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And it seems like such a no brainer to me. You would think it would have been automatic to have new sidewalks put in place, to connect all the hotels to the restaurants, they are within walking distance. And I'm sure all these hotel patrons are thinking the same thing. And that will be something they remember, that Sumter is not a pedestrian friendly town.
The last time I walked down Broad Street people looked at me with a mixture of curiosity and horror... to your point.. People don't like to walk in this town unless they HAVE to. Unless you are downtown or power walking around a cul de sac or street in your suburban neighborhood, park or just going from your car to a store... you are viewed as a drifter (ie. Stallone in First Blood or Bill Bixby in The Incredible Hulk), panhandler or potential car jacker/mugger walking anywhere else in Sumter by many especially the motoring public ..People will drive from the restaurant back to their hotel even if its only a few blocks out on Broad Street... So.. no one is advocating for sidewalks once you get outside of the center of town therefore the City doesn't feel compelled to put them in...
That said.. .maybe a new mayor will make it a priority.. but I suspect he would be met with resistance rather than support the further out you go
Last edited by Woodlands; 01-28-2020 at 12:21 PM..
The last time I walked down Broad Street people looked at me with a mixture of curiosity and horror... to your point.. People don't like to walk in this town unless they HAVE to. Unless you are downtown or power walking around a cul de sac or street in your suburban neighborhood, park or just going from your car to a store... you are viewed as a drifter (ie. Stallone in First Blood or Bill Bixby in The Incredible Hulk), panhandler or potential car jacker walking anywhere else in Sumter by many especially the motoring public ... So.. no one is advocating for sidewalks once you get outside of the center of town...
You are absolutely right about that Woodlands. But I was speaking in terms of the out of town people, they may be from places where people actually walk short distances. They could be from pedestrian friendly places, and used to having sidewalks around. That area of Broad Street doesn't promote walking.
You are absolutely right about that Woodlands. But I was speaking in terms of the out of town people, they may be from places where people actually walk short distances. They could be from pedestrian friendly places, and used to having sidewalks around. That area of Broad Street doesn't promote walking.
I hear ya... as an aside.. why is this place even still open....
Really no words for it's existence. A drug infested cesspool, a menace to that neighborhood, and everybody knows that. The city would be doing them a favor in shutting it down, but then again we are talking about the underclass.
Looks like Mayor Mac will not seek re-election.. Will be interesting to see who runs for the seat. This is a critical time for Sumter so.. we definitely need someone with vision and bold additional ideas...Any takers????
I believe Sumter have city- manager form of government, where the city-manager is actually the CEO of the city, and it's daily operations. In this form of government, the mayor is actually more of a figurehead, the face of the city, and to show up at events. So I don't know how much power the mayor actually have around here vs a strong mayor government system, where the mayor is actually the go to guy and have a strong voice and say in most things, or finale decision maker. But, somebody please correct me if I'm wrong about mayor position vs the city-manager. We never hear anything about our city manager, who is he or she. They are never heard from or seen, but that is probably how it is meant to be, just keep a low profile and work behind the scene. Not all cities have this form of government, and most big cities have strong mayor systems.
I believe Sumter have city- manager form of government, where the city-manager is actually the CEO of the city, and it's daily operations. In this form of government, the mayor is actually more of a figurehead, the face of the city, and to show up at events. So I don't know how much power the mayor actually have around here vs a strong mayor government system, where the mayor is actually the go to guy and have a strong voice and say in most things, or finale decision maker. But, somebody please correct me if I'm wrong about mayor position vs the city-manager. We never hear anything about our city manager, who is he or she. They are never heard from or seen, but that is probably how it is meant to be, just keep a low profile and work behind the scene. Not all cities have this form of government, and most big cities have strong mayor systems.
You are correct.. Sumter and most major cities in SC have "weak" Mayors.. Charleston is the only exception. The Mayor and City Council hire the City Manager who actually runs the City and he/she reports to them. Though it is the City Managers job to run the City.. the Mayor and City Council must set/establish the vision by which is executed by the City Manager. He or she can certainly help shape that vision offer ideas go to conferences to bring back best practices...but ideally its a two way street.. City Staff offering up ideas that help support the City's vision which is shaped by the elected officials with the support and input from the voters...
You are correct.. Sumter and most major cities in SC have "weak" Mayors.. Charleston is the only exception. The Mayor and City Council hire the City Manager who actually runs the City and he/she reports to them. Though it is the City Managers job to run the City.. the Mayor and City Council must set/establish the vision by which is executed by the City Manager. He or she can certainly help shape that vision offer ideas go to conferences to bring back best practices...but ideally its a two way street.. City Staff offering up ideas that help support the City's vision which is shaped by the elected officials with the support and input from the voters...
The reason for this in SC is during The Reconstruction Era, white people were paranoid that black mayors would be elected so they stripped mayoral power and gave it to city councils.
WLTX just did a nice piece on it's Sumter street squad segment. They were talking about Sumter 2040 vision for the downtown area. I was trying to post the link, but it's not working for me at the moment.
Biggest difference between Sumter and Florence .......
Interstate 95
Interstate 20
I was just about to say that myself and it is an advantage that seems to have landed in Florence's lap. For not being on the coast or major waterway or right on an interstate the way Florence is, I think Sumter does bunch above its weight. With that said I am not preaching complacency but I think, as you pointed out, we should compare apples to apples.
Does the city have the power or authority to close the hotel down? I remember Club Miami near Shaw was shut down due to problems with violence.
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So.. no one is advocating for sidewalks once you get outside of the center of town therefore the City doesn't feel compelled to put them in...
