Loftus re-elected to Horry County Council District 4

Horry County Councilman Gary Loftus is cruising to reelection in the 4th District seat, beating back a challenge by Democratic candidate Robin Gause.

Loftus, a Republican, has a strong lead of 8,732 votes compared to Gause’s 3,591 votes, according to early unofficial results from the Horry County Voter Registration and Elections Office. Those results include 14 of 20 precincts.

Loftus pledged during his campaign to focus his efforts on updating the county’s storm water plan to ensure that new development does not cause flooding in existing neighborhoods. Loftus says that some developers need to refocus their attention on existing development where drainage needs improvement, as evidenced by the recent hurricane and tropical storms.

Loftus said that public safety is a top priority, and said that the county needs to increase funding to attract and retain officers on the police force.

This story was originally published November 8, 2016 at 9:46 PM with the headline "Loftus re-elected to Horry County Council District 4."