The Real Deal

I missed this earlier in the week, but having lived in that area for nearly 16 years, thought I should mention it...

Any city that has been around as long as Charleston, South Carolina, will have have suffered as well as celebrated many times over. Charleston has definitely had its share of bad -- both natural (hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and the like) and man-made (like revolutions and actual wars), as well as good.

Charlestonians have always liked to celebrate the positives, and are rightly proud of their heritage. The city was founded in 1670 and is home to the first museum in America. A far more modern source of Charleston pride retired on Tuesday. Police Chief Reuben Greenberg was well-respected nationally for his 23 years as the city's top cop.

Mayor Joe Riley, commenting on the retirement, noted a key statistic in Greenberg's success story, "Charleston's population increased 64 percent during the time [he] was chief while crime decreased 11 percent." That speaks volumes.

Good luck, Chief, in your retirement.