The mayor of Charleston has a large influence on the South Carolina coast and indeed on the state as a whole. Joe Riley has been the mayor of Charleston for 40 years and has taken the city from a sleepy, racially-divided town to world-class city filled with diversity and opportunity. After forty years, what is Charleston looking for in a new mayor? Charleston is growing quickly, and the next mayor will have to face the challenges of a booming city. Traffic, urban growth, and tourism will be the headlining issues for our next mayor. Luckily, there are a number of strong candidates for the role. John Tecklenburg has a successful small business and worked as head of economic development under Riley. Leon Stavrinakis grew up in Charleston and served in the South Carolina House of Representatives for eight years. Ginny Deerin was Riley's 2011 campaign manager and ran for South Carolina secretary of state last year. There are three additional candidates on the ballot, but none are viewed as serious challengers to the top three. Among those three, though, the race is tight and should be fun to watch! Read the full article here: Who Will Lead Charleston's Next Phase