“Ship Emissions” 
Post and Courier, January 14, 2012, Letter to the editor

Talk about chutzpa and gall. Mayor Joe Riley recently was quoted as saying those of us who have concerns about our health due to emissions from cruise ships docking 150 feet from our homes are acting like we think we’re in a “gated community — affluent and elitist.” Now mind you, this is coming from our south-of-Broad-residing mayor.

Talk about an affluent and elitist community — that certainly could be said about where the mayor resides. It’s important to point out that the mayor is moving ships’ emissions farther from his home while moving them virtually on top of our homes.

The city zoned the area of Laurens Street adjacent to the cruise terminal site for high-density residential use. There are currently 60 existing homes and another 100 have been approved for Anson Field/Concord Park in this area, all within a few hundred feet of ships’ smokestacks.

Why is it that pleasantries for cruisers (e.g. they can walk to Market Street shops) are more important than the health of these 160 full-time, taxpaying residents? Who cares about the health of these 160 families? Clearly not Mayor Riley, nor the State Ports Authority. Maybe if the mayor and the SPA quit vilifying concerned citizens and making false allegations (e.g. we’re anti-jobs, anti-cruiser “snobs”) then real issues could be fairly and objectively discussed.

Tommie Robertson
Laurens Street
Charleston