Incumbents in Horry Hamlets

Thursday's editorial issues the editorial board's recommendations in many Horry County elections:

CONWAY | Horry County's small municipalities have been the recent beneficiaries of sound leadership over the last two years from the incumbents who are up for re-election. Several, however, have drawn spirited challenges, and voters have good options in each city.

When looking around the entire county, it's tempting to suggest that Conway may have be among our best governed local entity of late, with no significant upset or scandals and a strong economic development campaign under way. Three incumbents (Randy Alford, Irby Koon and Jeanne Timbes) are defending their seats, and all three have earned the right to return. Alford's keen intelligence and strong financial background, Timbes' experience and genuine concern for the city, and Koon's deep connections to the people of Conway as a long-time educator all make unique contributions to the town.

Conway residents are fortunate, however, to have such a qualified challenger as William Goldfinch, a young member of the town's planning board. If voters choose to elect him, he is certainly qualified for office, and his complaints that the city is not business-friendly enough are actually acknowledged by the incumbents.

AYNOR | The town of Aynor has three candidates for two council seats. We suspect most Aynor voters will agree with us that incumbent Councilman John Gardner has shown a steady hand and good grasp of the issues over the years, and should be returned to office. For the remaining open seat, Josh Johnson may be relatively young and new to the area, but we believe his new produce business shows initiative the town can benefit from. Tony Godsey Sr. is also a strong candidate.

ATLANTIC BEACH | Two council seats are open. While the suggestion of "sound leadership" over the last two years in Atlantic Beach may at first blush sound woefully uninformed, the antics of the mayor and constant bad press are not to be blamed on either Charlene Taylor or Josephine Isom. Taylor has been a vocal opponent of Mayor Retha Pierce, challenging her in a special election that was subsequently struck down by the S.C. Supreme Court, and presents herself as the candidate of the long-suffering and dignified families who founded the town. During town meetings, Taylor sometimes allows herself to be drawn into bickering with Pierce that results in contentious video footage, but has mostly tried to steer the town back toward solvency.

Isom is a relative newcomer to council, elected to fill the seat left vacant when Pierce finally claimed the mayor's seat. A longtime county records employee, Isom's intelligence and independence certainly qualifies her for a return to her seat.

The only challenger on the ballot is Paul Curry. We commend him for offering himself as a candidate and feel sure that if elected, Curry would take the job seriously and could even provide a fresh perspective on the council, but as of now we see no reason for voters to replace either Taylor or Isom.

Do your part

Why are we telling you how to vote? We're not. Civics is hard work, and we hope that the opinions of The Sun News editorial board will be only one of many sources you consult. Perhaps we've brought up ideas you hadn't thought of or we've praised the very things you like least about these candidates. We're sharing our ideas as just one more perspective to consider as you head to the polls Tuesday.

When looking around the entire county, it's tempting to suggest that Conway may have be among our best governed local entity of late, with no significant upset or scandals and a strong economic development campaign under way. Three incumbents (Randy Alford, Irby Koon and Jeanne Timbes) are defending their seats, and all three have earned the right to return. Alford's keen intelligence and strong financial background, Timbes' experience and genuine concern for the city, and Koon's deep connections to the people of Conway as a long-time educator all make unique contributions to the town.

Conway residents are fortunate, however, to have such a qualified challenger as William Goldfinch, a young member of the town's planning board. If voters choose to elect him, he is certainly qualified for office, and his complaints that the city is not business-friendly enough are actually acknowledged by the incumbents.

AYNOR | The town of Aynor has three candidates for two council seats. We suspect most Aynor voters will agree with us that incumbent Councilman John Gardner has shown a steady hand and good grasp of the issues over the years, and should be returned to office. For the remaining open seat, Josh Johnson may be relatively young and new to the area, but we believe his new produce business shows initiative the town can benefit from. Tony Godsey Sr. is also a strong candidate.

ATLANTIC BEACH | Two council seats are open. While the suggestion of "sound leadership" over the last two years in Atlantic Beach may at first blush sound woefully uninformed, the antics of the mayor and constant bad press are not to be blamed on either Charlene Taylor or Josephine Isom. Taylor has been a vocal opponent of Mayor Retha Pierce, challenging her in a special election that was subsequently struck down by the S.C. Supreme Court, and presents herself as the candidate of the long-suffering and dignified families who founded the town. During town meetings, Taylor sometimes allows herself to be drawn into bickering with Pierce that results in contentious video footage, but has mostly tried to steer the town back toward solvency.

Isom is a relative newcomer to council, elected to fill the seat left vacant when Pierce finally claimed the mayor's seat. A longtime county records employee, Isom's intelligence and independence certainly qualifies her for a return to her seat.

The only challenger on the ballot is Paul Curry. We commend him for offering himself as a candidate and feel sure that if elected, Curry would take the job seriously and could even provide a fresh perspective on the council, but as of now we see no reason for voters to replace either Taylor or Isom.

Do your part

Why are we telling you how to vote? We're not. Civics is hard work, and we hope that the opinions of The Sun News editorial board will be only one of many sources you consult. Perhaps we've brought up ideas you hadn't thought of or we've praised the very things you like least about these candidates. We're sharing our ideas as just one more perspective to consider as you head to the polls Tuesday.