Author: Paul Gable

Roads, Radios, Taxes and Horry County Council

The next time we hear Horry County Council members talk about raising taxes, let’s move immediately for recall elections.

There is no provision for recall of elected officials in the state constitution. But, this is the Independent Republic the law doesn’t really apply here anyway.

Certainly very little fiscal responsibility does.

Last spring six members of Horry County Council were determined to raise property taxes by 7.2 mils, the largest increase allowed by law.

Why? Because the county was running out of money and all the county employees, especially public safety, needed pay raises. Or so county council told us at the time.

We were told the road maintenance tax had to be raised by 67% or roads in the county system couldn’t be maintained.

Remember all the talk about the county looking at removing roads from the county road system?

Five months down the road, all that is forgotten. Horry County Council got the tax increases it wanted and business as usual reigns again in Conway.

Tomorrow, the county Infrastructure and Regulation Committee will consider recommending seven resolutions to accept new roads and drainage into the County Maintenance System.

An early prediction is they will all pass.

Horry County Council is two-thirds of the way, with third reading passage of the ordinance guaranteed, to use approximately $16 million in excess revenue from Ride II tax collections for a new 900 MHz radio system for countywide communications.

The Ride II (Riding on a Penny) referendum was passed by the voters of the county to build roads. However, now that there is excess revenue from it Horry County Council quickly found a way to spend that excess in another area.

In 1993, when the current 800 MHZ system was first put in place, county and city officials were told it would have a lifespan of approximately 25 years. Motorola, the system provider, told county officials it would stop servicing the 800 MHz system at the end of next year.

Did Horry County Council establish some type of escrow fund so the money for a new system would be there when it was needed?

Of course not!

Continue Reading →

Vote Today Horry County Council District 3

Vote today in the Republican special primary runoff for Horry County Council District 3.

The runoff candidates are Myrtle Beach native Bubba Owens and New Jersey transplant Bob Kelly of Carolina Forest.

District 3 covers the south end of Myrtle Beach from 38th Ave. North to Market Common and across the waterway for a portion of Carolina Forest.

Voting precincts involved are:

• Carolina Bays (split precinct)
• Carolina Forest #1(split precinct)
• Coastal Lane #1
• Coastal Lane #2
• Emerald Forest #1
• Emerald Forest #2
• Jet Port #1 (split precinct)
• Jet Port #2 (split precinct)
• Myrtlewood #1
• Sea Oats #1
• Sea Oats #2

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

Any voter registered in Horry County District 3 is eligible to vote today. Primary elections in South Carolina are “open” meaning any registered voter, Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Independent, is eligible to vote.

Even if you did not vote in the first round of primary balloting November 3rd, you are still eligible to vote today.

The winner of the primary runoff will face Democrat Jimmy Washington in the special general election December 22, 2015.

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

Any voter registered in Horry County District 3 is eligible to vote today. Primary elections in South Carolina are “open” meaning any registered voter, Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Independent, is eligible to vote.

Even if you did not vote in the first round of primary balloting November 3rd, you are still eligible to vote today.

Continue Reading →

Bubba Owens Camp Requests Investigations

The Bubba Owens campaign team is requesting investigations into the attempted bribes and illegal robocalls that have plagued the Horry District 3 special election.

After receiving opinions from two respected attorneys of good standing with experience in the workings of both state and federal election law in particular, the Owens camp is in the process of turning over to authorities all information it has with respect to the Bob Kelly campaign’s attempt to get Owens to drop out of the primary runoff.

According to the Owens camp, this information will include the key November 6, 2015 voicemail that enunciates the bribe along with other supporting voicemails, emails and other documents.

After reviewing the November 6th voicemail sent by Kelly campaign consultant Jim Wiles to Owens campaign consultant Donald Smith, and other evidence, both attorneys came to the same opinion. They stated there is no other way to interpret the November 6th voicemail than that it was a clear attempt to induce Owens to drop out of the race in exchange for receipt of something of value.

A portion of that voicemail states, “… give Kelly a shopping list of what they (Owens and his consultants) want for downtown Myrtle Beach in exchange for Bubba dropping out…”

Both said to say there must be an exchange of money to constitute a bribe, as a college professor opined in a local media, is to totally misunderstand the law. The laundry list for Bob Kelly to commit to represents value in their opinion.

Kelly told several local media outlets that he knew nothing of the Wiles voicemail until it was reported in the media. However, other voicemails and emails included in the evidence appear to contradict that position.

Kelly and his campaign consultant are complaining of recent robocalls, made by a group calling itself “Friends of Bob Kelly”, as being negative hits on him.

Continue Reading →

Bubba Owens Again Targeted by Kelly Campaign

The campaign team associated with Bob Kelly has been consistent in its attempts to sling mud at Horry County Council District 3 opponent Bubba Owens.

Yesterday the Kelly camp claimed Owens and his team are responsible for a series of robocalls being made to the voters of District 3.

This mudslinging began as soon as Owens filed for the election and has continued to date.

More recently, Wiles and his buddy Buz Martin have seen fit to include yours truly in their fantasies.

I don’t normally respond to stupid, but, in this case, I believe demonstrating the extent to which Wiles presents a faulty version of facts, whether they be about Big Talk or robocalls, is important for the voters potentially involved in the special Republican primary election runoff for Horry County Council District 3 next Tuesday.

Let me share a portion of a Facebook post Wiles made yesterday.

“New Jersey native Paul Gable and fellow military vet here does his best to flay Bob Kelly and me alive on behalf of his principal, Donald Smith of Lucky Dog Productions. Paul and Donald are business associates in the local Internet TV talk show BIG TALK. As with his two previous blasts at the Kelly Campaign, Paul omits that conflict-of-interest disclosure from his latest hit job.

“Bubba Owens’ Campaign coordinated the content and timing of Gable’s hit job last night with a phony “independent expenditure” group calling itself the Friends of Bob Kelly.”

The name of Donald Smith’s company is Lucky Dog Television Productions. Donald and I are not business associates.

Big Talk was an independent production aired on WWMB CV21, never on the internet. It ran from September 2013 through August 2014.

Continue Reading →

Bob Kelly Campaign Offers Bubba Owens Bribe to Quit

Bob Kelly and his consultant Jim Wiles have so little respect for Horry County voters they offered opponent Bubba Owens a bribe to quit the runoff election.

The runoff election for the Republican nomination for the vacant Horry County Council District 3 seat is set for November 17, 2015.

However, Kelly and his henchmen seem to want to avoid that by bringing Northeast big city machine politics to Horry County in the form of a bribe for Owens to quit the race.

If you question the use of the word bribe, its definition in The Free Dictionary is “Something offered to induce another to do something.” Merriam Webster dictionary states, “Something that serves to induce or influence.”

A November 6, 2015 voicemail message from Wiles to Owens’ campaign consultant said, “Team Bubba should put together a shopping list of stuff that they would want for downtown Myrtle Beach for Bob Kelly to commit to in exchange for Bubba dropping out…”

South Carolina Code of Laws Section 7-25-200 states it is unlawful to offer anything of value to induce a person to withdraw as a candidate.

The only question here is whether a court would view the offer ‘give Kelly a shopping list of what they (Owens and his consultants) want for downtown Myrtle Beach in exchange for Bubba dropping out’ as a criminal act. It certainly goes right up to that line, if it does not, in fact, cross it.

We’ll leave that decision to the solicitors and federal prosecutors. But, the message certainly violates the spirit of the law if not the actual letter of the law.

However, in addition to inducement to quit the runoff election, another criminal consideration is that Kelly’s team is offering to commit public dollars to proposed projects for the personal gain for Kelly of Owens dropping out of the election.

Continue Reading →

Horry County Council Wastes Excess Ride II Funds

Tonight, Horry County Council will consider second reading and public review of an ordinance to use leftover Ride II funds for public safety radios.

That’s correct. In 2006, county council asked voters to tax themselves an extra penny on purchases in order to build or improve roads in the county.

Now that funds are leftover, council is trying to make up for years of ill-considered decisions about radios for the public safety division.

There doesn’t seem to be one budget year that goes by without millions of dollars of requests for new radios and supporting equipment.

Next year, Motorola, the manufacturer the county has used for a number of years, will stop supporting the radio system currently used by the county, causing the latest funding crisis.

State law allows capital projects sales tax excess funds to go into the county’s general fund to be spent as council decides.

However, we live in a county that just raised the road maintenance tax by 67% a few months ago. This will add approximately $3 million dollars per year to road maintenance and dirt road paving.

Continue Reading →

Horry County General Aviation Woes in Conway

General aviation at the Conway Airport is another area in which the Horry County Department of Airports has missed the boat.

The county’s three general aviation airports, Conway, North Myrtle Beach and Loris, were a topic of specific discussion at Horry County Council’s budget retreat last spring because of the continuing deficit they generate.

Conway airport is an interesting study in what is wrong with general aviation in Horry County.

The North American Institute of Aviation relocated from Hammonton, NJ to Conway in 1978 in the same time period that Horry County government was instituting the recently passed home rule for county government.

For the next 20 years, Horry County government didn’t have worries about the Conway airport as the school thrived through close connections with the Scandinavian countries of Europe. The school paid rent to the county for the facilities it used and also was the Fixed Base Operator for Conway airport, although sources say the FBO was run to basically support the school.

In the late 1990’s NAIA enrollment began to decline because of a saturation point being reached in the number of Scandinavian pilots and new European Union laws that did not automatically accept U.S. Federal Aviation Administration certification of the pilots that trained here.

Continue Reading →

Reader Slams Attacks on Bubba Owens

I saw some really nasty and what I felt was unfair mud-slinging in this race this year towards Mr. Bubba Owens from his competitors.

I hate mud-slinging!

Mr Kelly and his campaign manager Mr Jim Wiles brought up Mr. Owens past public records for prior years. (I think we all have a past).

In reviewing them it appeared to me that they were either dismissed or never proved to be true. I thought everyone was innocent until proven guilty.

Shame on you Mr. Kelly for allowing this to happen!

I hope and have so far seen that Mr. Owens has much more class than that. Usually though when you try pointing a finger at someone else you usually have 3 more pointing at yourself.

It is my assumption that Mr. Owens is a born and bred Horry County man. I will guess that Mr. Kelly is not.

I have many many friends from up North. They love it down here. Taxes are lower, cost of living is lower, the weather is better. Most of us get along fine and we love the friendships.

What most of us do not like is when people retire from up north, move to Horry County and then try to change our lifestyle which seems to always make the natives (our) taxes go up so that things can be done to the standards that you had up north.

Continue Reading →

Enjoy South Strand Events

Two events on the South Strand in the next seven days offer fun for all and opportunities for college students and veterans.

A Pasta Sauce Contest will benefit the scholarship fund of the Grand Strand Opera Workshop.

A dinner for veterans will be hosted by Barry Goldwater, Jr. and the South Strand Republican Club.

Fourth Annual Pasta Sauce Contest

The 4th annually tomato sauce contest sponsored by the Grand Strand Opera Workshop benefiting a student(s) from Coastal Carolina University will be held this year on Sunday November 8 from 3 PM to 6 PM at Angelo’s Steak and Pasta Restaurant 2311 South Kings Hwy (Hwy 17 Bus. S) Myrtle Beach Tel 843-626-2800.

The proceeds (85%) from the contest will benefit the Carleton-Talbert scholarship fund—the sauce can be either Marinara (red) or White (Alfredo).

This year’s contest chairman is Fred Nesta.

If you cannot enter the sauce contest, PLEASE come and enjoy an Early Bird menu on all entrees, at Angelo’s.

Continue Reading →

Local Election Meanderings

If you were looking for change in last night’s local election results, as I was, this morning, at best, brings mixed feelings.

Myrtle Beach and Atlantic Beach voted for the status quo while Conway voted for change.

Incumbent council members Phil Render and Mike Chestnut were joined by former council member Mary Jeffcoat in capturing the three city council seats up for grabs in Myrtle Beach.

Pals of the incumbents, often called the Myrtle Beach Mafia, were successful in keeping former mayor Mark McBride from the winners circle with a series of negative, attack mailers in the final week of the campaign.

I guess the tourism development tax and the north end of the city will be safe for at least two more years while the rest of the city is ignored.

Atlantic Beach voters returned incumbent mayor Jake Evans. Longtime council member Josephine Isom and Jacqui Gore won the two council seats in the race.

Continue Reading →
1 … 71 72 73 74 75 … 172