The Opinion Blog

Keeping Warm

Saturday's editorial describes Myrtle Beach's need to help the city's homeless population in the coming year.

Out of respect, perhaps, few of the sad circumstances surrounding the deaths of 18 men and women on the streets of Myrtle Beach this year were shared at vigil for them Thursday, but even the scant details mentioned as the mourning bell was rung and the memorial candles were lit were heart-wrenching.

Three apparent homicides, plus one man killed when his tent caught fire. Three heart attacks, two cancer deaths, one seizure and half a dozen who simply slipped away in their sleep.

Then there was Frank, "found frozen to death behind the old fish market."

Frozen to death. In March. In Myrtle Beach.

An Uphill Battle

Saturday’s editorial describes the obstacles local lawmakers face in their effort to preserve state tourism funding – some of which are their own making.

A panel of eight local lawmakers this week declared themselves dedicated to what looks likely to be a daunting task: protecting the flow of state money toward out-of-state tourism advertising.

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?

Milelong Boardwalk Under Way

Friday’s lead editorial observes the progress on Myrtle Beach’s new boardwalk.

A beach town may feel not quite complete without a boardwalk. Myrtle Beach which hasn't had this amenity for several decades is building one that will run from near Second Avenue North to 14th Avenue North.

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.

Cracking Open the School Books

Friday’s editorial applauds a new state law that requires schools to post their spending online.

Following an emerging and highly laudable trend, the Grand Strand has seen a number of its local governments begin regularly posting their spending records online for anyone to see: first Myrtle Beach, followed quickly by Surfside Beach, and most recently the city of Georgetown.

Soon, thanks to a litlte-noticed but likewise commendable new provision in state law, they will be joined by some of the area's largest governing bodies: local school boards.

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.

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.

Mystery Money

Sunday’s article calls for the end of corporate campaign contributions in South Carolina (as in federal elections and more than 20 other states), using the recent upset over contributions in Myrtle Beach as an example.

The hundreds of mysterious $1,000 donations to local politicians that have caused such stir over the last two weeks are, as The Sun News has reported, both legal and commonplace in South Carolina.

And, frankly, a little repulsive.

City Tries for Early Rollback

Friday's editorial encourages the Myrtle Beach council to press for an earlier property-tax rollback for city homeowners, while expressing our continued distaste for the new sales tax itself.

Home rule goes only as far as the S.C. General Assembly desires. Members of the Myrtle Beach City Council are up against that often unpleasant fact of municipal governance in wanting to give homeowners an early rollback on property taxes.