Author: Paul Gable

WestJet Guarantee to Cost Horry County Half Million

If current passenger expectations remain valid through the end of October, Horry County will pay WestJet over $500,000 pursuant to a guarantee to the airline county council approved in February 2013.

According to a source familiar with airport operations, the county is already in the hole to WestJet to the tune of $325,000 and expects the bottom line, after WestJet ends this year’s operations October 31st, to be approximately $510,000.

County council approved setting aside a contingency fund of up to $1 million that would be used to guarantee WestJet 60% occupancy, the break-even point for WestJet, on each flight to Myrtle Beach. The county would buy up empty seats on each flight so WestJet would not lose money.

WestJet won’t lose money, but the county did.

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HCSWA Absurdity Rises

Horry County Solid Waste Authority (HCSWA) officials are raising the level of absurdity at the Highway 90 landfill well above its normal limits with a discussion Thursday about land planning for after the landfill closes in 2035.

Some would say its good business to plan for 22 years hence and it may be if sufficient planning for the period within those 22 years had already taken place.

But, alas, it hasn’t. There has been no planning for what will happen to trash generated within the county after the landfill closes – the HCWSA’s primary function.

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Robert Ford Threatens Ethics Violations Exposure

Former Sen. Robert Ford has said he will start calling names if S. C. lawmakers don’t stop the practice of using their public positions to grab millions of taxpayer dollars for personal gain.

In an article by Corey Hutchins of the Charleston City Paper, Ford is quoted as saying this will ‘make the tea party movement look like a beer drinking contest.
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Ford resigned his longtime senate seat during S.C. Senate Ethics Committee hearings into alleged misuse by Ford of his campaign funds.

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First Blood to County in Adult Entertainment Battle

Horry County drew first blood in what looks to be a long and protracted battle over its adult entertainment ordinances when a federal judge refused to issue a temporary restraining order Monday.

The judge ruled against a petition by the Gold Club for the order against the county’s two new adult entertainment ordinances, which received final approval September 3rd.

This means the new ordinances remain in effect and the county is free to enforce them, at least until further court action is taken.

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Gingrich, Myrtle Beach, Oil and Interstates

Myrtle Beach Redux

Filing for the November 2013 Myrtle Beach city elections closed Friday September 6th and it looks like four more years of same old, same old in city politics.

That means most of the political issues, and all of the important ones, will be decided in the Dunes Club card room before they are ever discussed in city hall.

Three candidates, Bill Howard, Jerry Fout and Robert Palmer, filed to run against Mayor John Rhodes, which effectively means Rhodes will be easily re-elected because the north end will vote in a block for him and the three challengers will split whatever may come from the forgotten remainder of the city.

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The Questionable Legacy of Barack Obama

There is no question that President Barack Obama is thinking about what his legacy will be when he leaves the Oval Office at the end of his second term.

However, is he doing so by playing games and making threats against Syria and jeopardizing U.S. foreign policy?

Is President Obama thinking about his legacy at the cost of alienating America’s biggest ally in the region – Israel – and our biggest ally in the world – Britain?

President Obama has already said that if Syrian President Bashar-al-Assad used poison gas on the rebels, America would act. After all, there was a “red line in the sand,” which Obama had drawn.

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“Big Talk” Premieres Sunday

Lucky Dog Television Productions will premiere a new, one-hour television political talk show, “Big Talk”, Sunday evening at 5 p.m. on broadcast television’s WWMB CW 21.

Spanning 14 counties in northeastern South Carolina and southeastern North Carolina, the show will feature discussion on current political topics of local, regional and national importance.

Political topics will be brought to the table by Jon Bonsignor, a longtime Republican political activist in the Grand Strand area and Paul Gable, editor of Grand Strand Daily and SC Hotline and a longtime reporter on local and state political issues.

Jack Murphy, host of the popular River Talk television show and a radio personality for many years will be joining and moderating the discussions.

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Adult Entertainment Battle Joined

By a vote of 9-2, Horry County Council approved third reading of its new adult entertainment ordinances Tuesday night.

Horry County Council is putting its faith in Tennessee attorney Scott Bergthold to prevail in federal court to keep these ordinances in effect.

One thing to make clear is that adult entertainment establishments will continue to operate in Horry County. This ordinance will not end the industry in the county.

The only question is how many tax dollars the county will transfer to Bergthold in the process.

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Horry County Adult Entertainment

Altering the Adult Entertainment Game

Horry County Council will consider third reading of the new adult entertainment ordinances Tuesday night.

Expect the ordinances to pass by a fairly wide margin.

By passing the new ordinances, all strip clubs and adult bookstores/novelty shops in the unincorporated areas of the county will be out of compliance and subject to closure.

Does this mean the end of strip clubs and adult retail businesses in the county area? NO!

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Gingrich, Myrtle Beach, Oil and Interstates

Will Myrtle Beach Election Heat Up?

One more holiday shortened week remains for filing of candidates in the upcoming Myrtle Beach city elections.

Last week, the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce’s Grand Strand Business Alliance PAC sent out an expensive looking mailer supporting its ‘Dream Team’ – the four incumbents running for re-election.

The easiest way to win an election is to discourage challengers from filing and everybody understands now, if anyone doubted, that the Chamber, through the GSBA, will again be a strong player in the city election.

You would too if three of these incumbents steered approximately $70 million in public money into your budget.

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