Council took ‘good ole boy’ path to fill Register of Deeds post
I am writing to express my objections to the process used by the Horry County Council to fill the recent vacancy in the Office of Register of Deeds. It seemed typical of “good ole boy” politics where those in the “club” look first after one of their own.
[After 14 years on Horry County Council, Marion Foxworth resigned from his district seat Aug. 18 to accept the position of Register of Deeds. ]
The process ignored those long-serving employees within the department who may be qualified (or more qualified) to hold that office. It would seem, because of their experience and past commitment to the department, that they deserved at the very least, an opportunity to apply and to be seriously interviewed.
Elected officials should not use their offices to gain unfair advantage. If that expectation is too much for them, they should not hold public office. To use one’s elective office for such selfish purposes is, in my opinion, offensive to the public in general and to the loyal county employees who are shut out of the process.
It may be said in defense of County Council’s action that the legal authority to make that decision was vested in the Council. However, one would think that members of the County Council would select a process that provides an opportunity for those inside and outside of government to be considered on an equal basis as any other interested party.
This process leaves a bad taste in my mouth and can serve only to increase the voting public’s rising level of cynicism.
The writer is a former Conway resident and employee of the Register of Deeds office who now lives in Charleston.
This story was originally published August 30, 2015 at 3:05 PM with the headline "Council took ‘good ole boy’ path to fill Register of Deeds post."