Josh Gibson, candidate for Beaufort City Council, submitted this article for publication. If you have an article you would like to publish, email editor@beaufortinsider.org.
I’m Josh Gibson, and I’m running for Beaufort City Council.
Recently, we had our first candidates’ forum, and I was shocked to hear the incumbents completely deny that your taxes went up. Mitch Mitchell claimed, “We didn’t raise anyone’s taxes,” and Neil Lipsitz, when pressed, deflected by saying they went up less than property values. But let’s be honest—that’s hardly a comforting explanation when housing costs in Beaufort are skyrocketing.
This issue hit home for me when my wife and I noticed our mortgage payments had jumped. When we looked into why, it turned out that our taxes had increased significantly—and I’m sure you’ve felt it too. My property taxes went up by 9%, and I know I’m not the only one. What’s frustrating is that Mitch and Neil’s taxes have increased too, yet they stand there denying it. How can they represent you if they refuse to acknowledge a reality that we’re all living with?
I encourage every voter in Beaufort to check their property taxes between 2022 and 2023. So far, I haven’t heard from a single homeowner or renter whose taxes didn’t increase. And yes, renters, this affects you too. Higher property taxes mean higher rent, making it even harder for families to afford to live here.
This brings me to the question: Are these the best leaders for Beaufort? If Mitch and Neil want to tell you that they raised taxes, but it was necessary for a good reason, we could have a real conversation about that. But instead, they’re pretending nothing happened. The first step in solving a problem is admitting you have one.
Just recently, Mayor Cromer suggested a motion to simply explore the idea of trimming city spending, but Mitchell, Lipsitz, and the rest of the council shot it down without a second thought. We’re talking about a $55 million budget—surely there’s room to cut some waste. But they didn’t even want to try.
If you vote for me, we’ll have that discussion. We’ll sit down, examine the budget, and figure out where spending is out of control so that your taxes don’t continue to skyrocket at two to three times the rate of inflation. This city can’t keep asking more from you without a good reason—and that’s what I’ll fight for on City Council.
On November 5th, I ask for your vote. Let’s work together to do what’s better for Beaufort.
—Josh Gibson
Candidate for Beaufort City Council
The incumbents are liars. Here in Pigeon Point our land was reassessed at a 75% increase and the dwelling was more than that. First come the reassessed values, then come the tax increases. We filed a grievance and were immediately shot down. If you look at the individual assessments, they are all over the board, no rhyme or reason a nd completely unfair. We need to vote out all the incumbents except for Mayor Cromer.