Several sources have told us Horry County Public Safety Director Paul Whitten has resigned his position today effective immediately.
However, a back story is also being circulated that Whitten’s leaving was at the choice of the county. According to that story, Whitten was given the choice of resigning or being terminated.
According to our sources, a major catalyst to Whitten’s departure was lack movement on planning for next year’s Atlantic Beach Memorial Day Bikefest.
Several months ago, Whitten was named to head a county wide planning committee for the 2015 Memorial Day weekend. Our sources tell us that the committee has not met to this date.
When Horry County Council was briefed in executive session last week about a traffic plan developed by the City of Myrtle Beach for the 2015 Memorial Day bikefest, Whitten was not in attendance at the meeting.
The traffic plan will include significant portions of Horry County, such as the Prestwick Country Club area, Socastee and Carolina Forest among others, in the overall loop Myrtle Beach wants to have bikers follow and should have included input from Horry County officials. According to our sources, it did not.
Whitten was in charge of the county’s Public Safety Division with overall management responsibility for the Horry County Police Department and Horry County Fire/Rescue Department.
With Whitten leaving, Horry County Police Chief Saundra Rhodes will now be in the bullseye for Memorial Day weekend planning.
Speak Up…