Politics

Conway Mayoral Debate Could Bring Enlightening Answers for Voters

The two candidates for Conway mayor, incumbent Mayor Barbara Blain-Bellamy and challenger Ken Richardson, will square off in a live debate from Coastal Carolina University’s Johnson Auditorium tonight beginning at 6 p.m.
With a limited capacity of 210 at the auditorium, the debate will be livestreamed so the many Conway voters who cannot get a ticket for the event will be able to see the two candidates answer questions from moderator Dr. Drew Kurlowski, an Associate Professor of Political Science at CCU. A link to the livestream broadcast is provided at the end of this story.
An advance outline of the debate said questions will focus on four areas: issues of concern to Conway residents, Issues of economic concern, a focus on tourism and visitors and personal leadership qualifications of the two candidates.
Since the campaign began, Grand Strand Daily has noted the lack of discussion, from the Richardson campaign, about specific issues of concern regarding Conway other than criticism about the Pride Month proclamation signed by Mayor Blain-Bellamy in June. Maybe tonight’s debate will provide answers as to why Richardson is running other than opposition to recognition of the LGBTQ community.
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Richardson Campaign Misses Campaign Disclosure Report Deadline

According to South Carolina state Ethics Law, a candidate for state or local office is required to file a campaign disclosure report within 10 days after $500 is raised or spent by the campaign. After the initial filing, the candidate must file quarterly reports to the S. C. Ethics Commission.
Campaign disclosure reports are public records of campaign finances, donations and expenses, which allow the public to view how much and from whom a candidate receives donations and how much and to whom campaign expenditures are made. The reports are designed to provide voters with a transparent view of a candidate’s campaign financing.
A pre-election disclosure report is required to be filed 15 days prior to election day. A quarterly report may be combined with the pre-election report if the quarter ends within 30 days of the date on which the pre-election report is required.
The date for filing a pre-election report for the upcoming November 7, 2023, election for Conway city offices was yesterday, October 23, 2023, according to the Ethics Commission.
One candidate, Ken Richardson who is challenging Mayor Barbara Blain-Bellamy, failed to file a pre-election campaign disclosure report by yesterday’s required deadline.
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Richardson Campaign, Word Salad with a Slight Twist

It took a while for the Richardson campaign to come out of the closet, but last week’s chapter of its full-page ads provided a glimpse of what it is really about.
“Is the current mayor of Conway really a liberal,” the ad asks. And, “Ken Richardson for Mayor, a strong conservative.” The old classic “traditional American values” was thrown in for good measure.
The Richardson for Mayor campaign really has no local issues to address other than Mayor Barbara Blain-Bellamy signing a proclamation declaring Pride Month in Conway and giving the key to the city to Pete Buttigieg three years ago.
This is the old trick which has been part of the national level political playbook since the 1970’s. If you have nothing to say for yourself, attack the opponent. Give voters something to be afraid of and tell them the current mayor is to blame for it.
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Conway Mayoral Debate for the Public

A debate has been scheduled between the two candidates in the race for Mayor of Conway.
Incumbent Mayor Barbara Blain-Bellamy and challenger Ken Richardson have agreed to debate the issues facing Conway on October 25, 2023, at the Johnson Auditorium, E. Craig Wall College of Business Administration, Coastal Carolina University, 119 Chanticleer Drive West, Conway, SC.
The City of Conway Chamber of Commerce and the Edgar Dyer Institute for Leadership and Public Policy at CCU have joined hands to host the debate.
The debate will begin at 6 p.m. The capacity of the Johnson Auditorium is approximately 210 persons.
The debate is free and open to the public with reserved seats. Each campaign has received 70 tickets. If you want to attend the debate, call either campaign to request your ticket. The event will be livestreamed for those who can’t obtain a ticket.
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SC General Assembly Must Amend Impact Fee Law to Allow Local Government Freedom

Horry County Council is again wrestling with the question of how to raise impact fees to help offset the cost of providing needed infrastructure to serve the ever-increasing number of new homes being built in the county.
While county council investigates to increase impact fees, the state enabling legislation governing those fees provides the largest hurdle to overcome.
In 1999, the General Assembly passed legislation governing the imposition of impact fees by local governments with enough restrictions and obstacles to make them virtually unworkable for local government use. The development industry launched a huge lobbying effort against the law and was generally successful in making the law extremely difficult for local governments to use.
The legislation dictates how the local governments must use the money and in what time frame it must be used. It also requires commercial structures to be treated the same as homes with respect to taxing, something that makes impact fees on commercial structures an excessive burden.
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Integrity or Opportunity in the Conway Mayor’s Race

The fifth chapter of the Ken Richardson for Mayor of Conway full-page ads in a local newspaper came out last Thursday.
The ad claimed Mayor Barbara Blain-Bellamy said she would only serve two terms and questioned why the change of heart? The ad went on to say the people of Conway deserve an explanation and leaders should honor their commitments.
The question goes both ways. On a local podcast, Richardson admitted he said he was done with politics after his loss in the 7th Congressional District race. Why the change of heart?
The answer is simple. It’s because Richardson saw an opportunity and decided to run against Bellamy after she issued the Mayoral Proclamation declaring June as Pride Month in Conway. He said as much in the podcast.
“Nobody’s going to dodge the question because it’s all everybody talks about is the proclamation the mayor did,” Richardson said.
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Richardson Campaign Calls Mayoral Proclamations Divisive

The fourth edition of full-page ads promoting the candidacy of Ken Richardson for Conway mayor was published in local media last week. The first three ads were basically a world salad of claims without any specifics.
Last week’s ad hit a new level of inscrutability. It claimed in part, “…Yet, lately we’ve seen division seep into our city’s fabric. The current mayor’s unilateral proclamations have left us feeling fractured…”
Wondering what caused claims of division and fracturing, I did a random search of Conway City Council Agenda to find these supposed divisive horrors. There were mayoral proclamations issued for “National Garden Week”, the “50th Anniversary of the United Way”, “Donate Life Month”, “Conway 10 and Under Fast Pitch Softball State Champions”, “Conway 12 and Under Fast Pitch Softball State Champions”, and to “Sargeant Major KaJuan Butler for 30 years of service in the U. S. Army”.
The ad for the Richardson campaign mentioned “unilateral proclamations” (plural) not any specific proclamation. Again, the public is being treated to general statements with no specificity from the Richardson campaign. General statements that fall into the category of word salad.
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Autry Benton’s Challenge for Senate District 33

Just over a week ago, Autry Benton announced his withdrawal from a reelection effort for Conway City Council in order to run for the state Senate seat currently held by Luke Rankin.
The announcement surprised the public, but the reason for it was even more surprising. Benton is seeking office to actually try to make a difference and help the citizens rather than the self-seeking reasons most politicians bring to their campaigns.
Benton’s announcement said he heard from Conway citizens that they were generally happy with the condition of the city. The major complaint he heard while campaigning were “about infrastructure in general and roads in particular. Benton said the solution to road problems lies in Columbia with General Assembly appropriations.
“It’s time for the necessary improvements to Horry County infrastructure to stop being ignored in Columbia. It’s time for Horry County to get a consistently strong voice for its fair share of state budget funds for roads and infrastructure,” Benton said in his announcement.
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One More Week More Word Salad in Conway Election Campaign

For the third week in a row, the Richardson for Mayor of Conway campaign has run a full-page ad in the local newspaper which is long on newsprint but says nothing of substance.
This has been a trend around the campaign since the hyperbolic article in a local blog announcing Richardson’s run. That particular article spoke of a “groundbreaking moment” in the political history of Conway and a “compelling message” for all residents. We are still waiting to hear the message.
Last week’s ad spoke of Richardson’s “monumental task” of “overseeing a budget exceeding 900 million dollars” and “ensuring the well-being of over 7,000 employees” when he was Chairman of the Horry County Board of Education. The numbers are used to impress.
Richardson was a good chairman for Horry County Schools. His signature achievement during that tenure was working with district staff and other board members through the mess Covid created for enclosed public spaces. Of course, the contributions of staff and other board members are never mentioned.
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Word Salad Instead of Specific Issues

Voters in Conway were ‘treated’ last week to another full page ad, in a local media outlet, of word salad without specifics by the Committee to Elect Ken Richardson.
The introductory sentence says it all, “In the HEART OF CONWAY where tradition meets progress, one name stands out KEN RICHARDSON.
One would think the first name to stand out, in the minds of those who proclaim to know exactly what Conway is and is not, would be General Robert Conway in whose honor the town is named. Gen. Conway was a Revolutionary War soldier, six term member of the South Carolina General Assembly, brigadier of the Sixth South Carolina Brigade and large land owner. Conway succeeded Peter Horry, for whom the county is named, as brigadier.
The names of more recent individuals who stand out in the history and development of Conway are Buddy Sasser, Greg Martin, Jean Timbes, Chip Brown, Leslie McGiver, Alys Lawson, Sam Hendrick, Vivian Chestnut and General James Vaught. And yes Mr. Richardson, Mayor Barbara Blain-Bellamy is on that list too.
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