IslandVibesIOP.com 13 Similar to ESPN’s SportsCenter Top 10 Plays, Island Vibes decided to do a countdown of the top 10 positive news events that occurred on Isle of Palms in 2025. As we march on to 2026, let’s start the year on a high note by reflecting on the feel-good stories from last year. Below is the order of events that we found most special. 10Longtime IOP mailman retires — Joe Bailem’s radiant smile will sorely be missed, now that the longtime mail carrier has retired from the U.S. Postal Service. After nearly 20 years serving the Isle of Palms as mailman extraordinaire, Bailem was celebrated a few days before his actual retirement with a party at the Isle of Palms Recreation Center. Many locals showed up for this surprise party in support of Bailem despite the dreary weather. Former IOP mayor Jimmy Carroll was in attendance and summed up the celebration nicely: “Congratulations to one of my favorite mail carriers of all time. It was wet and cold but Joe’s smile and laugh broke through the clouds.” Full story: bit.ly/LongtimeIOPMailman 9 Douglas Kerr named IOP city administrator — After serving nearly three decades as an Isle of Palms employee in various building, planning and zoning capacities, interim city administrator Douglas Kerr is now firmly in the position, following a contentious 6-3 vote during a special council meeting on Feb. 26, 2025. Kerr’s hiring came approximately two months after former city administrator Desiree Fragoso stepped down at the end of December 2024 to take a position with the Municipal Association of South Carolina. Her pending departure led city officials to conduct a national search through Find Great People to fill the vacancy. Full story: bit.ly/NextIOPAdminKerr Continued on Page 16. Year in Review IOP Top 10 events from 2025 By Zach Giroux Douglas Kerr Phillip Pounds Malcolm Burgis Joe Bailem FEATURE
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