Runoff Election Update
The City of Charleston District 1 Council race took place this Tuesday, January 11. Chamber PAC endorsed candidate, Boyd Gregg, received the most votes but was unable to reach the required 50 percent threshold to avoid a runoff election.
Endorsed candidates have been vetted through the PAC interview process, which includes written questionnaire responses and an interview with one of the PAC interview teams. All filed candidates were invited to participate. Mr. Gregg sought the PAC endorsement and participated in the selection process. He has a strong alignment with the Chamber’s key policy priorities and a strong vision for the future of Charleston.
The runoff election will take place on January 25 between the top two voted recipients, Boyd Gregg and Shawn Pinkston. Mr. Pinkston achieved the second spot by a narrow margin of three votes over the third place candidate, Jen Gibson. The District 1 Council seat has been vacant since Marie Delcioppo announced her resignation in October of last year.
With the number of important issues expected to cross councils’ desk in the upcoming year, it is imperative the business community shows up to support our Chamber PAC endorsed candidate Boyd Gregg on January 25. Mr. Gregg has a proven history working with local governments from the private sector to address infrastructure needs for nearly 20 years. He has a deep understanding of the work and is eager to make an immediate impact.
If you live in District 1, which covers Daniel Island and a portion of the Charleston peninsula, we encourage you to get out and vote! If you are interested in contributing directly to Mr. Gregg’s campaign, please do so at https://boydgregg.com/
Supreme Court’s Vaccine Mandate Decision
Yesterday afternoon, the Supreme Court struck down the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring businesses with 100 or more employees to implement policies mandating that employees be vaccinated or provide documentation of a negative COVID-19 test at least every seven days. The vaccine mandate for healthcare workers at facilities receiving federal money for Medicare and Medicaid was allowed by the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision. Healthcare workers can still submit a religious or medical exemption. The vaccine mandate for federal contractors is on hold after being blocked by lower courts but has not yet been considered by the Supreme Court.
