Reggie Burgess to be sworn in as North Charleston mayor after historic election
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- The City of North Charleston will usher in a new era Tuesday as the city welcomes a new mayor for the first time in three decades.
Reggie Burgess, the former North Charleston Police Chief, will be sworn in during a 6 p.m. ceremony at the Charleston Area Convention Center.
The ceremony is being held exactly eight weeks after the Nov. 7 election in which Burgess earned nearly 59 percent of the vote. His victory marked a historic milestone for the city as he became the first Black person elected to lead North Charleston.
Burgess is no stranger to leadership in his hometown. He retired as police chief earlier this year after announcing his campaign for mayor. But during his time as chief, Burgess managed a budget of more than $40 million and a large staff of over 400 people.
“I’m glad I stayed home, and that was the whole thing- people here wanted me to stay home. And I stayed home as a cop in the same community I grew up in, and now, the people are saying to me they want me to run the government. Not one department, but all the departments – with the people, it’s about the people,” he said on the night of the election. “And that’s all my family wants me to do is continue to serve the people.”
He promised to maintain that commitment to service throughout his campaign, often touting himself as a “man of the people” who wanted to tackle public safety, improve infrastructure, and enhance the overall quality of life for the city’s residents.
Burgess said he plans to focus on fiscal stability, public services, and public safety during his administration’s transition phase and vowed to be a leader who takes accountability.
“I can guarantee [North Charleston residents] this: I may not be able to fix it, but I will definitely listen to you and try to find a way to rectify the problem or try to find a way that we can look at going in another direction to help someone out,” Burgess said Sunday on WCBD’s ‘2 The Point.’
North Charleston’s longtime mayor, Keith Summey, decided he would not seek re-election so that he could spend more time with his family. Summey, who supported Burgess’ mayoral run, promised a seamless transition of power as the former police chief takes office in 2024.
A new face in the mayor’s office isn’t the only leadership change coming to North Charleston in 2024.
All ten city council seats were up for grabs in the Nov. 7 election, and five of them did not have an incumbent seeking reelection. The entire slate of city council members will also be sworn in during Tuesday’s ceremony.
Those councilmembers include Mike Brown – District 1, Rhonda Jermone – District 2, Sandino Moses – District 3, Dr. Charmaine Palmer Roberts – District 4, Jerome Hayward – District 5, Nefertiti Brown – District 6, Michael Brown – District 7, Brandon Hudson – District 8, Kenny Skipper – District 9, and Michael Brown – District 10.
