These Myrtle Beach council candidates answer questions about their plans for the city

Myrtle Beach voters will get to choose three people to represent them on city council in a November election. There will be five people on the ballot.

All the positions are at-large, meaning the official doesn’t serve a specific area of the city. Terms are four years.

The nonpartisan election is Nov. 2.

The Sun News sent out a questionnaire to candidates running for council in Myrtle Beach. They were asked to respond to the questions listed below in 300 words or less. Three of them responded. Answers have been edited for grammar, clarity and brevity.

Jackie Hatley

Hatley, 53, owns and operates a hotel. She was born and raised in Myrtle Beach. She has been on the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals for one term and the Community Appearance Board for two years. Hatley is also a member of the Myrtle Beach Woman’s Club since 1994 and has served on the Grand Strand Water and Sewer Authority Advisory Committee. She is finishing up her first term on council.

1. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing Myrtle Beach related to COVID-19? How would you respond to those concerns on council?

Myrtle Beach and the state of South Carolina has done a remarkable job maneuvering through the pandemic. Shut downs were at a minimum. Businesses and residents made educated decisions that fit their best interest. Our infection numbers have been on the decline, while our vaccination rates have been on the rise. Mask wearing has been based on individual /personal decisions. I don’t feel that COVID-19 will ever completely be eradicated. Much like the flu, COVID-19 vaccines will be available for those at high risk. Unless something catastrophic happens, I think as a member of city council, we will stay the course in dealing with COVID-19 and the potential needs of that moment.

2. How do you aim to balance efforts to bring in tourism revenue, while making sure locals are not left behind?

Myrtle Beach was founded on tourism and tourism-related activities. Without tourism dollars, the city that we know and love to live in would not exist with as many of the comforts we have. Our tourism dollars allow us to have low taxes and a great quality of life. As a council member who has been in the hotel business all my life, I see the need for balance between permanent residents and visitors. The tourism development fee, TDF, is a mechanism that is paid by our visitors and in which our residents have greatly benefited in the form of low property taxes. Hospitality fees that are collected are predominantly paid by our visitors also. Those tax dollars benefit our permanent population through public safety and infrastructure needs. If we did not have tourism dollars to work with, our tax millage rate would have to drastically increase.

3. Crime continues to be a hot topic in the city. How would you address reducing it?

Considering we were short officers this year, it is a testament to the men and women of our department that they did as well as they have this year. We had a record number of visitors and calls for service this spring and summer. Our officers did a phenomenal job with the resources they had, and I am extremely proud of them! Do we need to improve? Yes, there is always room for improvement. We continuously must evaluate and change with this cultural environment that we are faced with. I would like for us to expand and increase the size of our canine units and get creative using them to deter our war on crime. I fully support the expansion of our technological side of crime prevention. Naturally, I want to see us hire and train more officers while increasing the retention rates of our current staff.

4. Do you support the construction of I-73? Why?

I am a big supporter of I-73. There are several reasons why: (1) We need adequate roads to get residents and visitors evacuated during an approaching hurricane. (2) An Interstate brings more diverse industry. It is a proven fact that areas with interstate access thrive and bring good paying jobs for the residents that live in that area. (3) Heaven forbid we have a catastrophic storm; but, I-73 would allow us to get goods and resources into the area for rebuilding. (4) It would take stress off from an already heavily traveled and disrepair Hwy 501. Residents west of the waterway should embrace the thought of lessor traffic.

5. How would you involve local businesses in discussions about policy?

Communication is the key with our local businesses. The only way to get people on the same page with policy is to find a common platform to get the word out. Once we can get a common form of communication, then we hold quarterly meetings to discuss issues they are experiencing.

6. What are your ideas for managing growth in the area?

Growth is always a challenging subject, especially in a tourist destination such as Myrtle Beach. We must try to balance the growth we have by striving to make sure our infrastructure and city services can keep pace with the growth. I feel it is important to adjust such things as our greenspace requirements, tree ordinances and impact fees to ensure that future developments contribute their fair share to offset any impact created while providing a high quality of life for residents.

7. In what ways do you think the city can improve?

Communication with our neighborhoods and businesses is essential to identify our common grounds and specific needs. It is important the public and private sector work hand in hand to make the city reach its highest potential. Public safety can always be improved, and I think the city can do this by assuring our police and first responders are fully funded and have the best equipment and resources to accomplish their objectives. Additionally, I feel the redevelopment of the downtown area is essential to the growth and expansion of our city, and I fully support these efforts. Finally, I think we must continue to improve and develop our infrastructure in the form of new roads to improve safety and quality of life.

8. If elected, what will be your main priorities?

• Public safety will remain my top priority. I will continue to support the designation of fully funding our public safety department and to expand the use of technology, personnel and canine units to reach our objective of eliminating crime.
• Explore more ways to balance growth with the quality of life for our residents.
• I will strive to support the TDF to ensure that our city maintains the low property taxes we currently enjoy.
• Continue to improve communications and transparency between the public and private sector. We must work together for Myrtle Beach to fully reach its potential.
• I will seek to improve our infrastructure including the road system and the development of I-73.

Gregg Smith

Smith, 41, is a realtor with Century 21 Broadhurst. He was born in Charlotte, N.C., but he moved to Myrtle Beach at a young age. He lived in Florida and Carolina Forest for a few years before moving back to the city. He is serving his first term on council.

1. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing Myrtle Beach related to COVID-19? How would you respond to those concerns on council?

The incidence rate of COVID-19 has been waning over the last couple months, and we’re all thankful for that. I think the biggest challenge facing Myrtle Beach regarding COVID-19 is the differing views of those that are pro-vaccine and those that are against getting the vaccine. I think that as a council, we need to be careful to only disseminate accurate information.

2. How do you aim to balance efforts to bring in tourism revenue, while making sure locals are not left behind?

The City of Myrtle Beach was built on tourism. It’s the reason that the city was founded, and it’s the reason that there are so many amenities beyond what a typical 35,000-person city would have. In the past, much of the local population was tied to tourism, and as long as the summer was good, they were happy. Over the last 80 years, we have built a great community, and more people are moving here for year-round enjoyment. With that, we have more and more residents that do not have an interest in the tourism industry. I’m working to create a city that the residents love, and I think the Arts and Innovation District can be a cornerstone of that downtown renaissance. It’s being planned with residents in mind. Tourism is hugely important to the future success of Myrtle Beach, but we need a city for residents as well.

3. Crime continues to be a hot topic in the city. How would you address reducing it?

The actual number of violent crimes in Myrtle Beach is down. In 2017, there were 455 violent crimes logged. In 2020, that number was only 375. The most violent crimes in our history occurred in 2003 when there were 608 violent crimes reported. That’s the good news. The bad news is that many perceive that crime in Myrtle Beach is up; and that perception is their reality. I know that it doesn’t matter that the actual number of crimes is down, if you’ve been a victim, and we’ll continue to work towards lower and lower crime numbers. I’m proud of the Myrtle Beach Police Department and all the hard work they put in day after day. Four years ago, we passed the “Police Recruitment and Retention Plan.” Among other things, that plan raised wages for our officers to the top range in the area and budgeted ten additional positions to the police force for each of the next seven years. That started off strong, but the recent vilification of police, coupled with the tight labor market has made it difficult to fully staff the department. As a result, our officers are working overtime and being taken away from their families for longer than they anticipated. I know that’s a problem, and I’m committed to making the Myrtle Beach Police Department the preferred department to work for in the state of South Carolina. Besides additional police officers, we need other items that deter crime. That’s why we’ve added brighter streetlights, many video cameras, increased code enforcement, added a homeless court and a quality-of-life court. All of these are efforts to decrease crime in our area.

4. Do you support the construction of I-73? Why?

I support the construction of I-73. My preference would be that the federal government deems it vital enough for them to pay for it, but that doesn’t seem to be happening. I think I-73 could bring real change to our entire area. Although it would not actually come into the city limits of Myrtle Beach, it would offer our residents and visitors a quicker evacuation route in case of emergency. During Hurricane Florence, Myrtle Beach and Carolina Forest were just a couple of inches worth of water from becoming cut off from the rest of the county. All ways in and out were almost flooded. There would be no reliable way to get large amounts of food, fuel, or hospital supplies into our area. Besides the safety aspect, I think having I-73 come through the county would open it up to all kinds of jobs that are not related to tourism. We all want to diversify. The project would be a great way to do that.

5. How would you involve local businesses in discussions about policy?

I’m available to speak to local businesses when they have interests in the policies. I hear from them often, and I take their thoughts and concerns seriously. Besides a simple phone call, business owners can get on our boards and committees. A lot of the changes we make come though those committees. I’d encourage anyone with interest attend meetings, sign up for My Beach 101, and to check to see if there is a committee that they might be interested in.

6. What are your ideas for managing growth in the area?

Area growth has been a hot topic as Myrtle Beach has grown over the last 10 years. A substantial amount of the development in both Grande Dunes and the former Air Force base has occurred during that time. Thanks to our robust tourism economy, we have the infrastructure in place to handle way more than our permanent population, but we must plan for the highest use times, generally the summer. Regarding the growth, I believe that every property owner has the right to develop their property in accordance with the zoning, but I’d like to investigate incentives to encourage not developing some of the parcels to the fullest extent allowed. Conservation easements and historic tax credits are two tools that are used to keep property from being fully developed. Are there others we could use?

7. In what ways do you think the city can improve?

There are always ways for a city to improve. I often feel like we’re running a big city the small city way. I’d like additional technology use and more data driven decision making. Council invested in a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) program that will allow data to flow seamlessly between departments. The ERP program is still in the setup stages, but I think it’s a huge leap forward for the city. While we’ve made some great strides in the accessibility of council meeting documents, I’d like to push that forward and have all public meetings of council and boards to be filmed and immediately available online, as well as having all supporting documents from board meetings easily available.

8. If elected, what will be your main priorities?

You’ll often hear someone say that they want to make their city/county/area a great place to “live, work, and play.” I’ve said that too, but I have a more focused determination now. I think the Myrtle Beach City Government is only as good as the employees that it has. Right now, finding top notch employees to serve the residents and visitors to the city is tougher than it’s ever been. Over the next four years, I’ll work to make the City of Myrtle Beach the preferred public sector employer in the area. A great culture and a great environment to work will be top priorities.

Mike Lowder

Lowder, 67, is a retired law enforcement officer. He was a lieutenant with Myrtle Beach Police Department and chief deputy with the Horry County Sheriff’s Office. He works in the security field. He is originally from Bennettsville, S.C., but he has lived in the city for 52 years. He was chairman of the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals for five years and a member of the police department’s Law Enforcement Explorer Program. He coached football for the recreation department for 10 years. He serves on council.

1. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing Myrtle Beach related to COVID-19? How would you respond to those concerns on council?

I think the major issue with COVID-19 is giving people consistent information. There has been too much contradiction with information being provided by so many different sources. With this being said, I will continue to ask people to get vaccinated and get booster shots. What a person chooses to believe or do when it comes to vaccinations continues to be a challenge. As for masks, if you are concerned about being in public or in a building of some type, and you feel you need to wear a mask, then do so. If you choose not to enter a place due to people not wearing masks, again that is your choice. Our numbers are going down at the present time. Continue to use good sanitation practices.

2. How do you aim to balance efforts to bring in tourism revenue, while making sure locals are not left behind?

Myrtle Beach is a tourist destination. Many of the people who live here today were once tourists. Tourism is our main industry. We must continue to attract visitors to our city. There are not many businesses or residents that are not touched in one way or another by our tourism Industry. However, we must also provide for our residents and residential neighborhoods, and ensure that we offer city services that will enable a good quality of life in our city such as, modern services from water and sewer, solid waste, parks and recreation, as well as effective law enforcement to make sure our residents and businesses are safe.

3. Crime continues to be a hot topic in the city. How would you address reducing it?

We have been working to reduce crime in the City of Myrtle Beach. In fact, contrary to what is being said by some sources, crime is lower in Myrtle Beach than it has been in years. However, we continue to have crime as in any community in the United States. As I have said on a number of occasions, hiring police officers is a challenge today and all over this country. We will continue to provide the resources needed by our officers, including equipment, training, additional personnel and competitive salaries for new hires and current personnel. We need to make sure our police resources are being used effectively to provide the best protection possible is crucial. Also, we must have the support of our citizens. If you see something, say something. A valuable tool is our neighborhood watch meetings. Members of a neighborhood or business area can be the eyes and ears of our police department. Become a good witness. Working together, we as a city can reduce crime.

4. Do you support the construction of I-73? Why?

I do support 1-73. One, 1-73 will improve travel to our area, which could bring new industry. When industry has products to transport, they don’t want to be crawling along Highway 501. Time is money. Second, I-73 could relieve a lot of traffic on Highway 501 and Highway 9. Also, Highway 22 would be raised in areas to prevent flooding of the roadway. We were almost cut off by flooding a few years ago. Third, 1-73 will be an effective evacuation route in time of an emergency, such as a hurricane.

5. How would you involve local businesses in discussions about policy?

With council’s blessing, the city manager reorganized city staff to prioritize economic development. The manager has hired an assistant city manager with an economic development background to oversee this emerging priority. This increased emphasis includes working with new development projects, increasing the diversity of our local economy (especially medical, new technology, and shoulder season tourism)and, of course, downtown revitalization. As a longtime small business owner, I know that retention of existing customers is even a greater priority than the recruitment of new ones. To that end, I expect this emphasis will increase the city’s outreach efforts to existing businesses. Just as the police have been successful at partnering with residential communities through our 26 neighborhood watch programs, I will push for the same type of collaboration with the business watch initiative. City staff would meet directly with representatives from different business communities (e.g. hoteliers, restaurateurs, retailers, service businesses, etc.) to determine how council can help existing businesses be more successful. In this way, our business owners can speak to the unique effect city regulations have on their businesses. Parking is a good example. As transportation modes (public transportation, Uber, Lyft, walking, and bicycling) continue to evolve, it is time to re-examine the amount of dedicated private parking that should be required for our businesses, as well as the need for public parking facilities to serve them. During the pandemic, council temporarily allowed many restaurants to set up outdoor dining in their parking areas. These outdoor areas have proven to be very popular, and it is time to work with these businesses to make permanent ordinance changes to accommodate these new dining experiences.

6. What are your ideas for managing growth in the area?

Whenever this topic comes up, inevitably we talk about infrastructure – our streets, sewer lines, water lines, and stormwater systems. Not only must we add infrastructure to keep up with growth, but it is equally necessary to maintain and upgrade what we have. I support creating a dedicated funding source to meet these needs. Now that the lawsuit has been settled, I support the ongoing allocation of 25% of the city’s portion of the county hospitality fee for maintenance and improvements of our streets, water and sewer lines and further efforts to reduce flooding and improve ocean water quality. That 25% should equal roughly $5,000,000 annually to meet these needs. Designating this funding means that these goals can be accomplished without increasing property taxes or business license fees, and that most of the costs will effectively be paid by non-residents. Even with a dedicated funding source, providing infrastructure is incredibly costly, and, during construction, very inconvenient to the public. For that reason, we must also be smarter in how we use existing infrastructure. Just think, for example, of the number of vehicles that could be taken off our streets if we worked with Coast RTA to pick up residents and visitors on dependable 15-minute intervals on a loop linking the hotels with major amusement and employment areas such as downtown, Broadway at the Beach, Market Common, and the medical facilities off of 82nd Parkway. Similarly, by installing advanced pedestrian crossings at every signalized intersection along Kings Highway, think how many more residents between Kings Highway and the Bypass might choose to walk or bike to the beach instead of driving. Managing demand on our street system lengthens the life of our existing roadways and postpones the enormous expense and citizen inconvenience of adding new street infrastructure.

7. In what ways do you think the city can improve?

In the decade between 2010 and 2020, our metro area grew by nearly 30%, the fifth highest growth rate in the country. Clearly, Myrtle Beach is a highly desirable place to live and work. Even so, we still have room for improvement. This discussion begins with crime. While FBI statistics demonstrate that the per capita major crime rate is less than half of what it was 20 years ago, the fact remains that many residents perceive that the city has become more dangerous. For that reason, crime reduction and public safety remains the highest priority of this council. I commit to supporting adding officers, pay, training, equipment, and innovative technology to continue reducing the actual number of serious crimes committed in this community. In addition to the reality of crime, we must also deal with the perception. While many communities are afflicted with this issue, homelessness is a significant factor in this perception. New Directions does an excellent job of reuniting homeless individuals with their families “back home” and have helped hundreds of their clients find jobs and permanent housing, but there is still much to do. I support the efforts of our non-profit agencies, the city, and the business community to develop new strategies to reduce the number of homeless individuals on our streets and public places. Downtown revitalization is also key to changing this negative perception. Public investment in the city’s core is necessary to leverage private reinvestment. The downtown master plan is designed to promote improved property values and business opportunities and to add more “good activity” in that area. The endgame is to restore the economic vitality of the downtown, to further reduce crime, and to improve the perception of crime in the heart of the city.

8. If elected, what will be your main priorities?

Priority one will be public safety. We must continue to make sure our residents, business community and visitors feel safe. Make sure our residents receive the best city services which they deserve to receive. Also, make sure that our residents’ concerns are heard and advocate for them on council and to city staff. Develop and redevelop areas in the city that have been neglected. Improving these areas will improve the quality of life for residents, businesses, and visitors alike. Manage the growth and make sure we are providing upgrades, replacements and improvements for our infrastructure. Understand how growth may affect our residents as far as commercial encroachments, planned unit developments, density and making sure such development, whether commercial or residential, is what is best for Myrtle Beach.

John Newman and Alex Fogel did not respond to The Sun News’ request to participate. They will also be on Tuesday’s ballot.

This story was originally published October 29, 2021 at 12:33 PM.