Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
That essentially was the Wizard of Oz-style messaging out of Charleston City Hall yet again last week in response to an Aug. 8 Post and Courier report that the Medical University of South Carolina has inked a two-year, $2.6 million parking contract with a subsidiary of — wait for it — The Cogswell Company LLC.
Yeah, that Cogswell Company. You know, the one that still lists Charleston Mayor William Cogswell as its registered agent — even as we’re assured he has turned over day-to-day control since his Nov. 2023 election.
And yes, that MUSC — the one that’s reportedly negotiating with the mayor over how much city taxpayers will pay for its stake in the stalled WestEdge project as well as development issues surrounding its planned downtown “Innovation District.”
Never mind that City Hall hasn’t apparently denied Cogswell will profit from the parking deal, telling The Post and Courier that “he does not have day-to-day involvement and is not negotiating a lease with MUSC.” Or that the parking lot is on the old Naval Hospital site in North Charleston — a seven-mile shuttle ride from MUSC’s campus — where Cogswell has been involved in redevelopment.
A growing number of city residents think it’s time for somebody like state Attorney General Alan Wilson to focus on what’s really going on — and they’re right. Nothing short of a formal investigation to follow the money will truly clear the air on Broad Street. Too much? Just look at the Cogswell administration’s defining traits over its first 18 months in office.
A passion for secrecy: Not for nothing have we dubbed this mayor to be “Backroom Billy.” From the secret contract to put his campaign media team on the city payroll — discovered only through a Charleston City Paper FOIA — to the no-bid, $50 million deal to redevelop the former Piggly Wiggly site in West Ashley, Cogswell obviously likes doing city business behind closed doors. And his press team’s petulant refusal to answer tough questions from outlets he doesn’t like only adds to the “what’s he hiding?” vibe.
Troublesome claims: Cogswell and his team make claims that often don’t pass the smell test. Our favorite: an Oct. 2024 pledge to build 500 units of “permanent” affordable housing on a Morrison Drive site if the city bought the property. Using the administration’s own (wildly optimistic) estimate of $225,000 per unit, that’s more than $112 million — in a city with a $300 million annual budget and more than $1 billion in unfunded flooding projects. C’mon.
A disdain for sunshine: Since taking office, Cogswell has disclosed only the bare-bones legal minimum about his development company’s far-flung local business interests. He’s also been pretty quiet about what specific steps he’s taken, if any, to guard against conflicts.
Critical questions that an attorney general’s investigation would answer: What exactly does the administration mean when it says Cogswell has “stepped back” from managing his development empire? Has he recused himself from administrative decisions involving his own interests? And specifically, how much does he stand to profit from the MUSC parking deal — a particularly pressing question since he reports The Cogwell Company as a source of family income and a business interest in his most recent statement of economic interests?
Ignoring persistent hints of self-dealing in North Charleston only allowed problems to reach a point where nearly one-third of its city council eventually landed in federal court.
Let’s not make the same mistake twice. The time to look behind the curtain is now.
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
