2026 Advocacy Priorities The below set of 1-year priorities (2026) were voted on and approved unanimously at the November 2025 Board Meeting. They compliment the organization's ongoing Advocacy Principles as outlined here and enable the staff of Lowcountry Local First to act swiftly towards... Continue Reading
Vote with your dollars this holiday season for the kind of place you want to live in every day. Shop & dine local and keep your dollars with your neighbors. Local Three new members are joining Charleston City Council in January, including Aaron Polkey, Ben D'Allesandro, and... Continue Reading
VIEW NOVEMBER 4 LOCAL ELECTION INFORMATION // Federal New policies introduced to combat tariff impacts on small business Last month, Senator Wyden (OR) introduced a joint resolution co-sponsored by Democrat and Republican senators which proposes to terminate the national emergency that... Continue Reading
We asked the 2025 Mount Pleasant Mayoral and Town Council candidates four questions to gauge their views on supporting a thriving, diverse local economy, backing local businesses and entrepreneurs, and enhancing the quality of life for residents. Their responses are shared below. QUESTIONS: 1.... Continue Reading
We asked the 2025 City of Charleston Council candidates four questions to gauge their views on supporting a thriving, diverse local economy, backing local businesses and entrepreneurs, and enhancing the quality of life for residents. Their responses are shared below. QUESTIONS: 1. Supporting... Continue Reading
We asked the 2025 City of Goose Creek Council candidates four questions to gauge their views on supporting a thriving, diverse local economy, backing local businesses and entrepreneurs, and enhancing the quality of life for residents. Their responses are shared below. QUESTIONS: 1. Supporting... Continue Reading
We asked the 2025 Town of James Island Council candidates three questions to gauge their views on supporting a thriving, diverse local economy, backing local businesses and entrepreneurs, and enhancing the quality of life for residents. Their responses are shared below. QUESTIONS: 1. Supporting... Continue Reading
November 4, 2025, is a major date for local democracy across the Lowcountry. Several municipalities across our region will hold general elections for city and town councils, and other important local offices. These are the people who make decisions that directly affect your daily life, from... Continue Reading
Local November 4, 2025, is a major date for democracy across the Lowcountry. Several municipalities across our region will hold general elections for city and town councils, and other important local offices. These are the people who make decisions that directly affect your daily life, from... Continue Reading
Local November Elections – We're continually updating this post with local races, timelines, voter registration information and more. Parking garage rate changes in downtown Charleston – via WCBD News 2 As part of a comprehensive study to evaluate the feasibility of... Continue Reading
Thank you to all of our members who took time in recent weeks to complete our annual Member Survey. Many of you also responded to additional follow-up surveys to help us dig deeper into specific pain points that were uncovered. Your input is critical to our ability to advocate for our... Continue Reading
Local Level Our 2025 Annual Member Survey debrief is now live on our website. Check out our top takeaways or skim the full results here. To fulfill our mission, we must keep a pulse on the local business community we serve — to know the pain points and the victories —... Continue Reading
