A CITY UNITED

PROSPERITY, SAFETY, & COMPASSIONATE LEADERSHIP FOR ALL

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A City United: Prosperity, Safety, and Compassionate Leadership for ALL!

Dr. Curtis A. Merriweather, Jr. is an accomplished advisor, management scholar, senior executive, and thought leader with more than twenty-seven (27) years of experience within the defense and information technology industries. Dr. Curtis has broad expertise in advisory, finance, entrepreneurship, information technology, real estate, and strategy. After graduating from the University of South Carolina (USC), Dr. Curtis was recruited by the Space and Naval Warfare Center in 2004. It is important to note that Space and Naval Warfare System Center (SPAWAR) was renamed the Naval Information Warfare Systems Center (NAVWAR) in 2019. While working at the SPAWAR, Dr. Curtis provided direct support to the Chief Engineer for Communication Department while also serving as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN)/Research, Development, and Acquisitions (RDA) Chief Engineer (CHENG) Office Liaison. He also served as the Chairman of the Architecture Development Integrated Product Team (AD-IPT), and the Liaison for Chief Engineer for the Communications Department at Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR). Dr. Curtis also served as the In-Service Engineering Agent and Program Management Lead for SPAWAR/NAVAWAR – Atlantic and managed global installations for the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) installations in Bahrain, Germany, Italy, Japan, Virginia, and Hawaii. He has also served as a Program Manager for NAVWAR and managed global installations for the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) in Bahrain, Germany, Italy, Japan, Virginia, and Hawaii. In 2008, Dr. Curtis directly supported the Cyber Division Head and the Chief of Operations to relocate data center operation relocation from Pensacola, Florida to North Charleston, SC while supporting Base Realignment and Closure Actions (BRAC) and other special projects until he departed from federal civilian service, October 2010. After departing federal service, Dr. Curtis founded a defense contracting firm supporting the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Intelligence Community (IC). Under his leadership, Dr. Curtis delivered year-over-year revenue growth of 5-7% and increased market share in major accounts and strategically important international regions and built the acquisition pipeline and relationships with key organizations implementing strong, aggressive marketing campaigns and programs within critical markets. Dr. Curtis was named an entrepreneurial Game Changer by the White House Policy Advisor for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in 2020. Dr. Curtis has a Ph.D. in Management from Case Western Reserve University. He has a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA), a Master’s of Science in Project Management from the Citadel, and is a certified Technical Project Manager (TPM). Dr. Curtis also has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from the University of South Carolina (USC). While working for SPAWAR/NAVWAR, Dr. Curtis obtained his Systems Planning, Research, Development, and Engineering (SPRDE) Level III and Program Management Level II certifications from the Defense Acquisition University (DAU). Dr. Curtis is a Doctor of Management Nonprofit Management Fellow and Design & Innovation Management Fellow. Dr. Curtis also serves on the Board of Governors at the College of Charleston. Lastly, Dr. Curtis is a few courses shy of a Master of Science in Commercial Real Estate. Dr. Curtis’s education and experience uniquely qualifies him to bring new ideas and fresh insights to the mayor’s office, if elected, based on industry best practices, experience, lessons learned, research, and scholarship. Dr. Curtis seeks to establish effective private-public partnerships in North Charleston to serve its citizens efficiently and effectively. Dr. Curtis is not afraid to abandon the status quo to become the measuring stick of success by which other cities will be judged. The changes needed in North Charleston must be addressed by a mayor who understands the business cycle, business intelligence/data science, economics (both micro and macroeconomics), entrepreneurship (including social entrepreneurship), finance, leadership, nonprofit management, project management, public policy, real estate, and much more. Dr. Curtis is confident he has what it takes to lead North Charleston toward greater success and transformation.

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A Vision for North Charleston

I wanted to take a moment to share my vision for our city and how I plan to make it even better. For North Charlestonians, my goal is to improve the quality of life for its citizens while lowering barriers to additional business investment by creating a resilient ecosystem that justly serves its community stakeholders. As a mayoral candidate, I am committed to seeing North Charleston flourish. Therefore, a holistic approach is required to design North Charleston into a sustainable system that just serves its residents. I am committed to creating a safe and thriving community for everyone. Here are a few initiatives that I will focus on if elected:

1. Crime. We value our police officers, and my top priority is to address the issue of crime in North Charleston. As the third largest city in South Carolina, North Charleston leads the State in crime. To achieve our objective, we will work to improve police-community relations; building trust and fostering positive relationships between law enforcement and the community is vital.

As a city, we must address city bail bonding programs and other actions that allow violent offenders to receive slaps on the wrist after committing egregious crimes with a high probability of re-offending. We will improve community engagement, neighborhood watch, and citizen advisory board programs to improve police-community relations. We will partner with law enforcement to combat crime and improve safety in North Charleston.

As an entrepreneur, I understand the need for entrepreneurship and innovation. If elected, our administration will work to create an environment where entrepreneurial ecosystem development can thrive organically. We want to attract entrepreneurship accelerators, incubators, private equity, and venture capital to provide resources, mentorship, and funding to aspiring and seasoned entrepreneurs. By fostering and promoting an entrepreneurship and innovation-friendly environment, we can create a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem that generates employment opportunities and economic growth. We will develop and implement targeted policies and incentives to attract additional business investment and support existing ones. This includes streamlining the business permitting process, reducing regulatory burdens, and offering tax incentives for job creation that employs residents that have resided in the region for at least three years.

Education is also crucial for future success. Mayor Summey advocates for the North Charleston School’s removal from the Charleston County School District (CCSD). As Mayor, I plan to continue advocating for better educational outcomes for North Charleston students. We will continue monitoring the progress to better educational metrics in North Charleston. However, I will work with lawmakers toward education reform that benefits North Charleston Students. Ideally, I would like to increase STEM education beginning in third grade and provide better educational outcomes for our students.

4. Food Insecurity. According to US Census data, 18.1% of our citizens live below the poverty line; poverty increases the probability of crime. To lower crime, we must properly address financial and food insecurity through job creation and food insecurity programming. To address food insecurity, we will work to build a progressive human-centered model and a diverse network of partnerships to improve food systems underpinned by a philosophy of partnerships. We will work to achieve the following objectives (1) place an appropriate grocery store option to address the food deserts in North Charleston, (2) work to coordinate grocery-food bank partnerships, and (3) potentially partner with Food for Soul to place a refettorio within the city.

5. Affordable Housing: The basic physiological needs of citizens include food, shelter, and water. Based on US Census Data, 18.1% of individuals or families in North Charleston are impoverished which challenges one’s ability to meet basic physiological needs in accordance with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. North Charleston is experiencing high eviction rates. Therefore, we will support policies that increase supply, decrease cost, and encourage free market solutions. We will also encourage private investment to rehabilitate existing housing stock to ensure safe and quality housing options are abundant for those who need it most. To increase the supply of affordable housing, we will support financial incentives to developers and streamline the permitting process for affordable housing projects.

Like how Maslow’s hierarchy of needs which addresses psychological needs, each city has needs as well. The better we fulfill the needs at the base of the pyramid, we will be better positioned to fulfill the city’s need for self-actualization or social responsibility toward its citizens and businesses. Together, we can create sustainable but desired change to make our North Charleston the measuring stick by which other cities will be judged. Let’s work together to create a safer, happier, healthier, and smarter city. Thank you for your support and trust in me as I work to become the next Mayor of North Charleston.

Sincerely,

Curtis A. Merriweather Jr., Ph.D.

Candidate for Mayor of North Charleston