Horry County SC school board could see new faces this election cycle. Here’s who’s running
The races are set for Horry County School Board seats in this year’s election cycle.
The filing period for candidates to throw their hat in the ring closed at noon Wednesday, meaning the candidates are set.
To help voters make informed decisions in the June 14 primary election, The Sun News put together a voters guide on local School Board elections as the district faces continuing issues related to growth and development, public health and politics.
Find your district below and read about the candidates for the eight open seats, including board chair. To find information on statehouse, county council and Congress elections, click here.
Board Chairman
With current Horry County Board of Education chairman Ken Richardson leaving his post in hopes of being elected to Congress, the race for his seat is heating up.
David Cox, current Horry County Schools District 4 representative, has filed paperwork to run to take over at board chair. He’s earned the support of Richardson, who said, ““I couldn’t be more pleased than to see him be elected as my successor.”
Cox, a Republican, has served on the Horry County School Board since 2008, starting in Western Horry County before moving to Myrtle Beach. He said that experience of serving across the county would set him up well for a successful term as chairman.
Darrell Ricketts, an Horry County Schools employee, is going up against Cox and another board member Helen Smith in seeking the chairman’s seat.
“Throughout my career I have tried to be a positive influence in the lives of my students, whether I was their teacher or principal, and hope to continue my service to children after I leave the classroom,” Ricketts wrote in a Facebook post announcing his campaign.
Smith is currently serving as the District 6 representative for Horry County Schools, and she is running to fill the chairman seat she held in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Smith has said adapting to the increasing growth in the county is at the top of her priority list, and she consistently brings up issues of crowding at board meetings.
District 1 - Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach
David Koch, a youth housing advocate at Sea Haven for Youth, has filed as a Republican to fill the district 1 seat currently held by W. Russell Freeman. Freeman didn’t file for reelection as of the filing deadline. Koch has said he prioritizes meeting with community members and repairing fractured trust between parents and School Board members.
District 2 - Myrtle Beach, Briarcliffe and Carolina Forest
Incumbent Sherrie Todd has filed for reelection in district 2, which covers Myrtle Beach, Briarcliffe and Carolina Forest in Horry County. Carolina Forest in particular has been in the spotlight of district issues as one of the fastest growing parts of the county, leading to crowded schools.
Todd has a record of speaking out during meetings, particularly on issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic and safety protocols. She sued the district following a fall on district property in 2017 and received a $260,000 settlement from the district.
Todd is going up against a former teacher and administrator, Debbie Edmonds, also a Republican. Edmonds worked as a teacher and small business owner, and she has been an assistant principal at three Horry County Schools. In her campaign announcement, Edmonds opposed national politics’ influence on local education decisions.
District 3 - Carolina Forest and Myrtle Beach
District 3, which covers another part of fast-growing Carolina Forest, could see a new face following this year’s election. Current representative Tracy Winters, a Republican, was appointed to the seat by the board in November following the death of her late husband and former District 3 board member Ray Winters of COVID-19 in August.
Winters has filed for reelection. During her appointment interview with the board, Winters said she wanted to continue the work her husband had started on School Board and serving on the board should be “all about the children.”
Winters faces a challenger in this election, Lorraine Mallon, also a Republican.
Mallon has been involved in a local Republican women’s organization and has attended the Republican National Convention in the past, according to My Horry News.
District 6 - Carolina Forest, Socastee and St. James
The District 6 race is one of the most crowded races this year. Current seat Helen Smith has filed to enter the race for board chair, leaving her district open to newcomers.
Lyn Bondi, Pam Dawson and Steve Witt have all filed paperwork as candidates for the District 6 seat.
Bondi is a Myrtle Beach mom, according to her Facebook page. She filed as a Republican.
Dawson, a current Horry County planning commissioner with a record of pressuring developers hoping to build in the area, hopes to bring experience with long-term planning for growth and development to the board through her run, she told The Sun News. Dawson, a Republican, has experience on many local boards and committees, but this is her first time running for public office.
Witt, a truck driver based in Conway, filed as a Libertarian in his candidate paperwork. He said he hopes the possibility of serving on the School Board will increase transparency and put “power back in the parents’ hands.” Witt has a daughter who attends St. James Elementary.
District 7 - Carolina Forest and Conway
Janet Graham, incumbent, has filed for reelection in the county’s 7th district. Graham is running unopposed as the sole Democratic candidate for any open School Board seat in Horry County.
In her 10 years on the Horry County Board of Education, Graham has served on the district’s policy committee and represented the Pee Dee region on the South Carolina School Board Association.
District 8 - Carolina Forest, Conway and Forestbrook
Current District 8 representative Melanie Wellons, a Republican, has filed for reelection. She was appointed to the board in April 2021 following the death of former District 8 representative and vice chair John Poston. Wellons is a swimming pool contractor and said in her application last year that she hopes to strengthen the district’s virtual school program, which has since been discontinued due to high failure rates, with intentions of being reinstated next year.
Wellons faces another Republican, James W. Berry, an athletic trainer and teacher at Conway High School. In 2016, Berry received a prestigious recognition as that year’s most distinguished athletic trainer by the National Athletic Trainer’s Association, according to My Horry News.
District 10 - Carolina Forest, Conway, Green Sea Floyds and Loris
Current vice chair and District 10 representative Neil James is seeking reelection this year. He has a record of scrutinizing the district’s finances, suggesting different funding sources and unpacking the possible repercussions of the district’s revenues and expenditures. James, a Republican, became vice chair last year after the death of John Poston. He is employed at Santee Cooper.
James is up against Horry County Schools parent and advocate for students for disabilities, David Warner. Warner has been outspoken about students with disabilities, including his own son, who is autistic, facing extra challenges at Horry County Schools.
Warner sued the school district over a request to bring an Applied Behavior Analysis therapist into schools with his son, Zakkary. That suit was brought to federal court in 2020, and was dismissed. Warner has appealed and the case is ongoing.
