A house RESOLUTION

TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR R. Keith Summey, Mayor of North Charleston, UPON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT AFTER thirty YEARS OF distinguished SERVICE as a community consensus builder, AND TO WISH HIM CONTINUED SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS IN ALL HIS FUTURE ENDEAVORS.

Whereas, it is altogether fitting and proper that the members of the House of Representatives of the State of South Carolina should pause in their deliberations to express their gratitude to Mayor Keith Summey for his significant contributions to City of North Charleston; and

Whereas, born in Cottageville in 1947, Mayor Summey graduated from Chicora High School and from the Baptist College at Charleston, now Charleston Southern University; and

Whereas, he was selected to serve on the Charleston County Election Commission and eventually became its chairman, receiving approval from both parties for his fairness in handling elections; and

Whereas, in 1986, Mayor Summey won election to the North Charleston City Council and then to Charleston County Council in 1988, serving as chairman of Charleston County Council for three years and during his term, leading the expansion of the county library system and overseeing the way solid waste was handled by the county; and

Whereas, along with the chairmen of Dorchester and Berkeley counties, he helped to form a new Tri-County Economic Development Authority which has seen many successes since the mid-1990s; and

Whereas, he was elected as the third mayor of North Charleston in October of 1994 to fill an unexpired term of office, and he has been reelected in seven consecutive elections.  During his tenure as mayor, he has led North Charleston in improving municipal services and defining a vision for the city; and

Whereas, under Mayor Summey's leadership, North Charleston has continued to drive the state's economy as the epicenter of business development, offering a business friendly community, rich with incentives to allow companies to compete on a global scale; promoting a young, highly skilled workforce; and attracting diverse industries, such as aerospace, automotive, aviation, bioscience, defense, renewable energy, financial services, and information technology; and

Whereas, the successes of Mayor Summey's vision for North Charleston have been validated on a national level with the National League of Cities Award for Municipal Excellence and Home Depot Foundation's Award of Excellence for Sustainable Community Development; and

Whereas, he was honored by his alma mater with an Honorary Doctorate of Public Service on Saturday, December 16, 2006, during Charleston Southern University's fall graduation ceremony; and

Whereas, together with his beloved wife, Deborah, he reared two fine children, Elliott and Annie, who have blessed him with four grandchildren; and

Whereas, grateful for his many years of enriching service to the City of North Charleston, the South Carolina House of Representatives takes great pleasure in extending best wishes to Keith Summey as he transitions to a richly deserved retirement and the leisurely pace of the days ahead, and the members wish him many years of enjoyment in his well-earned retirement.  Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize and honor R. Keith Summey, Mayor of North Charleston, upon the occasion of his retirement after thirty years of distinguished service, and wish him continued success and happiness in all his future endeavors.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Mayor R. Keith Summey.

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