Council Balks at Mayor's Crowfield Maneuver

Goose Creek Mayor Michael Heitlzer flexed his muscle Tuesday, but still got nowhere with council members in a disagreement over deed restrictions at the Crowfield Golf and Country Club.

The mayor has called for a 25-year ban on subdividing the property, attempting to keep future city council members, and city residents, from selling all or part of the site if the golf course fails.

It appears to be an unprecedented attempt to tie the hands of future city leaders and limit how they manage municipal property. It will also require handing over the control of the deed restrictions to a third party — likely either a conservation group or some collection of city residents.

Last month, . Council rules require a member of the majority to move to revisit the issue. Those members — Marguerite Brown, Kimo Esarey, Sal Gandolfo and Jerry Tekac — have made no move to change their vote.

But Heitzler used his authority as the mayor to . He said after the meeting he'll continue to do that for the foreseeable future.

"I thought it would be prudent to bring it back every month until something happens with the deed restrictions," Heitzler said.

Councilman Jerry Tekac said the mayor doesn't need a council vote to instruct the attorney to draft deed restrictions. He can do it unilaterally and then bring the document to the council for consideration.

"Putting it on the agenda is a waste of time," said Tekac. "If you're so gung-ho to do it, why don't you just do it."

The mayor said he wanted to see how much consensus he could get from council before intructing the attorney to act.

"I would like to see where we're together," Heitzler said. "I still think the city council will unanimously consent to deed restrictions eventually, I just haven't been skillful enough to bring them to that resolution."

Resident Patrice Barletta said the public still doesn't have a clear understanding of the consequences of the mayor's proposal.

"It seems like a mystery," she said. "The more questions we have, the less likely it is to go forward."