IslandVibesIOP.com 16 8Mayor Pounds gets re-elected by one vote — It was the closest mayoral election in Isle of Palms history, maybe the entire state and country, and needed a runoff and final recount to decide the winner. But in the end, incumbent IOP Mayor Phillip Pounds was re-elected for a second term over Councilman Scott Pierce by the margin of a single vote – 947 to 946. Pounds’ victory came 16 days after IOP’s Nov. 4 municipal election and two days after the Nov. 18, 2025, run-off, which came down to an official vote count and decision by the Charleston County Board of Voter Registration and Elections. Turnout among all eligible IOP registered voters for the runoff was a whopping 47.1%, whereas voter turnout for all the rest of Charleston County’s municipal elections held Nov. 4 was just 17.73%. Full story: bit.ly/IOPMayorPounds 7 IOP Plaza named after former mayor Burgis — A main thoroughfare of Isle of Palms will soon have a new name and look to honor longtime resident, entrepreneur, former mayor and city councilman and all-around charitable citizen Malcolm Burgis. On Aug. 26, 2025, the IOP City Council passed a resolution to rename the intersection of Ocean Boulevard and J C Long Boulevard to Malcolm M. Burgis Plaza. A granite monument and plaque will also be added. “Malcolm’s a legend,” said former city council member Kevin Popson. “And when Councilman Jimmy Ward and former mayor Jimmy Carroll told me they were going to start the effort to rename the plaza in Malcolm’s honor, I decided to take the lead and help raise the money to find the kind of monument we wanted.” Full story: bit.ly/IOPMalcolmBurgis 6Wild Dunes Harbor Course renovation complete — After more than seven months of renovations and guards against increased flooding, the Harbor Course at Wild Dunes is back in business and it promises to be more challenging than ever. The renovations cost more than $8 million and when public play resumed on Oct. 28, 2025, golfers found refurbished cart paths, rebuilt and enlarged greens and tee complexes, strategic bunkers near certain holes and a new irrigation system to allow for more efficient golf course watering, leading to water conservation. Full story: bit.ly/IOPHarborCourse 5New IOP Marina Dock — Isle of Palms residents and visitors can now enjoy the island’s new public dock located at IOP Marina. It took just over 50 months, an updated conceptual plan, design and redesign of public greenspace and some repairs and dredging, but the public dock is now completed. The scope of the project includes a 16-footwide pier with a covered area, an ADA-compliant gangway, a kayak and stand-up paddleboard launch access, benches, swings and the new floating dock. It cost approximately $1.7 million, funded mostly by a $1 million grant from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, with the remainder coming from the city’s Marina Fund and the Municipal Accommodations Tax and State Accommodations Tax. Full story: bit.ly/IOPMarinaDock 4Little Goat Island donated for conservation — No matter how much Charleston County grows in the future, the coastal area of Little Goat Island is likely to remain a pristine, undisturbed sea island. In late March 2025, owners Gary and Kim Chesson donated Little Goat Island to Lowcountry Land Trust as a full conservation easement, with the intention of preserving its natural wildlife habitat, beauty and water quality, such that it will look the same 200 years from now as it did 200 years ago. Narrowly situated between Isle of Palms and the Intracoastal Waterway, Little Goat Island comprises 28 acres of upland habitat surrounded by 393 acres of salt marsh. Full story: bit.ly/IOPLittleGoatIsland FEATURE Continued on Page 17. Year in Review From Page 13.
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