Author: Paul Gable

Sponseller Discovery – Questions, No Answers

The discovery of SC Hospitality Association CEO Tom Sponseller’s body yesterday left many who knew him in Horry County absolutely devastated by the news, but also asking questions about the circumstances surrounding his death.

Horry County Council member Gary Loftus, a longtime friend and associate of Sponseller in tourism industry circles, gave a moving tribute to his friend as the county council adjourned their meeting Tuesday night in Sponseller’s memory.

Other local area tourism leaders spoke all day of the kind, decent, loving family man and friend who they had rubbed elbows with many times through the years as Sponseller led the state’s tourism industry interests.

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Council to Consider Further Reduction in Biker Vendor Permits

Horry County Council will vote tonight on first reading of an ordinance to amend county code reducing the number of days vendor permits will be issued for May Bike Weeks from the current seven days to five days.

Word has it that county council chairman Tom Rice has been working this issue hard behind the scenes with a series of private meetings with other council members, some of these meetings falling just short of a quorum. Initially Rice wanted to limit the vendor permits to three days, but fell short of getting commitments from council members to support such a measure.

There is no guarantee that the five day proposal will pass tonight, or that Rice would be able to hold a coalition supporting it together, while the ordinance winds its way through the three reading process.

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Prosser: Act Now to Lower Gas Prices

The unseasonably warm winter in the Pee Dee and Grand Strand makes the wait for summer seem that much shorter. But with gas prices spiking, summer could mean less trips to the beach and fewer vacations for many American families.

As director of South Carolina Parks, Recreation and Tourism for eight years, I closely monitored the impact of gas prices on visitor spending. Even when families are able to take their cherished summer beach vacation, the bite that higher gas prices takes from their wallets curtails spending on restaurants, attractions and souvenirs, and often shortens their trip.

In addition to the direct impact on tourism, higher gas prices also ripple through the economy increasing the costs for businesses, including our critical distribution centers in the area. These higher costs are passed through to cash-strapped consumers in the form of higher prices.

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NRCC places Rice “On the Radar”

Myrtle Beach, SC – Tom Rice, Republican candidate for Congress for the Seventh Congressional district in S.C., was recognized recently for his successful campaign efforts by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). NRCC is the official Republican organization dedicated to electing Republicans to Congress.

“I’m honored to have received this important designation from the NRCC,” said Rice. “We are delighted that our campaign is leading the field in the amount of money raised, but our success is simply a testament to individuals investing in our message of lower taxes, less government regulation, and our commitment to balancing the budget and ending out-of-control spending.”

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Smearing the Courts, Dismantling Justice

A S.C. Hotline, Grand Strand Daily Exclusive

By Paul Gable

It came to my attention recently that Stephanie Weissenstein, attorney for John Rakowsky, sent to the Court copies of two articles from Grand Strand Daily along with a letter dated January 9, 2012. While I appreciate Ms. Weissenstein making the court aware of the articles, I do question the logic stated in her letter.

In the letter, Weissenstein refers to the articles as “this slanderous campaign in effort to intimidate and harass my client and me, while also smearing the Courts.”

First of all, surely Weissenstein understands that the articles would fall under laws of libel, not slander, if she could ignore or negate the first amendment and prove malice aforethought. Second, her claims of intimidation, harassment and smearing fall apart when the facts included in the articles are considered.

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May Bike Rallies Up for Discussion

Discussions on the May Bike Rallies by Horry County officials will begin Thursday February 23rd at a special meeting of the county’s Public Safety Committee. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at the Horry County Government and Justice Center on 3rd Avenue in Conway.

Called by committee chairman Brent Schulz, the only item on the meeting agenda is Biker Rally 2012. When he announced the special meeting during the regular council meeting of February 7th, Schulz said the committee would be prepared to stay the whole night for discussion and requested all interested members of the public to attend the meeting.

In addition to public safety enforcement, the only issue the county has direct control over is the number and duration of vendor and special event permits the county issues for the Harley Davidson and Atlantic Beach rallies.

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Dems Schedule Candidate Events

Horry County Democratic voters will get three chances to hear from the candidates for the new 7th Congressional District across the next several months.

The four announced Democratic candidates, Preston Brittain, Gloria Tinubu, Parnell Diggs and Ted Vick will be at a reception commemorating Black History Month Saturday February 25th. The reception will be held at the Mason Temple C.O.G.I.C., 1501 7th Avenue, Conway beginning at 6 p.m.

The reception will offer the opportunity to sample recipes from the Horry County Democratic Party cookbook, meet the guest of honor, Mother Laura Grate who is 104 years old, and meet and speak with the candidates.

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Prosser Added to NRCC ‘Young Guns’ Program

– The National Republican Congressional Committee named former Sanford Cabinet member Chad Prosser to ‘On the Radar’ status with the National Republican Congressional Committee’s Young Guns program in South Carolina’s new 7th Congressional District. Prosser rose to this level in less than one month of campaigning, an impressive feat showing the momentum his campaign has generated.

In only a few weeks since announcing his candidacy, Chad Prosser has established a district wide network of financial supporters, which will ensure that Chad has the resources necessary to communicate his message to voters across the district. “The NRCC’s Young Guns program is a great program that supports candidates to ensure that the best Republican candidate makes it through to the general election,” said Prosser. “I am honored to be included in this program, a step that further validates the momentum we have generated less than a month into this race.”

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The Horry County SWA and Mis-information

A meeting today between Horry County council members and members of the Horry County Legislative Delegation evolved through many points of discussion, reached no consensus on the issue of flow control of the county’s waste stream, but did address charges of mis-information about proposed state legislation.

The flow control issue is currently being debated at the state level as Senate Bill 514 makes its way through the legislative process. Horry County currently is the only county in the state to mandate flow control of its waste stream by county ordinance 02-09. The ordinance requires that all waste generated in the county must be disposed at the Horry County Solid Waste Authority landfill on Hwy 90, giving the SWA monopoly control over the county’s waste.

The state legislation, if enacted, states that an ordinance “is void to the extent that a county ordinance restricts solid waste disposal at a permitted site outside a county’s boundaries or impedes a recycling program.”

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A Statement from Mallory Factor

Mallory Factor released the following statement yesterday regarding the South Carolina State Employee Retirement System.

Like many South Carolinians, I have become increasingly concerned about thefinancial performance of our State employees’ retirement assets. As an experiencedfinancial executive, I wanted to help improve that performance. That is, after all,how I have made my living for over 30 years. I have been successful at it; and I have always, always operated above-board and lawfully.

Sadly, the issues related to financing South Carolina’s retirement system are nowembroiled in politics to a degree that is very unhealthy for the State’s many currentemployees and retirees. Change is always bitterly resisted by those who benefit
from the current system.

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