After speaking to the Post and Courier on the subject yesterday, Charleston mayoral candidate John Tecklenburgtoday released the following statement on the Beach Company's reported decision to challenge the legality of Charleston's 88-year-old Board of Architectural Review:

"According to a report in yesterday's Post and Courier, the Beach Company has now apparently escalated its dispute with residents and preservationists in the neighborhoods near the Sgt. Jasper property by challenging the very existence of our city's Board of Architectural Review in the courts.

"If these reports are accurate, this court challenge is a stunningly counter-productive act that directly threatens the quality of life of every resident in every area of the city of Charleston. After all, if we cannot shape future development in even the most historic neighborhoods of our city, how can we possibly hope to place reasonable limits on new developments in areas like James Island, John's Island, Daniel Island and West Ashley?

"For almost one hundred years, the BAR has been Charleston's first line of defense against inappropriate development in the Historic District and beyond. And while I myself have proposed reasonable BAR reforms along the lines of those recently recommended by city architectural consultant Andres Duany, I am fully committed to protecting the BAR and its mission as Mayor of our city.

"Because of these concerns, I am today calling on the involved parties to take the following three steps:

"First, the Beach Company should cease and desist in any legal efforts to challenge the existence and authority of the Board of Architectural Review.

"Second, the City of Charleston should act without further delay to bring the Sgt. Jasper property into conformance with the already-passed Century V Plan, which calls for lower heights and density in that area of the city.

"And, third, after those reasonable steps have been taken, all parties should then come back to the table and work to find a solution that everyone can accept. As recent history has shown, that will not be easy. But the city of Charleston is a uniquely special place with a uniquely special way of life -- and our residents deserve the extra effort that's sometimes required to preserve and protect it."

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About John Tecklenburg

For more than 25 years, Charleston native John Tecklenburg has served our city as a businessman, a civic leader, and a city government executive with a clear record of success.

A graduate of Georgetown University, John was the founder and president of Southern Oil Company until he sold the business in 1995. Next, John served as Charleston's Director of Economic Development under Mayor Joe Riley, where he led the city's nationally acclaimed initiative to revitalize and redevelop Upper King Street. Over the years, John has also served on the boards of many local charities and nonprofits, including Crisis Ministries, the Rotary Club, the Palmetto Project, and the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League.

Today, John works with commercial clients at Clement, Crawford & Thornhill, and serves as the president of SC Strong, which in 2011 was recognized by the SC Secretary of State's office as one of South Carolina's Top Ten Nonprofits. He is the proud father of five grown children – Melissa, Suzanne, Paula, Joseph and John Henry – and lives in West Ashley with his wife, Sandy.

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