Author: Paul Gable

Roddy Dickinson Retiring from Treasurer’s Post

In the final year of his third term as Horry County Treasurer, Roddy Dickinson announced recently that he would not be seeking a fourth term in office.

“I could not commit to spending another full four year term in office and I’m not going to run for office and quit halfway through,” said Dickinson. “It’s time for me to move on.”

When he completes his 12th and final year as Treasurer at the end of December 2016, Dickinson will have a total of 32 years of service with Horry County Government.

“My first 15 years were with the Finance Office,” said Dickinson. “I moved to the Treasurer’s office when Johnnie Allen was Treasurer. When Allen retired, he supported me in my bid to succeed him.”

The Treasurer’s office has responsibility for collecting current and delinquent property taxes; has oversight over accommodations and hospitality tax collections in the county; is responsible for delinquent tax sale of property and invests revenue for Horry County, Horry County Schools, Horry County Department of Airports and Horry County Solid Waste Authority.

During his time in office, the population of Horry County grew by approximately 100,000 placing demands on the office as a significant amount of new residential property was added to the tax rolls.

“The Treasurer’s job was probably the biggest challenge of my life,” said Dickinson. “We went through a significant explosion of technology since I first took office in 2005 and have added services to the public while keeping staff positions steady.”

Dickinson also steered the office through the difficult period of economic recession caused by the burst of the national housing bubble and succeeding banking crisis in 2008.

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More Questions About Skydive Myrtle Beach Case

The more we look at the case built by Horry County Department of Airports against Skydive Myrtle Beach, the more holes appear.

After Skydive Myrtle Beach reported HCDA to the Federal Aviation Administration in 2014 for discriminatory actions, HCDA began reporting alleged safety incidents by Skydive Myrtle Beach operations to the FAA. A total of 112 of these alleged violations occurred, according to HCDA.

Skydive Myrtle Beach also filed suit in circuit court against Horry County and HCDA for their actions.

None of the 112 alleged safety incidents HCDA insists Skydive Myrtle Beach committed were ever properly reported to the FAA, according to FAA reporting requirements.

The FAA has a reporting system for tower operations regarding safety violations. It is known as the Comprehensive Electronic Data Analysis and Reporting (CEDAR) system. Instructions for reporting in the CEDAR System are required if any of the below three questions apply:

“The basic considerations when deciding whether or not to report an incident should be:

Did a dangerous situation occur?
Could a dangerous incident have occurred if circumstances had been different?
Could a dangerous incident occur in the future if the situation being reported is not corrected?”
A total of 112 safety violations were allegedly catalogued by HCDA and Robinson Aviation, the county’s contractor for tower operations at Grand Strand Airport. Yet, not one of these alleged violations were ever reported to the CEDAR System.

If Skydive Myrtle Beach was operating at Grand Strand Airport in such a grossly unsafe manner as HCDA categorized to the press, why is there no record of this in the CEDAR System?

The FAA apparently went along with this fictitious plan. Even though none of the alleged violations were in the database of its CEDAR System, the FAA issued a 73 page report on these violations that HCDA used as its basis for evicting Skydive Myrtle Beach.

How did the FAA issued a 73 page report on these alleged safety incidents when none were included in its CEDAR System database?

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Reese Boyd Announces for Senate District 34

Local attorney Reese Boyd, III announced last week that he is a Republican candidate for SC Senate District 34 in the upcoming June primary.

“I believe the voters of District 34 deserve a conservative choice in this election,” said Boyd in his announcement speech. “I am that conservative choice and I ask for your support.”

A native of Conway, Boyd graduated from Davidson College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and is a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law.

After earning his law degree, Boyd began his political education as an attorney on Gov. Carroll Campbell’s staff. Boyd was awarded the Order of the Palmetto by Campbell for his work.

When Campbell left office in January 1995, he was named Chairman of the American Council of Life Insurers in Washington, D.C. Campbell took Boyd with him as legal counsel.

“I got a close up look at working with the federal government in that job,” said Boyd.

In 1999, Boyd accepted a position as vice president and counsel to a large asset management, insurance and financial services firm in Boston.

“It was a great opportunity and I enjoyed Boston except for the winters,” said Boyd.

In 2001, Boyd decided to return to his native Horry County with a view toward seeking political office in the future.

“I had been interested in running for political office and I felt my opportunities were better at home than they were in Massachusetts,” he said. “I was also too thin-skinned for the cold weather in Boston.”

After returning to Horry County, Boyd entered private practice. He is currently a partner in Davis Boyd, LLC. The main focus if his practice is general civil litigation while also handling business formations and corporate legal matters, estate planning, as well as aviation law and consulting.

Boyd currently lives in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, with his wife Lee and their two children. He is active in community and volunteer activities, and is an Elder of Surfside Presbyterian Church, PCA, where he serves as Clerk of the Church Session.

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Donald Trump Bandwagon Gains Momentum

The Donald Trump bandwagon keeps gaining momentum while those who consider themselves Republican Party traditionalists keep wringing their hands.

Maybe the best part is Ted Cruz, the original outsider in this race until Trump stole his thunder, is now trying to get party officials to coalesce behind his campaign in a ‘Stop Trump’ movement.

But stopping Trump is going to be very hard. Statistics out today predict Trump has to win 54% of the remaining delegates to secure the nomination, Cruz needs 69% and John Kasich can win 100% of the remaining delegates and still not have enough for a first ballot nomination.

Trump could get the needed 54% although Republican Party regulars, or those who think they are, will do everything they can to stop him short. Cruz can’t get the needed 69%. Forget Kasich unless the convention becomes open and probably even then.

Look at the big states left to vote – New York, California, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Indiana, not very fertile Cruz country.

And if Trump arrives at the Republican Convention in Cleveland with 1100 or more pledged delegates for the first ballot (I would call that scenario a virtual lock at this point) and the party denies him the nomination, look out.

For the Republican Party to deny Trump the nomination after millions of voters turned out for him in the primaries, more than for any other candidate by far, would demonstrate just how little regard the party has for the American public.

When Trump announced in June, I was of the opinion he would be fun to watch for a little while, then he would fade away.

Boy, was I wrong!

What I failed to understand is just how much the American public is fed up with the Republican and Democratic parties and government in general.

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Important Week for Political Junkies

One of the most important weeks of the year for political junkies in the area is upon us.

On Tuesday, they should get a reasonable idea of how long the Republican Party can hold off the nomination of Donald Trump for president with another round of ‘Super Tuesday’ primaries in five important states.

For locals, however, Wednesday is even more important as filing opens at noon for a number of local offices and all seats in the SC General Assembly.

And the dynamics involved in this year’s political races make them even more interesting for those who follow politics.

Five countywide statutory offices are up for election – Auditor, Clerk of Court, Coroner, Sheriff and Treasurer. Normally these races bring little excitement, but this year two will be open seats and two more are expected to be contested.

Clerk of Court Melanie Huggins Ward and Treasurer Roddy Dickinson have announced they are retiring leaving their seats up for grabs in the primaries and general election.

Two others, Auditor Lois Eargle and Sheriff Philip Thompson are reported to have opposition this year for the first time in a number of years. Only Coroner Robert Edge appears not to have any opposition as filing opens.

Horry County Council will have five seats, Districts 3,4,6,9 and 10 up for election, as well as a special election to fill the unexpired term of retired member James Frazier in District 7.

To make it more interesting, council member Jody Prince is retiring, leaving his District 10 seat open and council members Jimmy Washington in District 3 and Cam Crawford in District 6 will be running for election for the second time in two years as both were elected to office in special election in 2015.

We are hearing reports of possible contested elections in Districts 3 and 9 at this time with District 10 having a number of possible candidates for the open seat. The District 7 seat is expected to have contests in both party primaries as well as the general election.

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FOIA Documents Don’t Support Allegations Against Skydive Myrtle Beach

After reviewing the 215 documents the Federal Aviation Administration sent to Skydive Myrtle Beach responding to a FOIA request for all documentation related to the alleged 112 safety violations committed by that company at Grand Strand Airport, the conclusion must be drawn that there were no documented safety violations.

The heart of the documents dealing with these alleged violations are a series of “Unusual Incident Reports” generated by Horry County Department of Airports personnel or contractors claiming Skydive Myrtle Beach clients landed in areas other than the designated landing zone. I did not see one report that listed any injuries, accidents or damage to property.

A typical comment on these so-called incident reports said, “At 0922 Local, 3 parachutists jumping with Skydive Myrtle Beach landed outside the landing zone…Skydive Myrtle Beach received permission from CRE tower to retrieve wayward jumpers.”

This is not a safety violation. It is not a violation at all!

Below is the pertinent FAA Advisory Circular dealing with parachute landings on airports.

“Advisory Circular – Subject: Sport Parachuting, Date 5/8/2011, AC No. 105-2D

Below is Section 6(c)2 of the advisory circular:

“(2) Parachute Landings on Airports. Airports may designate suitable parachute landing areas. While skydivers attempt to land in such areas, at times there may be inadvertent landings in other grass or hard-surfaced areas. This could include landings on runways, taxiways, and other hard-surfaced areas. Areas such as runways, taxiways, clearways, and obstacle-free zones are not prohibited areas but should not be designated as a primary landing area and should be vacated as soon as practical. Flying a parachute over runways at low altitudes should be avoided where possible. The FAA recommends that airport management work with parachute operators to develop standard operating procedures (SOP) for activities conducted by parachutists.”

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Horry County Council Looking at Deficits

Horry County Council is taking a close look this week at projected deficits in the Horry County Solid Waste Authority and Horry County Department of Airports.

The HCSWA board heard of a revised projected deficit of nearly $600,000 for the coming fiscal year earlier this week.

The deficit comes mainly from higher costs, including personnel pay and benefits and increased construction cost projections for the authority’s landfill expansion.

However, the recycling agreement with Charleston County also continues to operate in the red.

The airport deficits all come on the general aviation side of operations, according to a report by HCDA to the Horry County Transportation Committee earlier in the week.

According to HCDA statistics, Grand Strand Airport is losing approximately $304,000, Conway Airport approximately $200,000 and Loris Airport approximately $100,000. The only thing keeping the fixed base operations at Myrtle Beach International profitable are fuel sales to military aircraft using the facilities.

The above number for Grand Strand Airport does not include approximately $165,000 spent in legal fees during the current fiscal year for the ongoing lawsuit with Skydive Myrtle Beach.

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Mike Roberts Campaign Kickoff Draws Over One Hundred

Over one hundred people attended the kick off Meet and Greet for Mike Roberts’ campaign for Horry County Council District 7.

The event was held at The Warehouse in Conway last week.

A number of county politicians and business people were on hand to help Roberts kick off his campaign.

Sheriff Philip Thompson was joined by local attorney and former state representative George Hearn in a picture with Roberts featured above.

Horry County Auditor Lois Eargle was in attendance as were Horry County council member Jody Prince, state representative Kevin Hardee, former council member and current Horry County Registrar of Deeds Marion Foxworth, former Horry County Treasurer Johnny Allen and longtime Horry County Planning Commission members Don Helms and Dan Gray.

Hearn said of Roberts, “I have known Mike for over 10 years. He is one of the most astute individuals I have encountered and is a man of his word, which, in today’s world is unusual.”

“Mike is a longtime friend and supporter,” said Prince. “His passion for Horry County will be an important addition to county council.”

“Mike is a fine man and will do a good job on council,” said Eargle.

Roberts lost the 2014 general election for Horry County District 7 to 36 year incumbent James Frazier, who resigned his seat March 1st due to declining health.

Roberts is running on a platform of keeping taxes low, supporting growth of small businesses and strong constituent service.

“Government is too quick to raise taxes when it faces some kind of problem,” Roberts said. “We must first look to cut needless spending so we can keep taxes low. “We need to treat all businesses equally, especially small businesses. There is no reason to give incentives to one business while forgetting all the others already operating in the county.”

The Republican and Democratic special primary elections for District 7 will be held May 17, 2016 with primary runoffs on May 31st, if needed. The special general election will be held July 5, 2016.

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Dennis DiSabato Announces for Horry County District 3

Dennis DiSabato announced recently that he is a candidate for the Republican nomination for Horry County Council District 3.

DiSabato is a 2000 graduate of the State University of New York Binghamton and graduated with a Juris Doctor degree from New York Law School in 2004. He is a member of the bar in New York, New Jersey and South Carolina.

DiSabato moved to Carolina Forest in 2006, currently residing with his wife Laura DiSabato in the Sawgrass East community. He operates a law office on Renee Drive in the Carolina Forest area, focusing on residential and commercial real estate transactions, real estate and commercial litigation and estate planning.

Since moving to Horry County, DiSabato has been active in local issues. He is a founding member of the Carolina Forest Civic Association, serving as that organization’s president from 2010-2012 and 2013-2014.

DiSabato is a graduate of Leadership Grand Strand Class XXIX, a member of the Coastal Carolina Sertoma Club having served as that organization’s president from 2008-2012. He is also a member of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and is a founder and past president of Horry County Citizens for Responsible Government.

DiSabato said infrastructure issues will be one area of focus if he is elected to serve the citizens of District 3.

“Revitalization of the downtown and south end areas of Myrtle Beach to bring jobs and businesses back into that area is important,” DiSabato said. “In the Carolina Forest area, road issues, especially widening of Carolina Forest Boulevard are important needs.”

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Budgets - Cuts, Spending and You

Beaufort County Court Decision Could Impact MBACC

A recent court decision in Beaufort County could have an interesting impact in Myrtle Beach.

Circuit Court Judge Michael Nettles ruled the Hilton Head-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce must allow public access to information regarding how the chamber spends public funds under the provisions of the South Carolina Freedom of Information Law.

Hilton Head businessman Skip Hoagland brought a lawsuit for access to the chamber’s records of how public funds are spent. At issue were the accommodations tax monies that the chamber receives from the towns of Hilton Head and Bluffton as well as Beaufort County and grant money from the SC Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.

The Hilton Head-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce argued its records were not subject to FOIA requests since it is a private, non-profit organization.

In his ruling, Nettles noted the SC Freedom of Information Law defines, “any organization, corporation or agency supported in whole or in part by public funds or expending public funds,” as a public body.

Nettles also noted that while the chamber provides a budget and accounting summary of how those funds are spent, neither provides specific information on, for example, vendors used.

The MBACC receives approximately $5 million per year from City of Myrtle Beach accommodations tax collections and approximately $22 million per year from the city’s one-cent tourism sales tax. In addition, the MBACC receives approximately $6 million from Horry County accommodations tax collections and approximately $5 million or more annually from SC Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism grants.

The MBACC uses those funds for “out-of-area” tourism marketing. Through the years, the MBACC has been criticized by non-members for giving preferential treatment in its marketing efforts to chamber members even though public funds are being used to fund them.

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