PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

William has the business acumen to bring together the right teams to get the job done - the right way.

William has seen his hometown dramatically evolve during his lifetime. Since the beginning of his career, he has dedicated himself to preserving the best of what Charleston has to offer. Through creative solutions that marry old and new, past and present, William has shown Charleston the difference between good and bad development.

Early in his career, William partnered with city leaders to develop the first workforce housing project in Charleston in 2006.

More recently, he is responsible for transforming once-neglected buildings like the Cigar Factory downtown and Garco Mill in Park Circle into revitalized urban centers. Additionally, he has been a catalyst for revitalizing the Navy Yard in North Charleston.

In 2022, William helped deliver a new social services center as part of a partnership between Charleston County and the Navy Yard partners. The 175,000 square foot Teddie E. Pryor Social Services building, which was delivered both on time and under budget, houses five different crucial public services and includes access to public transportation for local residents.

William is the only candidate who can successfully structure complex, public-private partnerships and conduct the rigorous financial analysis required - skills that are desperately needed to move our city forward.

What separates William from the other candidates? He thinks outside the box, embraces creativity, and won't take no for an answer. You will never hear him say, “It is what it is." Despite being told these projects were too difficult to take on, William found a way to get the job done each time.

A Proven Track Record of Executing Big Ideas

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE

William first entered politics to fight for greater pragmatism in government and apply his professional skill set to tackling the issues of his community. In 2016, William was elected to the SC House of Representatives, where he made substantial headway in infrastructure and conservation legislation over his six-year tenure. Working across both sides of the aisle, William was appointed Chairman of the Business and Commerce subcommittee in his third term. 

It’s his love for this city that keeps him motivated to fight for a better Charleston. Today, William and his wife of twenty years, Lucile, along with their two children, Meade and Mason, live just two blocks from where William grew up. 

William is the son of Edmund and Sally Rhett of James Island, and the late Scott Cogswell, who died when he was young in a car accident. His sisters, Sarah Hamlin Hastings and Katye Fayard, live with their families on James Island and in West Ashley, respectively. William is a graduate of Sewanee and holds a Masters degree from Columbia University, where he received high honors for his thesis on sustainable construction. 

William is pragmatic, direct & determined to fight for positive progress in the public sphere.