,
he
said
Joe
you
get
that
building
built
and
when
I'm
recruiting
business
and
industry
to
South
Carolina,
they
ask
me
of
town
but
South
Carolina.
That
will
be
first
on
my
list
because
that
will
speak
of
of
the
truth
cell
channel,
which
is
what
we
are,
and
so
that's
the
long
answer
to
your
question.
B
D
Mr.
mayor,
when
governments
design
and
build
projects,
their
leaders
are
under
excruciating
pressure
to
build
things
that
are
functional
or
utilitarian,
in
other
words,
just
build
the
basics.
I
read
something
on
internet
this
afternoon,
so
I'm
sure
it's
true
I
hope
you
can.
Hopefully
you
will
confirm
this
I
read
that
when
Charleston,
when
you
were
planning
the
waterfront
park,
you
insisted
on
what
you
called
beautiful
materials.
D
You
said
we
made
it
beautiful
and
according
to
the
story,
you
received
the
bids
and
they
were
over
budget
and
the
contractor
said
to
you:
don't
worry,
Joe
I
can
get
it
down,
we'll
just
take
the
gold
plate
out
of
it
and
you
supposedly
said
we're
not
taking
any
gold
plate
out.
I'll
find
the
money.
If
it's
in
this
city,
it's
got
to
be
done
right.
D
B
B
B
You
know
all
right
there
and
so
I
went
in
there
one
day
for
my
modest
purchase
for
a
staff
party,
and
so
so
these
guys
they
saw
me,
come
in
and
they
started
converging
behind
the
counter.
Now
we
mayor's
know
that
what
you
see
sometimes
that
that's
just
body
language
that
they're
upset
about
something
you
know
so
you
braise
for
that.
You
know
momentary,
unpleasantness
so
I
they
came
together
and-
and
we
have
this
old
intersection
downtown,
it
was
just
all
asphalt
and
and
so
something
we
put
the
water
lon
down
there.
B
The
friend
of
mine
said
sure
why
y'all
diggin
that
I
want
you
plant
something
in
there.
Didn't
he
don't
last
fall
so
I
gave
that
in
my
Fox
people
they
came
up
with
the
plan,
and
so
we
planted
palm
trees
in
Live,
Oak
and
bull
grasses
and
all
like
that,
and
so
the
liquor
store
one
of
these
guys,
leaning
on
his
pistol,
said
Joe.
You
know
what
Joe
did
down
there
at
broad
and
well,
as
I
said
yeah,
he
said.
B
So
we
you
know
it's
not
it's!
It's
that
you
give
that
to
every
single
person
so
with
that
park
or
if
it's
a
fire
station
or
two
public
building
or
anything
you
if
you
make
it
hands
some
beautiful,
then
that's
a
gift
to
average
citizen,
the
richest
person
in
town,
of
course,
person
in
town,
the
most
highly
educated
person
to
town
the
least
educated
person
town,
and
they
all
understand
it,
and
we
often
just
think
they
don't,
but
they
think
and
they
want
and
they
need
it
and
it
in
it.
You
know
it
lifts
them.
B
B
Recognize
the
huge
asset
that
exists
here,
the
asset
and
the
character
of
the
place
is
a
teratogen
history,
its
form
its
location
and
built
on
that
and
then
with
your
citizens,
all
aspire
for
greater.
So
you
know,
I
used
to
say
toss
will
do
great
things
and
that's
not
to
do
but
sighs
at
all
its
exist
about
excellence,
to
just
work
with
that
excellence
and-
and
with
with
your
dear
town's
folk
here
tonight,
have
that
commitment
to
make
your
city
center
a
lively,
beautiful,
thriving,
robust
place.
E
B
E
As
we
close
the
night,
just
let
me
say
this:
we
have
a
history
that
we're
proud
of,
and
we
have
a
story
in
aiken
that
we're
proud
of,
but
can
we
commit
to
work
together
to
move
forward
and
be
proud
of
our
future
and
aching
tonight?
Can
we
do
that
and
we're
going
to
do
like
the
mayor
said
we're
going
to
make
room
at
the
table,
so
everybody
has
a
voice
in
it.
I
think
it's
so
important.
Thank
you
for
sharing
with
us
inspiring
with
us.
E
Don't
you
appreciate
the
Main
Street
program
for
for
having
this
tonight?
We
really
do
with
thank
you.
We
think
they
can
Downtown
Development
Association
for
their
work
involving
in
this
and
I
would
be
remiss
if
I
didn't
mention
our
own
cities,
John
McMichaels,
who
put
so
much
of
this
together.
Thank
you
all
of
you
for
all
your
work
for
this
this
this
concludes
our
first
meeting.
This
is
a
part
of
a
series
of
so
we
hope
you'll
look
forward
to
and
we
look
forward
to
seeing
you
in
the
future.
God
bless
everyone.