Politics

Curtis Loftis Wins Battle for Public Fund Accountability

An agreement between S.C. Treasurer Curtis Loftis and the S.C. Retirement System Investment Commission (SCRSIC) is expected to be finalized tomorrow allowing four members of Loftis’ staff greater access to supporting investment documents of the state’s public pension fund.

Loftis has already signed the agreement and the SCRSIC board, on which Loftis serves, is expected to vote its approval tomorrow.

Since taking office nearly three years ago, Loftis sought to have members of his staff in the Treasurer’s Office get greater access to SCRSIC documents in order to help him (Loftis) conduct proper due diligence on investment decisions by the commission.

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Mike Irvin Announces for Chesterfield Sheriff

Mike Irvin became the first person to publicly announce his candidacy for Sheriff of Chesterfield County Tuesday.

Irvin is a decorated U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in the Bosnian conflict and also brings law enforcement experience to his candidacy from the McBee Police Department and as a deputy sheriff with Chesterfield County.

He lives in McBee with his wife, Lacey, and daughter, Taylan.

In January 2013, Irvin resigned from the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Department after becoming uncomfortable with some of the things he saw in the department.

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Council Tables HCSWA Contract

By a vote of 8-3 Tuesday night, Horry County Council tabled consideration of a contract with the Horry County Solid Waste Authority (HCSWA).

In simple form, the contract would have reduced the landfill charges to the county based on the amount of recyclable materials sent to the landfill.

But, it’s a county owned landfill and all the waste sent to it from the county comes from the convenience centers spread throughout the unincorporated areas. The county charges residents in the unincorporated areas property taxes of slightly over $6 million per year, which it pays to the HCSWA to operate those centers.

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Southern Holdings and Rogue Attorneys

When I read a recent article about two rogue attorneys in the South Carolina who had stolen money from their clients, I immediately thought of the Southern Holdings case.

I have been reporting on the Southern Holdings case for a number of years including where an attorney has failed to account for over $100,000 entrusted to him by clients.

An accounting for expense funds in the Southern Holdings case provided Sep. 15, 2011, to James Spencer, former CEO of Southern Holdings, Inc., does not conform to S.C. reporting requirements for attorney trust funds.

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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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“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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