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Spirit of the City: Airman turns mayor

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jensen Stidham
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  With a motto like "Uncommon Patriotism," the city of Sumter, South Carolina is rooted in military ties and many of those ties are seen through the eyes and under the leadership of the City Mayor.

Born and raised in Sumter, former Capt. Joseph McElveen has been acquainted with Shaw Air Force Base from an early age.

"My father sold motorcycles and bicycles when I was growing up, and we had quite a number of customers who were military," said McElveen. "One of my greatest memories is we used to sell a lot of bicycles around Christmas, the Schwinn bicycles, and back then it was the Mercedes of bicycles. I remember I would be on base on Christmas Eve delivering bicycles. So I was frequently in touch with people living at the base."

After graduating high school it wasn't hard for McElveen to make the decision to start a career in the military. His father, who had spent time serving in the Army Air Corps during World War II, recommended he start off by attending The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina.

"My father said he would pay for it because he really liked the school, so I went," said McElveen.

Graduating from The Citadel as a distinguished Air Force graduate, he earned a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant and was given the option to continue higher education.

"They gave me the choice so I decided to go to law school," said McElveen. "I graduated in 1971, and arrived at my first and only station shortly after."

With high hopes of getting to travel the world, McElveen was stationed at Shaw Air Force Base, less than 10 miles from where he had grown up.

"I've lived in Sumter all my life, didn't ask for it, really wanted to go somewhere like California or something, but I got stationed at Shaw," said McElveen. "After having gone through a military college, studied aerospace science and law, I served in the Air Force for basically all of my time at Shaw."

Having a law degree, he went straight to work for the 363rd Combat Support Group as a staff judge advocate.

"I got to understand what the mission was, having worked there," he said. "I got to deal with a lot of the different segments and know that the Air Force is a lot more than just strapping up into a plane and flying."

After spending a total of six years at Shaw, the Sumter native decided to separate from the military and start a career in law and politics.

Serving 10 years on the Sumter City Council and 10 years as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, McElveen used the knowledge and wisdom gained from his time in the Air Force to help him throughout his career, and still uses it today in his almost 15 years as the mayor of Sumter.

"There is a big difference in being the mayor and being in the military, but integrity is important in both," he said. "The difference is the politician probably isn't going to be sent somewhere to get shot at, but in the military when you're in that situation, your troops have to feel like you're putting them before yourself. The root of integrity is discipline and the military is all about discipline. It's all about doing what ought to be done even if it's not the best thing for you."

Currently overseeing more than 600 employees and a budget of approximately $60 million a year, integrity and discipline help him run the city.

"A mayor is the spirit of the city," said McElveen. He's a cheerleader for his community, he tries to provide the vision by understanding the people who live in his community. It involves just as much knowing when to get out of the way and let people do what they do as it does getting in there and making things work the way you want them to. I think that's leadership whether you're in the Air Force or not."

Just as the leadership skills he learned in the Air Force helped him through his career, the experiences he had helped him to realize the importance of a close city and base relationship.

"I think the City of Sumter has a great relationship with the base," he said. "I've always been involved in the Shaw Sumter Community Council, which has been an important part of working together. What you find out as mayor is you meet lots of people who come and go but the people at Shaw are as fine as any people you'll meet in the world and they appreciate everything the community does for them."

The ties that McElveen has worked to build between Sumter and Shaw have improved the quality of life for Airmen and their families and continue to impress military members throughout their time in service.

"I've yet to be at a base in 21 years of service where I have seen a stronger relationship between the city and the base," said Col. Stephen Jost, 20th Fighter Wing commander. "I know a lot of that has to do with Mayor McElveen. He is humble with such a great spirit and he is someone you want to be around. 'Uncommon Patriotism' isn't just a bumper sticker. I foresee Sumter continuing to meet us halfway as we work together in the future.

McElveen said the work he has done to improve Sumter has been that much easier because of his time in service.

"We respect what you all do," said McElveen. "A lot of us have a good idea of what you do, some of us have done what you do, so I think all of that cements the relationship between us," said McElveen. "What we are looking for as a community is what we can do to make life better for the Airmen in Sumter."

From his early start as an Airman to a career in politics, McElveen's time in the Air Force has helped to build and foster a strong Sumter and Shaw relationship.