North Charleston, South Carolina – North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey has been on the position since 1994 and after 29 years of serving the city of North Charleston and the local community, he announced his decision about stepping down from the position and let someone else continue his mission.
Keith Summey was born in 1947 in North Charleston, South Carolina. He graduated from Chicora High School and attended Trident Technical College. He worked as a real estate agent and owned several businesses before entering politics. He served as a member of the Dorchester County Council from 1984 to 1994.
Keith Summey was elected as Mayor of North Charleston in 1994 and has been reelected six times since then. He is one of the longest-serving mayors in South Carolina history. As mayor, he has overseen the growth and development of North Charleston, which is now the third-largest city in South Carolina. He has also focused on improving public safety, education, transportation, recreation and quality of life for residents.
During his career, Summey put a lot of pressure in improving the city of North Charleston and he will be remembered for leaving dozens of successful projects and major accomplishments. Some of them include attracting Boeing to build its 787 Dreamliner plant in North Charleston, creating a cultural arts program that supports local artists and events, establishing a police department that emphasizes community policing and diversity, expanding parks and green spaces throughout the city, revitalizing historic neighborhoods and business districts, supporting affordable housing initiatives and reducing crime rates.
North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey, who is 76, believes that the city of North Charleston deserves someone who can continue his mission in the future. According to him, North Charleston Police Chief Reggie Burgess is the person who should be elected as North Charleston Mayor as Summey considers Burgess a person capable of improving the city and someone who locals have trust in due to his experience serving the people of North Charleston. So far, Burgess hasn’t announced his candidacy or aspiration to become mayor.
Although there is a long list of great projects behind Mayor Summey, he wants to see the Danny Jones and Park Circle projects completely finished in the upcoming months, projects that will mark his retirement.
North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey’s decision to retire came after losing one of his aides, Ray Anderson, who passed away last year. Summey considers Anderson’s death as a “wake-up call”. Summey wants to spend as much time as possible with his family after stepping down from the position.
