Another candidate enters Myrtle Beach City Council field

Matthew Hardee, a student at Coastal Carolina University, says he will run for Myrtle Beach City Council.

Hardee, who lives on 13th Avenue South, is also the music director at Jamestown Baptist Church. He said he was inspired to run after a spate of shootings around Father’s Day weekend.

“Crime and greed are the biggest problems in this city. A lack of leadership in our city has led to this increase in crime and many other serious issues,” Hardee wrote in an email to The Sun News.

Hardee said he will self-fund his campaign and did not identify a specific amount of money he plans to spend, but said he did “not plan to spend a lot.” He has not yet filed a campaign finance report with the S.C. Ethics Commission, which all candidates must do after they either raise or spend $500.

Hardee enters a rapidly growing field for the three at-large, nonpartisan city council seats open this November. Incumbent Councilmen Mike Lowder and Randal Wallace have both said they are running for re-election. Local business owner Ann Dunham and Keith Van Winkle have also said they will run for city council. Councilman Wayne Gray has not made an official announcement and has not raised any donations since one contribution last year, according to campaign reports.

The filing period to run for office opens in late August, and voters go to the polls on Nov. 7.

This story was originally published July 12, 2017 at 1:47 PM with the headline "Another candidate enters Myrtle Beach City Council field."