Debate full of fireworks

By Mike Cherney

Sen. Luke Rankin, R-Myrtle Beach, and County Council Chairwoman Liz Gilland, who is challenging Rankin for his senate seat in District 33 in the Republican primary June 10, sparred over who would be the best person to safeguard public dollars at a debate today in Conway.

Rankin questioned whether economic development trips that Gilland took last year to China, Japan and Germany, paid for with her council expense account or by other organizations that receive public funding, was a good use of public dollars.

Gilland fired back that Rankin does not do enough to ensure that public money is being spent wisely in Columbia, pointing to state earmark such as about $75,000 to clean a statue at Francis Marion University, Gilland said.

The candidates also disagreed over whether to create an airport authority to run the county's four airports. Rankin sponsored legislation in the senate to create such an authority, and Gilland and the rest of the council oppose it.

Rankin said the authority would help build consensus between Horry County and Myrtle Beach. Last year, the city's community appearance board killed a plan to build a more than $200 million terminal on the west side of the airport.

Gilland said creating an authority would take control of the airport away from Horry County taxpayers, and would not be subject to public scrutiny. The county currently runs the airport as a county department.

Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Sun News.

Comments

[Patrick Hill]

Cherney:

I do not think you are accurately reporting this. Your reporting goes against the grain of Gilland's soul.

To say Liz wants to remove democratic scrutiny from this process is patently false. Remove the CAB, yea, but remove citizen input, no. You are advocating, not reporting.

Read YOUR charter again.

At this point, a directly voted for rep. should be involved in setting up this affair.

[Randy]

A directly voted for Representative with whose best interest in mind? While that is a most noble request the truth of the matter is quite the opposite. Spending 200 million dollars on an airport that will never be anything but a destination may not be the best way to look out for their constituents. As a taxpayer of Horry County and a resident of 40 plus years I have seen the political structure of this county change very little. The good old boy status quo is hard at work and regardless of who is in charge the outcome is the same. The airport has always been a hot button issue simply because of revenue generated, not because it is a worthy project. The appearance, to most I have talked to is this: A new airport would allow the County Council to put their name on a plaque and tell their voters what a great thing they have done for the county. Oh, and the 200 million dollar bill that is due? That, my voter friend, is someone else's problem