AB devolves into a dead town walking

Today's editorial takes note of the collapse last week of the Atlantic Beach town government:

Town government died last week in Atlantic Beach, though its ghost remains. The community is in a world of hurt financially, thanks to years of money mishandling and misappropriation. But because Town Council refuses to form a quorum to pay the bills, deal with lawsuits, reorganize town government and formulate a budget, its ability to make things better is gone.

As the interim town manager, Charles Williams, noted last week after yet another council meeting collapsed into disarray: "They intentionally choose to shut their government down, and they just need to go out of business."

Coming from Williams, that's a powerful statement. The gentleman, a retiree with a distinguished record in S.C. municipal management, is on loan to Atlantic Beach from the Municipal Association of South Carolina. The association, readers will recall, sent him into the town earlier this year after its former mayor and town manager were indicted on misconduct charges.

The association leadership was hopeful that Williams could work with Town Council members Retha Pierce, Charlene Taylor, Jake Evans and Donnell Thompson to put town government on track toward fiscal stability. This optimism was short-lived.

A scant four months later, Thompson and Pierce demand that Williams be fired because he sees oceanfront development as the town's best hope for revival. Evans and Taylor disagree but prefer to terminate council meetings rather give Pierce and Thompson satisfaction by discussing Williams' employment. So gridlock prevails.

When Williams says it's time for Atlantic Beach's town government to disband or be suspended, therefore, the folks with the power to end town government should prepare to act. Sadly, we're not talking about the town's voters.

Under current law, only they can dissolve town government. Half of them must sign petitions requesting a referendum for that purpose. And two-thirds of the voters must approve the dissolution of town government in a general election. As we have seen repeatedly, those who try to lead in Atlantic Beach become targets for derision - and get nowhere. It's not realistic to believe that dissolution via the ballot box could happen.

That leaves the state or the courts as the last lines of defense for rational, competent, effective local government. But only one of the two S.C. lawmakers who represent the four-block-wide town, Rep. Tracy Edge, R-North Myrtle Beach, is willing to work next year on a legislative initiative to strip away the town's charter. Legislators and/or the courts could also suspend Town Council - in effect throwing the town into receivership.

The other Atlantic Beach legislator, Sen. Dick Elliott, D-North Myrtle Beach, believes town government should be left to its own devices, adding: "Maybe the air will clear in Atlantic Beach." Right.

Maybe Elliott's Republican opponent in the Nov. 4 election, Bill McKown, will take a less deluded view of the situation, which surely must be unbearable for town residents. Ending the misery in Atlantic Beach is a legitimate issue for the fall election, and Elliott is on the wrong side of it.

Regardless of what happens with town government, the community won't go away. Indeed, the termination of town government - or suspension of Town Council - would free residents from decades of incompetence and corruption. Any option other than continuing town government would benefit them. There is - finally - nowhere for the community to go but up.

Comments?

Comments

[Dr. James E. Dunn]

I think that Atlantic Beach would be wise to become one of the several communities that now make up North Myrtle Beach.

It is time to put skin color behind us!

DrJED

[NMB resident]

This editorial displays how different our representation we have between Dick Elliott and Tracy Edge. Elliott has ALWAYS protected Atlantic Beach, or rather Irene and others, from Edge's efforts to pass laws that would bring greater accountability over AB. Edge tried to give NMB juridiction other Highway 17 within AB, especially when AB had no officers, and Elliott blocked it in the Senate. I guess Elliott being a Democrat thinks he has to keep tose 100 votes in atlantic Beach at the expense of the 1000s around it. Go Tracy GO and keep up the fight. We are behind you.

[SM in NMB]

Good for you Tracy. Elliott has to go. He has done nothing for us and plenty for himself. I will be voting for McKown in November, you can count on that.

[David O'connell]

Great editorial about all the wrong things going on in Atlantic Beach. The residents deserve better and its obvious the council form of goverment, at lease for this town, does not work. Rep Edge is a true leader and I know Bill McKown will work with Tracy to put this community back on track whatever it takes.

[prefab sprout]

I believe that Eliott has had various business dealings with different members of the organized crime group (disguised as Town Managers and elected officials)that has been at the forefront of this decline of the town.

He does not have clean hands as far as his motives go. Maybe an investigation by David Wren into the web on intanglements between Elliott and these folks is in order???