Author: Paul Gable

Behind David Bennett’s Back

The firing of Coastal Carolina University football coach David Bennett on December 9, 2011 caused an uproar among many CCU football fans in the area.

Bennett, the only coach in the program’s history to that point, was respected not only for taking the CCU program from zero to four Big South Conference championships in 10 seasons, but also for his personal values and charitable work in the local community.

Now we find that Bennett’s firing and replacement had a darker side that, frankly, Bennett did not deserve either personally or professionally.

Bike Vendor Permit Cut Passes 1st Reading

Horry County Council voted 7-5 Tuesday night, on first reading of an ordinance, to reduce bike vendor and special event permits from the current seven days to five, including set up and take down operations. Council members Harold Worley, Al Allen, James Frazier, Jody Prince and Bob Grabowski voted nay.

This is the second reduction in three years for the number of days for which permits will be issued. Three years ago, council reduced the number of permit days from 10 to seven. The cost of the permits ($800) has remained the same while the number of days has been reduced, effectively raising the cost of doing business per day, for vendors, by 100 percent over the three year period.

Sponseller Discovery – Questions, No Answers

The discovery of SC Hospitality Association CEO Tom Sponseller’s body yesterday left many who knew him in Horry County absolutely devastated by the news, but also asking questions about the circumstances surrounding his death.

Horry County Council member Gary Loftus, a longtime friend and associate of Sponseller in tourism industry circles, gave a moving tribute to his friend as the county council adjourned their meeting Tuesday night in Sponseller’s memory.

Other local area tourism leaders spoke all day of the kind, decent, loving family man and friend who they had rubbed elbows with many times through the years as Sponseller led the state’s tourism industry interests.

Council to Consider Further Reduction in Biker Vendor Permits

Horry County Council will vote tonight on first reading of an ordinance to amend county code reducing the number of days vendor permits will be issued for May Bike Weeks from the current seven days to five days.

Word has it that county council chairman Tom Rice has been working this issue hard behind the scenes with a series of private meetings with other council members, some of these meetings falling just short of a quorum. Initially Rice wanted to limit the vendor permits to three days, but fell short of getting commitments from council members to support such a measure.

There is no guarantee that the five day proposal will pass tonight, or that Rice would be able to hold a coalition supporting it together, while the ordinance winds its way through the three reading process.

Prosser: Act Now to Lower Gas Prices

The unseasonably warm winter in the Pee Dee and Grand Strand makes the wait for summer seem that much shorter. But with gas prices spiking, summer could mean less trips to the beach and fewer vacations for many American families.

As director of South Carolina Parks, Recreation and Tourism for eight years, I closely monitored the impact of gas prices on visitor spending. Even when families are able to take their cherished summer beach vacation, the bite that higher gas prices takes from their wallets curtails spending on restaurants, attractions and souvenirs, and often shortens their trip.

In addition to the direct impact on tourism, higher gas prices also ripple through the economy increasing the costs for businesses, including our critical distribution centers in the area. These higher costs are passed through to cash-strapped consumers in the form of higher prices.

NRCC places Rice “On the Radar”

Myrtle Beach, SC – Tom Rice, Republican candidate for Congress for the Seventh Congressional district in S.C., was recognized recently for his successful campaign efforts by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). NRCC is the official Republican organization dedicated to electing Republicans to Congress.

“I’m honored to have received this important designation from the NRCC,” said Rice. “We are delighted that our campaign is leading the field in the amount of money raised, but our success is simply a testament to individuals investing in our message of lower taxes, less government regulation, and our commitment to balancing the budget and ending out-of-control spending.”

Smearing the Courts, Dismantling Justice

A S.C. Hotline, Grand Strand Daily Exclusive

By Paul Gable

It came to my attention recently that Stephanie Weissenstein, attorney for John Rakowsky, sent to the Court copies of two articles from Grand Strand Daily along with a letter dated January 9, 2012. While I appreciate Ms. Weissenstein making the court aware of the articles, I do question the logic stated in her letter.

In the letter, Weissenstein refers to the articles as “this slanderous campaign in effort to intimidate and harass my client and me, while also smearing the Courts.”

First of all, surely Weissenstein understands that the articles would fall under laws of libel, not slander, if she could ignore or negate the first amendment and prove malice aforethought. Second, her claims of intimidation, harassment and smearing fall apart when the facts included in the articles are considered.

May Bike Rallies Up for Discussion

Discussions on the May Bike Rallies by Horry County officials will begin Thursday February 23rd at a special meeting of the county’s Public Safety Committee. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at the Horry County Government and Justice Center on 3rd Avenue in Conway.

Called by committee chairman Brent Schulz, the only item on the meeting agenda is Biker Rally 2012. When he announced the special meeting during the regular council meeting of February 7th, Schulz said the committee would be prepared to stay the whole night for discussion and requested all interested members of the public to attend the meeting.

In addition to public safety enforcement, the only issue the county has direct control over is the number and duration of vendor and special event permits the county issues for the Harley Davidson and Atlantic Beach rallies.

Dems Schedule Candidate Events

Horry County Democratic voters will get three chances to hear from the candidates for the new 7th Congressional District across the next several months.

The four announced Democratic candidates, Preston Brittain, Gloria Tinubu, Parnell Diggs and Ted Vick will be at a reception commemorating Black History Month Saturday February 25th. The reception will be held at the Mason Temple C.O.G.I.C., 1501 7th Avenue, Conway beginning at 6 p.m.

The reception will offer the opportunity to sample recipes from the Horry County Democratic Party cookbook, meet the guest of honor, Mother Laura Grate who is 104 years old, and meet and speak with the candidates.

Prosser Added to NRCC ‘Young Guns’ Program

– The National Republican Congressional Committee named former Sanford Cabinet member Chad Prosser to ‘On the Radar’ status with the National Republican Congressional Committee’s Young Guns program in South Carolina’s new 7th Congressional District. Prosser rose to this level in less than one month of campaigning, an impressive feat showing the momentum his campaign has generated.

In only a few weeks since announcing his candidacy, Chad Prosser has established a district wide network of financial supporters, which will ensure that Chad has the resources necessary to communicate his message to voters across the district. “The NRCC’s Young Guns program is a great program that supports candidates to ensure that the best Republican candidate makes it through to the general election,” said Prosser. “I am honored to be included in this program, a step that further validates the momentum we have generated less than a month into this race.”