"A Common Sense Businessman, Rooted in a Tradition of Service and Ready to Lead"
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Charleston businessman, community servant, and mayoral candidate John Tecklenburg is ready to lead his hometown to become this country’s most livable city where opportunities abound for all of its citizens!
John Tecklenburg has spent much of his career as a small business owner and business advocate – a long legacy in his family. Since his great-great grandfather established a corner grocery store at St. Phillip and Wentworth streets in 1867, the Tecklenburg family has been a part of the Charleston business community for well over a century.
In that same tradition, in 1978, John founded Southern Oil Company, which he successfully owned and operated for nearly 20 years. Upon selling the business in 1995, he was appointed by Mayor Joe Riley and Charleston City Council to the position of Director of the Department of Economic Development, where he led the revitalization of Upper King Street.
John is a product of parochial and public education who, through his experiences during the early days of desegregation, came to understand the importance of bringing diverse people together to achieve a common goal. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Georgetown University in Washington, DC. He also attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston where he pursued his lifelong passion for music and jazz, in particular.
Inspired by the example of his parents’ lives of community service and faith in God, John Tecklenburg has shared his time and talents helping and leading many volunteer and community organizations. He has served as president of the historic Rotary Club of Charleston and president of the Crisis Ministries homeless shelter. He is co-founder and President of SC STRONG, a program for the rehabilitation of former offenders. He has also been a leader with the Palmetto Project, Charleston County Human Services Commission, SC Coastal Conservation League, and Lowcountry Aid to Africa.
John and his wife Sandy live West of the Ashley, and raised their five children here in Charleston. The couple also has five wonderful grandchildren. John and Sandy share a deep concern for our collective quality of life. They believe that the ideal for quality of life is not just where basic needs are met; rather, it is a place of nurturing – a place where we, our families, and our neighbors have the opportunity to realize our full potential. This collective experience is the fulfillment of the true “Spirit of Charleston” – that special place where we love to live, work, play, worship and thrive.
John Tecklenburg believes it is his mission in life to work to leave things better than he found them. He knows that working together, we can improve Charleston’s quality of life and leave things better than we found them. We owe it in respect of those who have come before us and, more importantly, to our children and generations to come.
A businessman, a family man, a proven leader, John Tecklenburg is running for mayor, because he knows that working together, the best days of Charleston are yet to come.
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