S.C. House Dist. 106 runoff slated for Tuesday
South Stranders will have a chance to choose their next House representative Tuesday as polls will open for a Republican runoff for the seat vacated by State Rep. Nelson Hardwick in May.
Russell Fry and Tyler Servant were the top two vote-getters in the field-of-four primary last month. The two will go head-to-head in Tuesday’s primary. The winner will face a September general election, although there is no Democratic candidate for the seat.
Hardwick resigned after 10 years in the seat amid allegations that he harassed a female House staffer.
Polls will be open from 7 to 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Russell Fry
Age | 30
Party | Republican
Address | P.O. Box 14444, Surfside Beach, SC 29578
Occupation | Co-owner of a small consulting business and lawyer with the Coastal Law firm in Myrtle Beach.
Family | Wife, Bronwen
Civic and political experience | Boys Scouts and earned his Eagle Scout in 2003. Former president of the Student Bar Association, Charleston School of Law, and helped the school achieve full ABA accreditation; Vice President and President of the Grand Stand Young Republicans in 2012 and 2013, respectively; Former executive committeeman for the Horry County Republican Party; Active member of the NRA; and member of Socastee United Methodist Church
Education | Horry County Public Schools graduate; the University of South Carolina; Charleston School of Law
Military experience | N/A
Contact information | Phone: (843) 360-4250; Email: FryforHouse@gmail.com; Twitter: @RussellWFry; Facebook: Facebook.com/FryforHouse; Website: www.FryforHouse.com
Match your strengths or areas of expertise with the needs you feel District 106 is facing.
Answer | This election is about who can best represent the people of the South Strand and who will bring fresh ideas and solutions to the problems facing our district. As a son of blue-collar parents who put blood, sweat, and tears into opening their own small businesses, I understand the challenges our residents face as they strive to achieve their dreams and how government often stifles success. I’ll approach making our government more efficient, reforming our tax system, developing our infrastructure, and creating jobs for our district like I’ve approached everything in life – head on, with a fighter’s spirit.
If you were given the ability to provide more funding for one area/line item of the budget in the next four years, where would you provide more funding and why?
Answer | As a conservative, I know that throwing more money at a problem is rarely the best solution. We must find innovative ways to make government more efficient and accountable. I promise as your next representative, I will work to eliminate fraud and abuse and redirect wasteful spending to core functions of government, specifically infrastructure development for our area. By improving our roads, bridges, and ports we are able to raise the quality of life for our residents and attract business and industry that will create jobs for our area, while also alleviating congestion in the South Strand.
Tyler Servant
Age | 24
Party | Republican
Address | 16063 Surfside Beach, SC 29578
Occupation | Real Estate Broker
Family | Son of Mil and Judy Servant, Brother: Miles Servant. Grandparents: Sonny and Maxine Furr
Civic and political experience | Worked in legislature for three years while at the University of South Carolina; Member of the Legislative Policy and South Strand Business Councils for the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce; Graduate of Leadership Grand Strand and a member of the Grand Strand Sertoma Club, the Surfside Beach Rotary Club, the Greater Burgess Community Association, NRA, and the Garden City Beach Community Association
Education | St. James High School graduate; degrees in real estate and marketing from the University of South Carolina
Military experience | N/A
Contact information | Website: www.TylerServant.com; Facebook: /TylerServantSC; Cell: 843-582-2536; Email: info@TylerServant.com; Twitter: @TylerServant
Match your strengths or areas of expertise with the needs you feel District 106 is facing.
Answer | I'm not easily intimidated. I tenaciously stand up for my principles even under great pressure. My business experience is more than just a profession, it is part of my upbringing. I was taught that delivering great service and great value were equally important. Having worked at the State House for three years I also have a conceptual and hands-on knowledge of how to get things done in Columbia. These traits and experience give me a unique ability to advocate for the needs of our community and identify waste, fraud and abuse of valuable tax payer dollars.
If you were given the ability to provide more funding for one area/line item of the budget in the next four years, where would you provide more funding and why?
Answer | I have to disagree with the premise of the question, the legislature always has the ability to provide more funding to any budget line item it chooses. The problem is using words like “more funding” instead of “hard earned tax payer dollars.” This isn’t just money you have to play with, it's dollars hard working families no longer have in their pockets. My business training is about providing great service and great value. My support of reform for the DOT and the State Infrastructure Bank will result in more road and infrastructure dollars for our community and less dipping in tax payer pockets.
This story was originally published August 11, 2015 at 2:00 AM with the headline "S.C. House Dist. 106 runoff slated for Tuesday."