The Opinion Blog

Race for the Future

My latest column considers why U.S. Rep. Henry Brown has drawn such a crowded field of challengers.

The last few weeks have seen a flurry of campaign activity around U.S. Rep. Henry Brown's first district congressional seat, which covers all of Horry County and coastal Georgetown County and stretches down into Charleston.

Former Mount Pleasant Town Council member Mark Fava last week became the latest Republican to mount a primary challenge against Brown, joining governor's-son challenger Carroll "Tumpy" Campbell III, Isle of Palms councilman Ryan Buckhannon and perennial challenger Katherine Jenerette of North Myrtle Beach. At the same time, Dick Withington of Pawleys Island announced his Democratic candidacy, joining retired Air Force Col. Robert Burton and Georgetown-area businessman Robert Dobbs in vying for that nomination.

Four Republican challengers and three Democrats, long before filing, with other names still in the rumor mill. Now in his fifth term, what has Brown done to deserve such a crowded path to re-election?

Unanswered questions

My second political column notes politicians’ distaste for specifics, as displayed in a recent gubernatorial debate in Myrtle Beach.

In an ideal world, a political debate would be a place where the ideas of the day are placed side by side, measured against one another, and ultimately improved for having their weaknesses examined.

In our world, candidates' forums often look less like debates and more like sprints: acknowledge the moderator's question in as few words as possible and scurry back to the campaign's pre-approved talking point at top speed, ignoring any temptation to think along the way.

It was probably with this reality in mind that moderator David Stanton needled the seven participants at last Friday's bipartisan forum hosted by the S.C. Farm Bureau at Myrtle Beach‘s Kingston Plantation. Stanton had asked their thoughts on Act 388, the property-tax bill with the controversial point-of-sale provision that realtors hate but farmers, according to Stanton, dig.

Raising the Flag Once More

Saturday’s editorial points out that the 2010 elections could respark the state’s perpetual debate over the placement of the Confederate flag.

Whenever a new voice calls attention to the Confederate battle flag flying prominently in front of the S.C. Statehouse, its defenders claim with victorious glee that the matter is settled, that it's in the past, that a deal was done and should be honored.

It can't be settled, because it just keeps coming up. And just because a deal is done doesn't make it right.

Narrow Margins

Sunday’s editorial encourages the Myrtle Beach City Council to recognize the obvious message sent by the election - that the city is deeply divided right down the middle on the major issues they’ve tackled, and their duty now is to attempt to govern for all the people.

For a year and a half, a question that could only be answered by an election hung over Myrtle Beach: How did residents really feel about their City Council's controversial decisions to end the major May motorcycle rallies and to charge city shoppers an extra 1 percent tax to pay for out-of-the-area advertising?

Vote for Change, Carefully

Sunday’s editorial suggests a responsible course toward change on the Myrtle Beach City Council.

After two years of loud division, Myrtle Beach now needs leaders who will strive to reunite our fractured city. Of the two challengers remaining in this week's election, we believe one can bring a reasoned voice for a new direction to the City Council, while the other would dramatically deepen the divide.

Tuesday's election will likely be the final arbiter of who sits on the City Council for the next four years. For mayor, despite our disappointment and disagreements with John Rhodes, we believe he still makes a more reasonable leader than Mark McBride. For City Council, however, Mike Lowder can provide a counterpoint to a governing body that desperately needs it. Though both incumbent city councilmen have given good years of service to the city, we believe Randal Wallace's skills as a listener make him more likely to spearhead a healing process for the city than Chuck Martino.

Seeking Reinforcements

Friday’s lead editorial suggests the Atlantic Beach Town Council bring in the Horry County Election Commission to conduct town elections for the foreseeable future – not to prevent fraud, but to head off allegations of fraud.

It comes as little surprise to observers of Atlantic Beach politics that the results of the town's Nov. 3 election were challenged, then protested, then postponed two days, and now postponed another week.

Modern-Day Carpet-bagging

Saturday’s editorial encourages the Atlantic Beach Election Commissioners to take a hard look at whether the apparent winners of town's election actually live in town.

This week's electoral debacle in Atlantic Beach proves that the tiny town's longstanding tradition of employing a “transient electorate” to decide elections is still alive and thriving, though its practice has changed hands. In fact, the transients are no longer just the voters – they're the candidates, and the winning ones at that.

One Last Chance

Thursday’s editorial reminds Myrtle Beach candidates that they have two more weeks to show voters real leadership.

Attacks on family members, anonymous mailers, allegations of kickbacks – the politics in the Myrtle Beach city elections was filthy enough the first time around that we hope the next two weeks will be an improvement.

Civic Duty Calls Voters to Polls

Tuesday’s editorial encourages voters to head to the polls and summarizes our recommendations in various city elections.

Let neither rain nor sleet nor mudslinging prevent registered voters from making their choices today for many important municipal officers across Georgetown and Horry counties and Brunswick County, N.C. The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Horry and Georgetown counties and 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Brunswick County.

The City That Forgot How To Listen

Sunday’s editorial offers our thoughts on the choices before Myrtle Beach city voters in the Nov. 3 election.

"Myrtle Beach residents who are sick of the bickering that plagues city government can bring it to an end by choosing Judy Rodman as their next mayor. [She] offers residents a soft-spoken, collegial personal style and steely intellect ... [and] has a far better chance than her opponents of forging the council into a cohesive policy-making group whose decisions make sense."

- The Sun News, Oct. 30, 2005, editorial recommendation

Four years ago, Myrtle Beach's governing body was high drama, a comedy for the outside world looking in, but tragedy for those of us who cared about the characters. Mark McBride had been mayor for eight years, and during that time had repeatedly drawn the eyes of the country, the state and the city to Myrtle Beach in derision. Either of his opponents, longtime Councilwoman Judy Rodman and businessman John Rhodes, seemed to be an improvement, but Rodman in particular possessed exactly the blend of perceptiveness and peacemaking the city desperately needed, and still does. McBride and Rhodes edged Rodman in a close three-way race, and Rhodes (with her endorsement) defeated McBride in the runoff, but oh, four years later, how we long for a choice as clear as we had then.