Former SC police officer running for Myrtle Beach Mayor wants to ‘help everybody’
A former police officer whose platform focuses on reducing crime and recovering from the coronavirus pandemic said her decision to run for Myrtle Beach mayor was part of a greater calling to serve people and to lead with faith.
Tammie Durant, an army veteran, announced her intent to run in a live streamed Facebook video where she was celebrating with relatives and friends. Durant, a Black woman, is leaning on her experience in law enforcement to help guide her vision to making Myrtle Beach safer and to represent everyone.
She says she’s not a politician and isn’t trying to be one, but believes in “people over politics.”
“For the people means all races, all cultures,” Durant said. “I’m not just for any one particular culture, race, gender, whatever. I’m for everybody and I want to help everybody.”
The decision to run for mayor was a year in the making, Durant told The Sun News. She said she was in the car when she received a word from God.
“I know the way that this world is going to come together is love, love, love,” she said. Because that’s what God is, love, and I’m going to share that.”
‘I need to help and protect society’
Durant was born and raised in Florence and has lived in Myrtle Beach for seven years. She retired from the Florence police department in 2015 after 11 years of service.
Her career as an officer and personal experience as a single mother of two encouraged her to run and help reform the way police interact with the community.
“Being a single mom of two Black men, I was in a position where I protected my kids from a lot of things,” she said. “But now [is] the time I need to help and protect society.”
Durant said Myrtle Beach has lost the family feel that it had when she visited as a child. Her solution to getting the city back on track is adding more police and making sure they are engaging with the community and rebuilding trust.
“I’ve seen Myrtle Beach go down so bad,” Durant said. “When they start saying ‘Dirty Myrtle’ that bothers me. It actually pisses me off.”
While Durant is in favor of bolstering the police force with more personnel, she acknowledges the need for community policing. She said it’s not her style to “just sit behind a desk and push a pen.”
“Our community has to get to know our police officers, she said. “We have got to get that respect back of respecting police officers, and officers respecting society and individuals. It works both ways.”
If elected, Durant would inherit a city following the summer tourist season when Myrtle Beach sees it’s largest number of visitors and possibly still in the throes of a pandemic that has killed more than 291 people in Horry County and affected 21,112 others as of Friday afternoon.
She said she supports the mask mandate that is set to expire at the end of January and would encourage people to wear it.
“You have to look at the statistics of what’s going on with COVID because it is changing day by day,” she said. “And you have to sit down with experts and doctors and everyone and just see what would be best for the city.”
Entrepreneurship and Leadership
Durant is a local entrepreneur and owns Durant Publishing and writes books on faith and God. She also owns Durant Sports, where she is a personal trainer.
She was in charge of training new security officers at Broadway at the Beach. She stressed de-escalation training and communication between staff and visitors.
Durant said it is important for her to be a role model for her two sons, who are both in their 20s. She said they are excited that she has decided to run for mayor and added that she wants them to look at her and know they can be and do whatever they want.
She wants more people in the city to step up and be leaders, and she said she is one. Durant is currently participating in Leadership Grand Strand, a program sponsored by the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce aimed at developing “a corps of informed, committed, and qualified individuals capable of providing dynamic leadership for the Grand Strand area.”
The next municipal election will take place in November and the filing period for candidates will open sometime in late August. Myrtle Beach municipal elections are at-large and non-partisan, meaning all residents vote for all positions and a party isn’t designated on the ballot. Members serve four-year terms.
Candidates must file a statement of candidacy with the city clerk by the filing deadline, which hasn’t been set yet, according to Myrtle Beach spokesman Mark Kruea. A statement of economic interest and campaign disclosure form is also required by the South Carolina Ethics Commission.
So far, former Trump campaign photographer Gene Ho and Mayor Brenda Bethune are running for the position. Bethune’s term continues until January 2022.
This story was originally published January 18, 2021 at 9:00 AM.
