PoliTick-Tock

Beach Dems talking taxes with city councilmember

The Beach Dems will meet for breakfast and to hear from guest speaker Myrtle Beach City Councilmember Wayne Gray, who will discuss the 1-cent sales tax proposal and potential elimination of property tax on owner-occupied homes.

The buffet and meeting starts at 8 a.m. Friday at Akel's restaurant on North Kings Highway. Breakfast is $7 per person and no reservations are required.

For more information, contact Sally P. Howard at 449-1936 or sallyphoward@aol.com.

Carolina Forest GOP club to meet

The Carolina Forest Republican Club will hear from Cameron Crawford, chief community director for Rep. Henry Brown, when it meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, at China Buffet on North 38th Avenue in Myrtle Beach.

Club President Jamie Roberts said Crawford will discuss immigration, pensions, veterans' affairs and Social Security, and will answer questions from the audience.

The meeting is open to all.

For more information, call Roberts at 424-3104.

Casual atmosphere as Atlantic Beach votes

In striking contrast to its recent elections, an air of nonchalance reigned over Atlantic Beach today as voters trickled to the polls for a Town Council special election.

By early afternoon, only 33 votes had been cast as residents chose between Josephine Isom, John Sketers and Kantrese Wright to fill the vacancy on the Town Council left by Retha Pierce's election to mayor in January. The high-tension atmosphere of that election -- with its series of Supreme Court orders, campaigning complaints, contested ballots and even contested candidates -- was largely absent today.

Tea Party planning tea party

The Myrtle Beach Tea Party is joining with 1,500 other cities around the country for the Tax Day Tea Party.

 

The group will meet from noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 15, at Chapin Park in Myrtle Beach.

 

The National Tax Day Tea Parties are designed to bring attention to government overspending. The Tea Party movement is a loose affiliation of local, independent organizations across the country. Organizers say the Myrtle Beach Tea Party is involved because it shares the values of fiscal responsibility, limited government and free markets.

 

For more information, call Stephen at 995-1012.

MB Republicans plan meeting

The next meeting of the Myrtle Beach Republican Club will be at noon Monday, April 20, at Damon's Oceanfront Grill, 2985 S. Ocean Blvd., Myrtle Beach.

Guest speaker is Karen Floyd, candidate for chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party. The meeting is open to the public. The regular restaurant lunch menu will be available for individual purchase.

For updated information and be to be added to the club's e-mail list, contact Mary Henry at 444-4364 or myrtlebeachrepublicanclub@gmail.com.

MB Republicans plan meeting

The next meeting of the Myrtle Beach Republican Club will be at noon Monday, April 20, at Damon's Oceanfront Grill, 2985 S. Ocean Blvd., Myrtle Beach.

Guest speaker is Karen Floyd, candidate for chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party. The meeting is open to the public. The regular restaurant lunch menu will be available for individual purchase.

For updated information and be to be added to the club's e-mail list, contact Mary Henry at 444-4364 or myrtlebeachrepublicanclub@gmail.com.

South Strand GOP to dine, dance and honor accomplishments

The south Strand Republican Club is holding its annual awards ceremony and dinner dance at 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 17 at Inlet Affairs Banquet & Catering, 4027 U.S.17 Business in Murrells Inlet.

 

The club will honor three people for their accomplishments and dedication to the principles of the Republican Party and for their work within their community to foster better understanding and leadership on the ideals of good citizenship: The Terry B. Cooper Award goes to John E. Bonsignor, SSRC president; the Jean McDowell Woman of the Year Award goes to Freda Munsey, secretary of the Horry County Republican Party; and the Man of the Year Award goes to Joseph DeFeo, a member of the Horry County Board of Education.

 

Tickets are $45 per person, tax and tip included, with $5 going into a 2010 campaign fund for the South Strand Republican candidates running for elected office.

The dinner includes a buffet with meat, vegetables, potatoes, dessert, coffee and tea and a cash bar.

Opera singer Jeff Jones will sing the at the beginning and end of the dance.

For information and tickets, call Rod Smith at 238-0189 or Charlie Soto at 655-1793.

Don't forget about Beach Dems breakfast

The Beach Dems will meet for breakfast and to hear from Sen. Vincent Sheheen, the only Democrat who has formed an exploratory committee for governor, at 8 a.m. Friday at Akel's restaurant, 65th Avenue North and Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach.

The breakfast buffet is $7 and no reservations are required.

For more information, contact Sally P. Howard at 449-1936 or sallyphoward@aol.com.
 

Democrats holding Jefferson Jackson Dinner

The South Carolina Democratic Party is holding its Jefferson Jackson Dinner on Friday, April 24, in Columbia, and reservations are required by Wednesday, April 15.

Delegates and alternates may buy one ticket each for $100; other tickets are $150. 

Checks should be made out to the South Carolina Democratic Party and delivered or mailed to the Horry County Democratic party office, 900 Fourth Ave. S., Suite A, Conway, SC 29526. 

Dinner begins at 7 p.m., but there is a reception preceeding at 6 p.m.

As soon as the guest speaker is announced, the party will send out an e-mail.

MB Republican women to meet

The Myrtle Beach Republican Women's Club will hear from North Myrtle Beach Mayor Marilyn Hatley and Karen Floyd, a candidate for S.C. GOP chair, at the group's regular monthly meeting from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, at the Dunes Golf and Ocean Club, 9000 N. Ocean Blvd., Myrtle Beach.

The buffet lunch is $20 and guests are welcome.

For more information, call President Johnnie Bellamy at 272-6885. 

This week in politics

If the ongoing battle between Gov. Mark Sanford and U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn over the state's participation in the federal stimulus package isn't sating your political appetite, there will be a few special events locally this week.

Republicans on both sides of the state line have a full plate with precinct reorganization as they chart the direction of their party, and supporters of President Barack Obama may be interested in the Organizing for America 2.0 S.C. Economic Recovery forum in Conway. 

Governor to describe stimulus plans

Gov. Mark Sanford, who has made a national name for himself opposing President Obama's stimulus package, will outline his plans for the money allocated to South Carolina on Wednesday, his office announced.

Sanford's control over the money is limited -- when he made his opposition known, U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn wrote provisions into the federal bill allowing the legislature to accept much of it if Sanford does not -- but the governor has the right of first refusal.

This week's political events

Here's a look at the political events on tap this week. 

Special guests of note are S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster in town as he continues to "consider" a gubernatorial run and Beach First president Walt Standish speaking to the Beach Dems. 

Anyone captivated by Dillon middle-schooler Ty'sheoma Bethea's letter to President Barack Obama might also want to catch the "Corridor of Shame" documentary showing in Georgetown.

S.C. Attorney General to visit Myrtle Beach Republican women

S.C Attorney General Henry McMaster, a possible contender for the governor's office in 2010, will speak to the Myrtle Beach Republican Women's Club at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 10, at the Dunes Golf and Ocean Club, 9000 N. Ocean Blvd., Myrtle Beach. 

The cost is $20 and guests are welcome. For information, call club president Johnnie Bellamy at 272-6885.

SC's chance of gaining new seat in Congress increases

South Carolina's chances of gaining an extra seat in Congress in 2010 -- and the added clout that comes with it -- continued to increase with the release of new Census projections this week, according to one analysts' report.

Seats in Congress are assigned based on population, using a famously complex formula that hands out Congressmen like a game of duck-duck-goose. South Carolina has had six Congressmen since 1930, but its recent rapid growth puts it in line for a seventh, according to a report Monday by Election Data Services.

If the census were taken now, South Carolina would not gain a seat, based on its 2008 estimate of 4,480,000 residents, the report states. Over the next two years, however, the state's population is expected to grow by between 130,000 and 160,000.

As larger states lose population during the same time frame, South Carolina's chances of making the cut for a seventh Congressional seat increase dramatically. Election Data Services compiles estimates based on five different sets of growth trends, and South Carolina now gains a seat in all of them.

"The state of South Carolina would gain a single seat in 2010 based on all five population trend models,'' the report states.

Reports in previous years have shown South Carolina trending toward gaining a seat, but the 2008 numbers showed faster-than-expected growth, increasing its chances even more.

U.S. Rep. Henry Brown's coastal First Congressional District, with population centers in both Charleston and Horry County, is one of the most populous in the country with more than 800,000 people and would surely shrink in a reapportionment. The state legislature redraws the lines, and the fight is always extremely political.

North Carolina sits right on the margin for gaining a seat as well. In the shortest- and longest-term projections, it remains at 13 seats, but mid-range growth patterns would give it a 14th seat.

The report projects about a dozen seats moving around the country after the 2010 Census, following the general population shift away from the northeast and Great Lakes and toward the south and southwest. Ohio is slated to lose two seats, while New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersy, Michigan, Illinois and others all lose one. Texas gains four, Arizona gains two, while Nevada, Utah, Georgia and others all gain one.

Louisiana, though it has nearly recovered the population lost after Hurricane Katrina, is likely to lose a seat.

South Strand Republicans give to host Thanksgiving dinner

The South Strand Republican Club is hosting a free Thanksgiving meal on Thursday for those who cannot afford one or are away from their families, a press release said.

The event will be held at Kono's Asian Grill at 1901 U.S. 17 Business in Myrtle Beach. The meal will start at 12:30 p.m., the release said.

For more information, contact John Bonsignor at 385-3963.

Van Winkle's official concession

Keith Van Winkle, the Republican challenger in the District 3 race for Horry County Council, conceded the election to Democrat incumbent Marion Foxworth this week.

Read his offical concession on the jump.

Votes from broken machine keep Foxworth ahead

Both candidates in the Horry County Council race in District 3 recieved 43 votes from a malfunctioning machine that was finally tabulated Thursday, leaving Democratic incumbent Councilman Marion Foxworth's 78-vote edge intact over Republican challenger Keith Van Winkle.

Sandy Martin, the county elections director, said a recount of the race will be held Friday. Unofficial results released Wednesday morning showed Foxworth ahead by only 0.8 percent, and state law requires a recount if the margin of victory is not more than 1 percent.

Martin said Wednesday she thought there was only 14 or 15 votes in the broken machine from the Myrtlewood 3 precinct.

Mandatory recount to be held in Foxworth race

The razor-thin margin of victory of Horry County Councilman Marion Foxworth, the Democratic incumbent in District 3, over his Republican challenger has triggered a mandatory recount due to state law, Sandy Martin, the county elections director, said Wednesday morning.

Martin said the recount will be held Friday when the county elections commission meets to certify the result. The losing candidate can waive the recount, but Martin said she has not been in touch with either candidate.

Foxworth defeated Keith Van Winkle 4,791 votes to 4,713 votes, or 48.7 to 47.9 percent. Write-in candidates received 340 votes. State law requires a mandatory recount if the margin of victory is not more than 1 percent.

Last month, Tony McDonald, a Carolina Forest resident and Republican, announced that he would be mounting a write-in campaign. Some Republicans and Democrats said his announcement could attract Republicans not satisfied with Van Winkle and throw the race to Foxworth.

Martin said the elections commission would not be able to determine exactly how many votes McDonald received until later this week.

Van Winkle, Foxworth and McDonald were not immediately available for comment. District 3 includes the southern portion of Myrtle Beach and most of Carolina Forest.

Ketner concedes Congressional seat to Brown

Democratic challenger Linda Ketner conceded defeat Wednesday morning to Republican U.S. Rep. Henry Brown, congratulating him on his return to a fifth term in Congress after a tight and sometimes abrasive race.

In her call to Brown, Ketner offered her help on any issues that may arise in the future, said Ketner campaign spokeswoman Kelly Love Johnson.

Votes were still being counted in Charleston County late Wednesday morning, but Ketner clearly posed the strongest challenge of Brown's Congressional career. The margin between the two ran about 53-47 with 75 percent of precincts reporting -- compared to the at least 60 percent margins Brown won in all his previous bids for Congress.

Of the five counties with portions in District 1 -- Horry, Georgetown, Dorchester, Berkeley and Charleston -- Ketner was leading only in Charleston. In Horry County, however, she garnered 5,000 votes more than Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama, suggesting that many McCain voters cast ballots for her.

Neither Ketner nor Brown was immediately available for comment Wednesday morning.