Former top city employee runs for mayor. He’s critical of downtown development tourism tax
Mark Kruea, the former lead spokesperson for the City of Myrtle Beach, announced Wednesday morning his plans to run for mayor in November.
“Soon after retiring last April, people began encouraging me to run for mayor in 2025,” Kruea wrote in an email. “This opportunity came to me; I did not go looking for it. They say it’s time for a change on City Council, and that my background and experience in city government are a good fit. I am honored to be able to do this.”
Kruea said he will bring 26 years of responsive communication and public transparency to the role.
“Now, after much reflection in response to the many requests, he’s offering to be the mayor who listens, who starts conversations and who puts residents first,” Kruea wrote in his announcement.
His announcement continued and said that he is well known as the city’s spokesperson, with a broad knowledge of city operations and services, and is a current resident of The Market Common district, which represents a quarter of the city’s population.
On Wednesday, The Sun News briefly spoke to Kruea on the phone.
He said his plan to run for mayor had been the “worst kept secret” in Myrtle Beach, which is why he decided to make it official on Wednesday morning.
“It coincided with the fact that the budget retreat starts today, and today is the City’s birthday,” he said.
Kruea said his decision to run for mayor is one he thought about for six or seven months.
“This wasn’t on my radar when I retired,” he said. “So many people approached me, once I had retired, and said, you would be a great mayor, will you please consider running for mayor?”
If elected, Kruea wrote that his priorities will include more conversations by City Council.
“Transparency is more than just a word; Council needs to ‘show the work,’” he wrote.
Kruea sent out 11 points, some of which included revisiting the Myrtle Beach Downtown Alliance’s funding and also the tourism tax for the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. Kruea argues they can’t spend $40 million on advertising alone. He also criticized the multi-million dollar theater project and said they city has spent $100 million on the new Arts and Innovation District.
“Running for mayor isn’t a ‘me’ thing,” Kruea wrote. “This wasn’t on my radar, but I’ve been genuinely surprised by how many people want something different. It’s time for a change, and they are looking to me to make it happen.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, Kruea said he doesn’t have any official campaign events planned for the immediate future, but that he’s open and ready to have conversations.
The election is on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.
This is a breaking news story that will continue to be updated.
This story was originally published March 12, 2025 at 9:03 AM.
