Treasure Island visions compared

TREASURE ISLAND -- Beautification and the new bridge were the main topics at a candidates debate Saturday at the Treasure Island Tennis and Yacht Club.

Incumbents Barbara Blush, District 4, and Irving "Butch" Ellsworth, District 2, said they are proud of the city's new look and want to be part of the progress for another two years.

They pointed to the downtown beautification, including the landscaping and the new clock tower, the newly remodeled Police Department, fire station, community center and City Hall. They also praised plans for a new $55-million drawbridge and the completion of the Sunset Vista Trailhead Park at the entrance to Sunset Beach.

Blush, 54, a registered nurse and homemaker, described herself as accessible to residents and an independent thinker.

Said Ellsworth, 55, who manages the John's Pass Marina: "What is going on is just absolutely great and I do not want to see it stopped."

His opponent, John "J.D." Hadsall, didn't complain about the beautification efforts, but said he was concerned about some of the costs.

"I think it's clear that the writing is on the wall that those good times have come to an abrupt halt," he said. "I'm afraid that this city . . . is going to have to make some cuts."

Hadsall, 50, a lawyer and Isle of Palms resident, said his main objective as a candidate is to get more people interested in city government.

"I hear so many people say things after-the-fact," said Hadsall. "I would like to see more people step forward for elections." Hadsall was Ellsworth's opponent in the 2000 election as well, taking 37 percent of the vote.

Each candidate had a chance to discuss his or her platform as well as answer questions from the audience of about 75 people.

Don Callahan, 73, a retired college professor who is challenging Blush a second time, called for an investigation into the city's finances.

Callahan said he didn't think it was appropriate for the city to spend more than $300,000 in consultant fees for design of the city's beach center and the downtown beautification projects.

"If I were on the commission rather than Barbara Blush, that would never have happened," he said. "It was all overdone. We could have done more to preserve nature."

"There are people here who want to make this city into another Madeira Beach or St. Pete Beach. I'm not saying to go backward, but we need smart development."

Callahan has suggested digging up the roads in Sunset Beach and replacing pavement with compacted sand and shells. That would help eliminate speeding in Sunset Beach, he said. Callahan supported a pedestrian mall with a lighthouse in the center of downtown, rather than the clock tower. And he is opposed to the extension of the beach sidewalk.

"A concrete path on the beach is a contradiction," he said. "The place for concrete pathways is along the highway where there's a real danger of being hit by cars."

Blush said most of the people she has polled are happy with the city's recent redevelopment efforts and she said money paid to the city's architects and consultants was well spent.

"We've come out of the dark ages to an absolutely fantastic city and I'm very proud of that," she said. "Other cities are striving to look like Treasure Island. When did you ever think you were going to hear that?"

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