Author: Paul Gable

Community Violence Subcommittee Update

The Community Violence Subcommittee was given specific goals and objectives earlier this week by Al Allen, Chairman of the Horry County Public Safety Committee.

Allen told the committee that he had been too vague when he first appointed the subcommittee and he wanted to clarify its mission.

Allen named the following six persons as committee members: council member Jimmy Washington, chairman, school board member Holly Heniford, vice chairman, Rev. George Payton, spokesperson, HCPD Chief Saundra Rhodes or designee, HC Sheriff Chief Deputy Tom Fox or designee and Van Washington, community leader.

These six members are charged with meeting once a month at the county council conference room where meetings will be broadcast, livestreamed and taped.

In addition, Allen requested subcommittee members to identify the causes and influences that lead to violence in the community as well as visit with all public, private and church groups presently operating to reduce violence and crime in Horry County to rank their effectiveness.

Allen tasked the subcommittee with making a progress report to the Public Safety Committee in September 2016 and to be prepared to present a final report with findings and recommendations to full council in early 2017.

The subcommittee evolved from a request by community activist Benny Swans to the Public Safety Committee.

Swans asked the committee to help in establishing a series of community forums open to all citizens where problems, concerns, and eyewitness accounts of violence could be heard as well as discussions about possible solutions to the growing problem of violent personal and property crimes throughout the county.

Swans stressed the high murder rates, especially among young people, that have occurred in the last several years. Swans stressed that this effort was important to help save the lives of our children.

Continue Reading →

Vote for Reese Boyd III for SC Senate District 34

Tired of “Business as usual” in the South Carolina Legislature?

On June 14th, 2016 South Carolina residents living along a large stretch of the coastline will vote for the Republican candidate to replace the retiring Ray Cleary in SC Senate District 34.

This is an important election in that it will send a signal to the SC legislature on whether SC residents are happy with the current status quo of tax and spend Republicans, or similar to the national presidential contest, want to see meaningful change in SC politics.

The current Republican controlled SC House and Senate have failed the taxpayers of South Carolina.

Roads – they have voted for a gas tax increase, yet the DOT has already received more money than it had in 2012 – their budget has grown by $708 million. Most people close to this issue know that the roads will not improve by giving the politicians more money. What is needed is a restructuring of the SCDOT and taking the road improvement prioritization process out of the hands of politicians.
Economy – The most recent U.S. unemployment rate was 5.1%. Horry County’s rate was 7.4% and Georgetown County’s unemployment rate was 8.3%. Reese will work to reform our tax code and bring about economic growth.
Taxes – South Carolina government is growing – at a rapid pace. You won’t hear a lot about increase in taxes, except for the Gas Tax, but the number of taxes and the additional burden on individuals and businesses are growing each year. Reese will fight efforts to raise our taxes, and push for tax simplification and tax relief for working South Carolina families.
Second Amendment Rights. The legislature tried unsuccessfully to pass “constitutional carry” in South Carolina. Currently there are 23 States planning to introduce “constitutional carry”. We need to vote for someone who truly supports the 2nd

Continue Reading →

7th Congressional District GOP Convention Report

The 7th Congressional District GOP Convention held in Florence on Saturday April 9, 2016, to select a new 7th C D Chairman, Vice Chairman and Secretary as well as Republican National delegates (6) to the National Convention in Cleveland on July 18-21 2016 at the “Q” Arena, was hectic.

There is no question Horry County who had 39 voting delegates with 3 alternates (42 total) who attended, came home with only 2 elected National delegates–Alan Clemmons delegate and Gerri McDaniel alternate.

Meanwhile Florence County, who only assembled 23 attending delegates, received the lion share of National delegates and an alternate. There’s no question that the members of the delegation from Florence out maneuvered Horry County as they pooled their votes, having only 6 people running and had 3 delegates making it to the top.

Horry County had 19 delegates running, which cut into its vote count. Consequently no one received more than 20 votes. Hard ball won the day. The other National delegate went to Jerry Rovner of Georgetown who is the present chairman of the 7th CD. With regards to Clemmons and McDaniel they had the good fortune of getting some votes from other delegates.

Some of Horry’s convention attendees are blaming Chairman Robert Rabon for the blow out. To be fair it is NOT Rabon’s fault, and anyone suggesting or saying it is just doesn’t know the facts. Prior to the meeting Chairman Rabon urged the Party members who were going to go to Florence, to only select 6 delegates and as such with 39 voters; the 6 that were chosen would have won handily.

Rabon tried to caution the delegation about this, but it landed on deaf ears. Hopefully, Horry County will learn from this experience and be better organized in the future; no one enjoys losing especially when they are holding all the aces.

At the opening of the meeting at 10:15 AM the chairman of the 7th C D Jerry Rovner gave a extra-ordinary powerful message, one of which was right on point, the essence of which was:

Continue Reading →

Large Crowd Comes Out for Jonathan Hyman Campaign Kickoff

(Pictured above Rep. Jeff Johnson (left) and Jonathan Hyman (right).

Over two hundred people attended Jonathan Hyman’s campaign kickoff event at Arnold Johnson’s shed on Hwy 701 South. Hyman is running for Horry County Treasurer.

Johnson said the event drew a larger crowd than others he has hosted and the crowd was at least as large as the one that showed up for Tom Rice’s campaign kickoff for chairman of Horry County Council in 2010.

“I have no doubt Jonathan will do a good job as Treasurer,” said Johnson. “I remember when (former Treasurer) Johnny C. Allen hired him. Johnny always had good things to say about Jonathan.”

This was the kind of event that former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Tip O’Neill alluded to when he said all politics are local. Families from the community came out to support Hyman with the adults enjoying good food and fellowship and the children playing ball outside.

The event was not short of political officeholders and candidates either. S.C. Senate Luke Rankin and S.C. Rep. Jeff Johnson were in attendance.

Rankin said the first thing he thinks of when he hears Hyman’s name is humility, competence and temperament.

“Jonathan is well groomed for this position,” said Rankin. “There will be no surprises. He knows how to carry out the duties of Treasurer.”

Johnson said he wished Hyman well in his campaign for election.

“He is a great guy,” Johnson said. “I go to church with him and know what type of person he is and what a wonderful family he has.”

Former Treasurer Johnny C. Allen said, “I hired him 16 years ago because I knew he was a good, smart kid. I am happy he asked me to endorse him, which I am pleased to do. Jonathan will be an asset to Horry County as its next Treasurer.”

Current Treasurer Roddy Dickinson said it was time for him to retire and pass on the office.

“I have no regrets and I’m looking forward to be able to do other things in life,” said Dickinson. “I am happy to endorse Jonathan for Treasurer. Jonathan works well with people and will make a great Treasurer. He has respect and understanding for others and that is very important in dealing with the public.”

Continue Reading →

Robin Gause Announces Run for Council District 4

Robin Gause, 51, a longtime resident of Burgess, has announced her candidacy for the Horry County Council District 4 seat.

Gause, the busy mother of a son and five daughters, with 10 grandchildren, comes from a medical background, having taught childbirth education, pre-natal and breastfeeding classes to hundreds of women. She was, for seven years, a “guardian ad litem,” a special court-appointed guardian for children and mentally impaired people during legal activities that affect their lives.

This is her first run for political office. She is currently precinct president of Marlowe 3, and has been active in Democratic Party matters for many years. She was born and raised in Hampton, South Carolina, west of Charleston. Her husband Sam is retired.

The District 4 seat is currently held by Republican Gary Loftus. The District includes southern Myrtle Beach and the Market Common, and the southwestern corner of Horry County, including the area around Burgess on the western side of Route 707, plus smaller portions of Socastee north of the Route 17 Bypass.

Gause said she has the knowledge and skills to serve the community and to bring structure, innovation and unity to all of Horry County.

“Roads, economic development, education and jobs” are the major issues of the council campaign, she said.

Route 707 is being widened, but county council needs to address other issues with the road, according to Gause. “There are sidewalks going in, but we need more. There are a lot of accidents, and we need more traffic lights.”

Gause feels strongly that the county must do everything it can to increase education of county children and adults at every level, “so everyone can compete on a level playing field.” To do so, she says, the county council must work closely with the school district.

Since Horry County is a major tourist destination, much of local employment is seasonal. That being the case, the county and the school system need to provide programs for increased training and education.

Continue Reading →

Jonathan Hyman Announces Candidacy for Horry County Treasurer

(Above Jonathan Hyman with wife Nicole and children Jay and Carly)

Jonathan Mark Hyman, native of Horry County and Conway resident, recently announced his candidacy for Horry County Treasurer.

Hyman is a 1994 graduate of Conway High School. In 1998 he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a focus on business management and finance from the Wall School of Business at Coastal Carolina University. Following graduation, he pursued a career in Real Estate Appraisal and has been appraising residential and commercial real estate for nearly 17 years.

Hyman is a certified real estate appraiser and has partnered in appraisal firms and managed apprentice appraisers. He is currently a candidate for the MAI designation from the Appraisal Institute. He manages his own appraisal firm and is also a real estate consultant for Valbridge Property Advisors where he provides comprehensive valuation & advisory services.

Hyman has also been employed with Horry County Government since 2000. He was first hired in the Code Enforcement Department to enforce building code laws. Shortly thereafter, he was recruited by long-time Horry County Treasurer, Mr. Johnny C. Allen, as a Revenue Collector in the Treasurer’s Office.

Hyman has served in the Horry County Treasurer’s office for approximately 15 years under the leadership and guidance of current Treasurer, Roddy Dickinson, and his predecessor, Johnny C. Allen. With the full endorsement and support of both Dickinson and Allen, Hyman is excited to announce his decision to file the necessary paperwork to serve as your next Treasurer of Horry County.

Hyman is a member of the Coastal Carolina Association of Realtors, the Appraisal Institute, the Horry County Republican Club and the South Strand Republican Club.

Hyman and his wife, Nicole, have been married for nearly 16 years and have two children Jay (10) and Carly (7). They are faithful members of Juniper Bay Baptist Church where Jonathan actively serves as a sound system technician and Royal Ambassador Leader.

Continue Reading →

Political Candidates and the Details

Filing of political candidates for local and state political offices ended Friday and the craziness, foolishness and inattention to detail that marks politics has already struck.

Already one candidate, Dick Withington, has been arrested and released on bail and the story surrounding that incident will play long after the June 2016 primaries are gone.

Withington was arrested for accepting money to drop out of the Horry County Council District 4 race in line with an email he sent to four members of county council soliciting the money. Withington claimed statements to local media that he accepted the money either as proof that he was being bribed or as a mysterious campaign contribution.

Despite the arrest, Withington has promised to continue with his campaign for county council as well as his campaign for SC Senate District 34.

If we assume the old political adage that any publicity is good publicity, Withington is already leading in the name recognition area for the two races in which he is a candidate. Somehow, I don’t think that rule applies in this case.

In the 2012 election cycle, failing to file a Statement of Economic Interests at the same time that Statement of Intention of Candidacy papers are filed cost over 50% of candidates that year a place on the ballot.

Failing to file an SEI at the proper time will no longer keep a candidate off the ballot (the state law was changed in the 2013-14 legislative year). But, that failure can draw fines for a candidate from the Ethics Commission.

It only took me a spot check on the SC Ethics Commission website of two Horry County Council races to find failure to file an SEI is still a problem.

In the special election for Horry County Council District 7, Republican candidate Mike Roberts filed an SEI properly while Republican candidate Robert Shelley was several days late in his filing. The Democratic side was even worse. Candidate Orton Bellamy filed his SEI properly while candidates Harold Phillips and Lee Sherman have yet to file an SEI.

Continue Reading →

Down at the Barbershop Debuts

My good friend and former television partner on “Big Talk”, Jack Murphy, has a new show on his WLSC AM 1240 radio station airing today called Down at the Barbershop.

Murphy has been a fixture in Horry County as a prime time DJ, host on River Talk and many other radio and television productions through many years.

I think this show is going to be a lot of fun.

Below is the press release for the show.

Loris, SC – Loris Barber Shop and WLSC Tiger Radio have teamed up to produce a weekly two hour live broadcast called, “Down at the Barbershop”. The first broadcast will happen this Friday, April 1st at Loris Barber Shop located at 4011 Meeting Street in downtown Loris. The show starts at 10 am. Even though, it’s April Fools Day, organizers promise this is no joke.

“How can this be a joke? When you come see us, we’re gonna give you an RC Cola and a Moon Pie. It’s southern hospitality at its best.”, says Banana Jack Murphy, emcee for the broadcast. He adds, “We’re even going to have the Loris Chamber of Commerce here for an official ribbon cutting. To be honest, I think they’re coming for the Moon Pies. It’s just gonna be big small town fun.”

Local musician, Big Bam Boom is scheduled to perform live music for the inaugural broadcast. There will be lots of laughs with Jason Porter, the friendly owner of Loris Barber Shop and a local character knows as The Ragin’ Cajun will be on hand, too. So, come on down and get a haircut, play a game or two of checkers and have a good old time with the gang at Loris Barber Shop.

If you can’t make it, listen to 1240 AM or online at TigerRadio.com. You can even watch the action as it happens. WLSC Tiger Radio is going to stream live video of every broadcast.

“Down at the Barbershop” will live every Friday 10 am until Noon. If you can play an instrument or know any good jokes, then you’re invited to be part of future broadcasts.

Continue Reading →

Southerners Don’t Care How You Did It Up North

Certain events in the local political arena over the last year have made me understand much more completely why Southerners say, ‘We don’t care how you do it up north.’

Tip O’Neill told us all politics are local. What he didn’t tell us is it takes a transplant a long time to truly understand all the intricacies of ‘local.’

As a transplant from the north myself 32 years ago, I know there is a certain amount of resentment someone from the north can expect to experience after relocating permanently to the south.

I always attributed it to that ‘Civil War thing.’ After all, if your ancestors were on the receiving end of one of the biggest ass kickings in military history from my ancestors, you have a right to be a bit resentful.

There is also a significant difference in the general way the two regions view the political spectrum of ideologies, which I felt was a major reason Southerners didn’t want Northerners messing about too much in their politics.

Can’t blame anyone for that attitude.

Some transplants from the north have operated effectively in the local political arena. Loftus comes immediately to mind in local politics and Mark Kelly on the state level in earlier times.

However, it’s certainly a fact that the most effective politicians during my three plus decades of direct observation in Horry County have been those home grown natives with deep roots in the local area.

Most transplants who have tried their luck at running for local political office have been unsuccessful, except when one transplant was running against another transplant, which has happened, if rarely.

Much of that limited success can be attributed to ‘We don’t care how you do it up north.’

Recently, however, several transplants from the north have truly demonstrated how not to do it in local politics.

Yesterday, one local transplant, Dick Withington, was arrested for trying to get another transplant, incumbent Horry County Council District 4 member Gary Loftus, to pay Withington not to oppose Loftus in the upcoming election for Loftus’ seat.

Continue Reading →

Politician Dick Withington Arrested

By Paul Gable

Horry County politician and retired businessman Dick Withington was arrested today by the Horry County Police Department.

Withington is currently being held at the J. Reuben Long Detention Facility.

According to multiple sources, Withington was arrested after soliciting a bribe from Horry County Council member Gary Loftus.

According to those sources, after announcing he would be a candidate challenging incumbent Loftus in the upcoming June Republican Primary, Withington sent an email to Loftus offering to drop out of the race if Loftus would pay him an, as yet, undisclosed amount of money.

According to sources, Loftus reported the incident to Horry County police. A meeting was set up at which Loftus would offer to pay Withington a down payment with bills marked by HCPD. After the exchange took place, Withington was arrested with the marked bills in his possession.

As has become his pattern of running for more than one office in the same election cycle, Withington also was a candidate for the SC Senate District 34 seat. Several unconfirmed reports state Withington also sent an email to SC Rep. Stephen Goldfinch, a candidate for Senate District 34, with the same offer.

This year has been uniquely unusual in politics with the Republican Party establishment going out of its way to undermine frontrunning GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, so I guess anything is possible.

But, Withington’s actions, especially considering his abysmal polling record to date in seeking numerous political offices in the area, makes one shake one’s head.

Continue Reading →
1 … 64 65 66 67 68 … 172