Although she won the primary election for Mayor in a run-off against Rick Osbon, Teddy Milner will not actually be Mayor, unless she again has a majority when the votes are counted on Nov. 7. If there is truth to the rumor twice reported (as a warning, or a call to arms?) in the Aiken Standard, a stealth write-in campaign aims to keep Rick Osbon as mayor. The paper explained that Osbon is not involved with a write-in campaign, and had “congratulated Ms. Milner and wished her well and much success.” Yet, it is quite possible that in spite of the pledge “to abide by the results of the primary or convention” that Osbon signed prior to the Republican Primary, some may be willing to put him in an awkward position that, win or lose, would make it tough for any man to accept the seat with pride.

I voted for Rick Osbon twice when he was fresh and earnest, and I was convinced he was trying to Do it Right. I even defended him, and said he must have been duped, misled by the ones who stood to profit greatly on the Pascalis scheme. So, I was sorely disappointed to realize that under that sheep’s clothing was one of the wolves.

How many times have I heard, “Y’ all don’t want anything to change. Wrong- I do want a change.

I believe electing Teddy Milner as our new mayor will be a positive step in the right direction – for all of Aiken. Nobody believes she can single-handedly fix what ails downtown Aiken, the brown water problem, or Whiskey Road congestion. But, she can offer a fresh perspective and new leadership, which is desperately needed.

Downtown Aiken (in particular) has suffered greatly under currently-seated officials’ lack of leadership. The Renaissance, Pascalis Project and Municipal Development Corporation fiascos have left downtown Aiken mired in the muck.

After Project Pascalis was shut down, Mayor Osbon admitted that the Project “got too big”. All by itself? But during the years that city council and its convoluted and incestuous subsets ignored Aiken’s own ordinances and South Carolina’s Community Development laws, where was the voice saying, “Wait. Stop. This is not right.” Not a peep. Not from the Mayor, the city attorney, or the city council members to their left and right.

And when the lights came on – the one who should have been leader was standing in the midst of all the enthusiastic investors on the city’s most uneven playing field.

They are all still unwilling to talk about Project Pascalis – because lawsuits were filed and the lawyers advised them to keep quiet. Of course they did. But, long before the lawsuits, City Council, the Design Review Board and the Aiken Municipal Development Commission went silent and closed the doors to countless meetings.

The city spent $ 9.6 million of the Taxpayers’ Plutonium Settlement to buy un- appraised property they were then willing to sell for a fraction of the cost, with a chunk of Newberry Street thrown in. That was a real slap in the faces of tax- payers who were compelled to file ethics complaints, lawsuits and innumerable FOIA requests for documents.

How many years have we spent watching Hotel Aiken deteriorate? We are all ready to move on. But, the fallout from Project Pascalis cannot be swept under the rug. Citizens are owed explanations. Until we learn what in the world happened and who was responsible, how can we prevent the bad-actors from repeating their bad acts?

I support Teddy Milner and her pledge for transparency and accountability. As appropriate, she will advocate for doors to be opened and public records to be revealed to the public. That must make some people squirm – and want to elect somebody else.

Let’s carry Teddy over the finish line on November 7.

Jenne Stoker
Aiken, South Carolina