Happy Holidays! I hope this season is filled with family and friends and plenty of good food!
I hope you can join us for this year’s Holiday Street Festival – one of my favorite events we sponsor. It will be December 6th from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Front Beach. It is always a good kick-off to the holiday season. It will include arts and crafts, food vendors, children’s activities, live entertainment, Santa Claus and tree lighting.
Now that the elections are over, it’s time to hit the ground running. In January, we will swear in our new members and plan for the new year and start tackling the issues. Thank you for the opportunity again to serve and represent this community. I also want to applaud our community for the level of engagement and voter turnout for the election and runoff – well done IOP!
A new year is fast approaching - 2026. Hard to believe we are here, isn’t it? Those numbers used to sound so far in the future. Planning for the future for our city is a delicate balancing act – making sure we balance the short- and long-term needs while being fiscally responsible. I know there are some residents that think the city spends too much money on projects and amenities and maybe others think we don’t spend enough. Trying to maintain that balance of short-term needs and long-term projects requires much patience, study and discussion. However, please know we are not spending
just to be spending, we are being deliberate and thoughtful in how our city revenues are spent and choosing projects that you hopefully agree are beneficial to the broader community.
I hope you have a great holiday season. Thank you for the opportunity to serve! Looking forward to the new year! See you around the island.
Phillip Pounds, Mayor IOP
843-252-5359