Former North Myrtle Beach city manager says ‘I never got a fair shake’, here’s his side
.jpg "Mike Mahaney spoke to media members and members of the public at North Myrtle Beach City Hall on Sept. 19, 2024. A month later, his resignation letter was up for a vote with city council, officially removing him from the position.")
North Myrtle Beach’s former city manager Mike Mahaney said in an email that he never got a fair shake in coverage following him stepping down from his old position, and signing a non-disclosure agreement with his former employer.
“My analysis and what I am experiencing in my job searches,” he said in the first line of an email to a Sun News editor and reporter at the beginning of November. He went on to say that in the face of two recent controversies, he “could not get the Sun News to look behind the curtain,” his email said.
He sent this November email after signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement with the City of North Myrtle Beach in exchange for a payout of approximately $320,000, according to documents obtained by The Sun News at the time of Mahaney’s departure.
“The bottom line from my perspective is that I never got a fair shake from the Sun News,” Mahaney’s email ended with. “Take care.”
Why won’t North Myrtle Beach release personnel files?
The most recent controversy surrounds North Myrtle Beach’s illegal refusal to release Mahaney’s personnel file to the media despite multiple public records requests from different area outlets.
“Controversy because the City will not release personnel files (there are no scoops in mine),” Mahaney wrote in response to the denials.
But, at any time the city manager could have released his file.
Mahaney did not respond to a subsequent email asking him to get a copy of his personnel file and provide it to The Sun News.
The City of North Myrtle Beach also denied now interim city manager Ryan Fabbri’s personnel file when those documents were requested.
The Freedom of Information Act denials both cited the same invasion of privacy state law for Fabbri and Mahaney.
Why did he wear a body camera to a public groundbreaking?
Mahaney’s email also discussed the body camera he wore to a groundbreaking ceremony on Feb. 24, 2023.
At the time, he did not respond to The Sun News’ questions with complete answers, instead providing “no comment,” when asked about wearing a body camera to a public ribbon-cutting.
After several weeks of Sun News questioning and reporting immediately after the ribbon-cutting, he said the camera was not turned on.
A year later, he is saying that he was in fear of his safety.
In 2023, when the body camera was donned by Mahaney, he was the highest ranking city employee, and had a police chief who worked for him. He said he was afraid at the time and had to wear the body camera for his own safety.
“Why was I wearing a body cam at the Police Chief’s suggestion?” he wrote in his Nov. 2 email. “My car had tires knifed in the sidewalls (those are unrepairable and replaced at my expense). My car was dented with a hammer or something like that. My car was keyed. I was threatened with bodily harm by people whom I did not know. It got to the point that parking for my vehicle before parades would be arranged where camera surveillance was present.”
A separate email that was shared with The Sun News said that Mahaney filed a police report with the North Myrtle Beach Police Department about an incident that occurred on the beach near 2nd Avenue South weeks prior on Feb. 13, 2023.
The Sun News obtained a copy of said report via the Freedom of Information Act.
It said that at approximately 3:30 p.m. in the afternoon, Mahaney was approached by a constituent on the beach who wanted to talk to him about city business.
“The unknown male stated that he knew of [redacted] official position with the city, brought up several recent legal actions the City has been involved with and expressed his displeasure with [redacted] and the current elected city officials,” the report’s narrative said.
It then goes on to describe the unknown male’s actions as “boisterous to the point that [Mahaney] feared for his safety.”
The unknown male was allegedly accompanied by two other men and an older woman with purple hair. This group’s appearance increased “the chance that multiple attackers could harm him,” the narrative said.
The incident ends with Mahaney fleeing to the safety of his vehicle and leaving the scene, according to the police report.
“[Mahaney] stated that he was in the middle of making a phone call and was accosted without cause, simply due to his position as a city official,” the narrative said.
“Stand up for what was right.” Mahaney responds to former assault allegations
More than a year prior to the police report being filed about the beach incident, Mahaney was investigated by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division for allegations that involved him as the perpetrator.
This law enforcement report came after former Glass Bottoms Kayak Tours co-owner Laura Weaver met with Mahaney in his office in City Hall when the alleged assault took place on May 10, 2022.
North Myrtle Beach’s council member Nikki Fontana was present at the time of the attack, according to police reports.
Law enforcement did no find sufficient evidence to criminally charge Mahaney at the time, and the charges were dropped that November.
“I can’t see any scenario where the State would be able to more forward with an assault and battery charge against Mahaney especially with our standard being beyond a reasonable doubt,” 15th Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson wrote in a letter shared with The Sun News on Nov. 8, 2022. “If any further details emerge, I would be happy to look at them; however, at this time, we decline prosecution.”
Two years later, Mahaney alleges Weaver was coached on what to tell law enforcement, and that she’s since left the country.
“Laura Weaver was encouraged and coached on what to say. An elected official was present in the room,” his Nov. 2, 2024 email said. “When the DA announces no charges would be filed she immediately moves to Costa Rica.”
During a phone call with The Sun News, Weaver said Mahaney’s current claims and allegations about her report are completely false, and that she was never coached on what to say.
“I was a high school teacher for 15 years at Carolina Forest and North Myrtle Beach High School. I always taught my kids to stand up for what was right, even when it was hard, and that meant I had to do the same thing,” Weaver said. “I moved to Costa Rica when I realized that people like him were going to get away with things like that, and it was going to continue to happen, and no matter who stood up for the truth, it didn’t matter.”
The Sun News covered the allegations and the state’s dismissal of criminal charges extensively at the time.
This story was originally published December 9, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
