Tag: Debbie Harwell

Horry Chair Special Election Runoff Hijinks

Republican challengers Mark Lazarus and Al Allen will square off Tuesday March 26th in a special election runoff for the party nomination for Horry County Council chairman.

The election will effectively decide the next council chairman as there is no Democratic candidate and a write-in campaign that could defeat the Republican nominee is not in the cards.

Lazarus led the first round voting with 41 percent of the vote to Allen’s 24.5 percent, which just squeaked out second place over first time candidate Debbie Harwell who finished with 24 percent

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Special Election Primary – Who Cares?

We are at the weekend before the special election primary for Horry County Council chairman and there is very little buzz “on the street” about the race.

Is it that voters are electioned out or that the five candidates have failed to generate any real excitement about themselves?

I suspect both of the above are part of the problem.

Two things I am hearing on the street from average citizens are no matter who becomes the next chairman, there is little support for giving government money to private businesses in the name of economic development and there is little support for building I-73.

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Little Difference in Special Election Candidates

If I learned anything from Tuesday night’s televised forum of candidates in the special election for the vacant Horry County Council chairman seat, it’s that very little separates these candidates on issues.

Mark Lazarus, Liz Gilland, Al Allen, Debbie Harwell and Fonzie Lewis are not going to raise taxes except in cases of extreme emergency. Yet, all are going to push hard for I-73, the Southern Evacuation Lifeline and other major road projects in the county.

More major road projects with no tax increases.

Things like hospitality fees, road maintenance fees and local option sales taxes, all of which have been added or increased through the years, don’t count as taxes in this thought process.

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Debbie Harwell Entering Chairman Race

Several sources have told Grand Strand Daily that local businesswoman Debbie Harwell will announce her candidacy for the vacant Horry County Council Chairman seat within the next 48 hours.

Harwell, owner of Adobe Palm Communications and former morning talk radio personality on WRNN radio, will bring the number of candidates announced for the race to four.

Former council chair Liz Gilland, former council member Mark Lazarus and current District 11 county council representative Al Allen are the other announced candidates.

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Harwell Exits 7th District Race

By Paul Gable
Grand Strand Daily has learned that Myrtle Beach business woman Debbie Harwell will announce later this afternoon that she is withdrawing as a candidate for the new 7th Congressional District seat.

Harwell, considered to be one of the strongest candidates in the field due to name recognition, organization and contacts throughout the new district, is withdrawing due to family medical issues.

Her husband, former S.C. Supreme Court Judge David Harwell (79), was hospitalized in December for several serious medical conditions.

“It is with great regret that I must remove my name from consideration as a candidate in the 7th Congressional District race,” said Harwell in a statement.

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