The Opinion Blog

Fire Funds Due Consideration

Sunday’s second editorial:

Nobody likes to hear the words tax increase. Like a fist flying at our face, the instinctual reaction is to duck or throw up our hands in defense. But we also pay strict attention when our fire safety officials say that they need more resources to keep us safe, as has happened across the county recently.

Let the Surfside Pups Play

Thursday’s first editorial was previewed here yesterday:

It was sorely tempting to label efforts to curb barking at the dog park in Surfside Beach ridiculous grumpiness and be done with it.

End barking at the dog park? Might as well try to end playing at the playground.

Open Victories

Friday’s editorial is a wrap-up of what’s working well when it comes to open government. It includes plenty of links, so if you’ve ever wondered where to find some of this info, it could be worth browsing just for those:

We’re nearing the end of another Sunshine Week, when media outlets across the nation celebrate open government and advocate for more transparency in the halls of power. In past years we’ve used the occasion to call for a variety of reforms, including more robust freedom of information laws in our state, fewer executive sessions at local governmental bodies, better monitoring of those secret meetings and more basic training for public employees on the state’s public access laws. Those concerns haven’t changed.

But while there are still plenty of issues to address across our state and region – and we will continue to point them out – for today at least we choose to see the glass as half full, and we’ll instead celebrate some successes of local institutions. There have been achievements in public access and open government here in recent years and we honor them to spread the worthy ideas and practices to other local governments and agencies.

Fake Pot, Real Bans

Should Surfside Beach be spending its time banning synthetic drugs? We take a look in Thursday’s editorial:

We can certainly understand the worries of Surfside Beach leaders, who appear poised to ban a slate of synthetic drugs in the town in the coming weeks. The substances in question can induce vomiting, nausea, hallucinations, paranoid behavior, anxiety and seizures. Why anybody would voluntarily choose such nasty experiences is mystifying. Nevertheless, the town’s proposed action may not be the best solution.

Golfers Needed for Lions Event

Wednesday’s first editorial highlights the annual golf tournament by the South Strand Lions:

Members of the South Strand Lions Club are hoping for good weather on March 2, the date of the Lions’ sixth annual charity golf tournament at Wachesaw Plantation East -- or at least better conditions than the event experienced last year when a downpour reduced the number of participants and limited play to nine holes.

Good Step Forward on Lasers, Though Enforcement Questions Remain

Friday’s editorial praises the recent move by Horry County to limit laser pointer sales, but points out there are still some gaps when it comes to actually enforcing the new rules:

Horry County’s move Tuesday to limit laser sales in the county is a strong step toward ending the inane and dangerous fad we saw last year of shining the lights at incoming aircraft. Even better is the concurrent action by Myrtle Beach and Surfside Beach to work toward adopting identical ordinances so that buyers need not simply drive into the city to make a purchase. But the proof will be in the pudding. Will the new rules actually make a dent in the profusion of laser strikes – more than 70 – that we saw last summer?

Meet the New Leaders, a Lot Like the Old Ones

Friday’s editorial isn’t so much a stance on an issue as just an observation about how the faces of our leadership seem to stay the same from year to year:

It’s been quite a year of change for Horry County leadership. Or has it? What’s striking is how little things might have actually changed.

To quickly sum up the most notable moves among our top brass:

Welcome Harmony on Laser Rules

Friday’s first editorial:

Kudos to Myrtle Beach leaders for moving this week to bring the city’s ordinance governing the sale of laser pointers in line with the rule that Horry County is considering. Too many rules on the Grand Strand differ by municipality and city boundaries, an issue that has gotten better in recent years but which continues to vex residents, visitors and businesses.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Tuesday’s editorial reflects that, when you think about it, perhaps a basic code of conduct isn’t such a bad idea for public bodies:

Georgetown’s leaders are headed back to elementary school. And it may be such a good idea that other leaders should do the same.

At the Georgetown City Council meeting Thursday, the group considered a code of conduct for what had become its somewhat contentious meetings. The rules wouldn’t be out of place on the bulletin board of any first grade classroom:

See Democracy in Action

Sunday’s editorial encourages civic-minded folks to turn that impulse to action by going to a meeting or two:

Want to know what’s going on in your town? Want to have a say in the decisions? Want to be involved in making your community a better place? Great. A good place to start? Show up to the meetings.

Every governing body in our area meets regularly in sessions that are open to the public and yet often very sparsely attended. It’s not unusual for the councils that govern Horry County or Myrtle Beach to conduct their business with just a couple of dozen people looking on. North Myrtle Beach recently held a public meeting on its proposed $11 million sports park which just one person attended. They’re hardly the only ones.