{"product_id":"the-mayor-joe-riley-and-the-rise-of-charleston","title":"The Mayor: Joe Riley and the Rise of Charleston","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn December 1975  Charleston voters elected a young attorney and former state lawmaker as the citys new mayor. The rest is history. Joseph Patrick Riley Jr.  just 32 at the time  promised to make Charleston an inclusive city  heal the lingering wounds of the civil rights movement  stem the rising crime rate and open more public parks for all residents. And that was just in his first term of office. Over the next 40 years  Riley led the city through disasters and divisiveness  tragedy and triumph  all the while transforming Charleston from a sleepy Southern town devastated by civil war into one of the most vibrant  fastest-growing cities in the nation  and the most popular tourist destination in the world.. Riley built the Charleston Place hotel and conference center that sparked the citys revitalization; saved the Spoleto Festival; built the Waterfront Park  the South Carolina Aquarium and a baseball stadium named in his honor. He rebuilt Charleston after a devastating hurricane nearly destroyed the city. And in his final months in office  Riley led the city through a tragedy that threatened to destroy the peace and harmony he had worked toward his entire life. This is the modern history of an American city  its Phoenix- like rise and return to prominence and the man most responsible for it all. Through 10 terms as mayor  Joe Riley changed Charleston forever. This is his story.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44944866246709,"sku":"ByrdShop_1929647255","price":51.55,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781929647255.jpg?v=1769857372","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-mayor-joe-riley-and-the-rise-of-charleston","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}