Monday, November 18, 2024
First Congressional District Republican candidate Elizabeth Moffly scored big at the expense of her Congressional race opponents when she slammed the Good Ol’ Boys network that has controlled politics in South Carolina for too long.
Moffly, the only woman among 16 Republican candidates in the March 19th primary, told it like it is about her top competitors in the race in a You Tube video that complements her “Good Ol’ Boys” radio ad.
Three state senators trying to block legislation that would make monopoly flow control of solid waste disposal illegal throughout South Carolina stated their case recently in an opinion piece to local media.
Greg Hembree (R-28), Luke Rankin (R-33) and Kent Williams (D-30) authored bi-partisan opposition to the Business Freedom to Choose Act that has already passed the S.C. House and is under consideration in the S.C. Senate.
Prior to the bill (H3290) being filed for the current legislative session, it was known that it would face opposition from these three senators and, quite possibly, only from these three senators.
Their stated reasons for opposition are a combination of obfuscation, bogeymen and cherry picking of facts to attempt to form a reasoned argument.
Last week former county council chairman and current candidate Liz Gilland used the flow control monopoly Horry County Solid Waste Authority as an example of how she fights the good ole boys.
However, in choosing to use the authority, Gilland forgot much of her history with the flow control agency.
Gilland spoke of how she worked hard to clean up the SWA in her first eight years on council, including introducing an ordinance to disband the authority.
Her friend, then county administrator Linda Angus, had learned the Authority was hoarding millions of taxpayer dollars, using it in a high-handed manor.
Carolina Southern Railroad and Horry County officials appear to remain far apart on any plan to get the railroad back in operation.
Service on portions of the rail line was voluntarily suspended by Carolina Southern Railroad officials when new federal regulations, especially on bridges, went into effect in the summer of 2011. Those service interruptions directly affect Horry County.
Since then, the railroad has been searching for funding with which to make the repairs. It joined with Horry County in two unsuccessful applications for discretionary railroad infrastructure TIGER grants from the federal government.
The Horry County Solid Waste Authority is trying to enlist the help of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce with lobbying efforts to maintain the solid waste flow control monopoly the SWA currently enjoys in the county.
Officials from the SWA will make a presentation this morning to the chamber’s Legislative Policy Council, chaired by George Mims, urging defeat of the Business Freedom to Choose Act, currently under consideration in the SC Senate.
The Business Freedom to Choose Act would ban flow control within the borders of South Carolina. Of course, since Horry County is the only county of the 46 in the state to have legislatively mandated a government monopoly over solid waste disposal, the SWA is hoping the Chamber will see the fight as local.
The seriousness with which SC General Assembly members are taking ethics and government reform this legislative session can be measured, in large part, by what happens in the budget with respect to the purchase of additional land at the state farmers market in Lexington.
The site has considerable environmental issues. It was a toxic chemical waste dump for many years. To this day, there are a number of EPA warning signs on the property and restrictive covenants that seriously inhibit the available uses of the land.
Nevertheless, proposals are back in Columbia for the state to pay approximately $13 million to add three additional lots to its holdings at the current farmers market.
Grand Strand Daily received exclusive access to the latest SC 1st Congressional District polling data from a poll commissioned by a private business group.
This poll of 707 likely Conservative voters in the SC 1st Congressional District demonstrates all of the candidates have a lot of work to do before primary day March 19th.
Former Gov. Mark Sanford leads with 17%, surprisingly down from the 25% reported several weeks ago. SC Sen. Larry Grooms, with 5%, is in a tight race for the runner-up position with Charleston school board member Elizabeth Moffly, 4%, and teacher and prodigal son Teddy Turner with 4% of the vote.
Repairs on railroad crossings and bridges along the Carolina Southern Railroad route in North Carolina are moving along while funding for repairs in the South Carolina portion of the line is still being sought.
Meanwhile, a committee (?) formed to search for ways to help get the railroad back into full operation seems to be more interested in effecting a change of ownership of the Carolina Southern Railroad rather than searching for ways solutions.
Calling itself the ‘Interstate Railroad Committee of North and South Carolina’, this group of public officials representing several communities and three counties across two states, seems bent on forcing the Pippin family, owners of Carolina Southern Railroad, out of ownership of the railroad.
A superb article published in the Myrtle Beach Sun News today explains the push by Horry County special interest groups for I-73 construction today and the difficulties that road faces in ever being completed.
Lobbying, political donations and other special interest groups’ tactics used to try and kick start the I-73 project are covered very well.
Anyone considering themselves a true conservative dedicated to low taxes, reduced spending, the elimination of earmarks and smaller government should read it to consider how local politicians elected to the statehouse and Congress are carrying out their campaign pledges.
The race for the 1st Congressional District is one week old and a pattern for the race seems to already be developing.
Watching video of the candidates who chose to show up at the Sun City Republican gathering and an earlier one in Mt. Pleasant, leads us to several conclusions.
The best comment about the group of candidates that comes to mind is a paraphrase of Winston Churchill’s comment about Labor Party leader Clement Attlee – ‘They are a modest group, which has much to be modest about.’
Speak Up…