Mayor Greg Habib
After Goose Creek Mayor Greg Habib was elected by delegates from around the state to a one-year term as Association president he offered a challenge for his fellow mayors and other city officials: Strive for greatness.
In his remarks to delegates at the Association’s Annual Meeting in Greenville, Mayor Habib praised the Association’s “leaders, innovators, administrators, artists -- and even politicians. Our membership is like a quilt that stretches from South Carolina’s red clay to its sandy beaches. It’s a diverse quilt, sewn together with a common thread of love for our state and each other.”
“It is a strong quilt, made stronger by the innovative and creative and intelligent and generous public servants in this room today,” he said.
After recalling the game-changing success of the all-accessible Central Creek Park in Goose Creek, Habib called on the cities and towns of South Carolina to strive for more.
“Reach beyond the norm, reach beyond your borders. Strive to impact people. Strive to make the difference in people’s lives in the way that only a municipal government can,” he said. “Please, do not devalue the work you are doing. The cities and towns of South Carolina are the social, cultural and economic centers of our state. No matter the county or region, every one of our cities and towns makes a significant impact on its surrounding area.”
The new Association president described municipal government as the place where real progress is possible in South Carolina.
“I picture municipal governments on the ground floor,” he said. “Where things get done, and people work together, and labels don’t matter but hard work does. On the ground floor, where inspirational ideas are dreamt and made into reality; where real action is taken and real lives are changed.”
Habib, whose family moved to Goose Creek in 1982 when his father was transferred in the U.S. Navy, encouraged all municipalities to share in the benefits of the Municipal Association’s offerings.
“Let’s reach out to that nearby city or town that isn’t here, or doesn’t participate. They need to hear from a friend just how beneficial their participation can be, not just to them, but to all of us. The health of every one of our 271 cities and towns is important,” he said. “Every city’s success belongs to all of us. And every city’s challenge does, too. That is a powerful message that we need to spread. We are not competing with one another. But rather, should work to support each other.”
The University of South Carolina graduate who was first elected to Goose Creek city council in 2016 before becoming mayor in 2018 shared the wisdom of a legendary NFL coach.
“‘Perfection,’ Vince Lombardi once said, ‘is not attainable … but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.’ That’s what I want every one of us to do over the next 12 months. Catch excellence,” Habib said. “We — every one of us — have the tools to make great things happen. And working together, supporting one another, we are going to do exactly that.”
Recordings from several Annual Meeting sessions, including Habib’s speech, are available online.