Rice, Lazarus and I-73 in June Republican Primary

By Paul Gable

The entry of Mark Lazarus to challenge county chairman Johnny Gardner for the Republican nomination in the coming June primaries brings an interesting aspect into the political discussion.

Lazarus joins Congressman Tom Rice as the two major proponents of Interstate 73 construction with local tax dollars in the Republican camp.

Both candidates will use political consultant Walter Whetsell to run their campaigns. It was Whetsell’s Starboard Communications that supposedly conducted a poll for the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce a few months ago that alleged nearly 80% of the approximately 600 voters contacted statewide supported construction of I-73.

The poll itself remains an issue of question in that it presented the results the Chamber desired without publicizing any of the actual questions used or details of where the respondent voters live.

Nevertheless, Chamber President Karen Riordan used the poll to promote the Chamber’s desired propaganda about I-73. With the pollster running the campaigns of two of the biggest races in the area, we can expect a barrage of I-73 propaganda to play a major role in the utterances of Rice and Lazarus.

There is an additional component to the I-73 issue. Both Rice and Lazarus have consistently promoted the need for local tax dollars to be given to the SC Department of Transportation for construction of the road. In one of his last acts as chairman in 2018, Lazarus convinced county council to appropriate approximately $30 million per year to SCDOT for I-73 construction.

Gardner, who defeated Lazarus in 2018, was able to get council approval to cancel that appropriation before any county money was sent to the state.

Rice, even when he was a welcomed member of the Republican House caucus, something that changed when he voted to impeach former President Donald Trump, was generally unable to acquire any significant federal dollars for I-73 construction. Hence his decision to press for local tax dollars as he continues to push for the road.

Gardner, in contrast to Rice and Lazarus, has consistently said I-73 should be constructed with federal and state tax dollars, while local tax dollars should be spent on the many needs to improve and upgrade local roads.

Horry County School Board Chairman Ken Richardson, now a major challenger to Rice for the Congressional nomination, has made the same point to gatherings of voters to which he has spoken. Richardson said, “I am not against the construction of I-73. I am against paying for it with local tax dollars. It’s supposed to be an interstate highway. Let the state and federal governments pay for it.”

In over 70 speaking events to voters throughout the SC 7^th Congressional District, Richardson has asked for a show of hands of people who support construction of I-73. A total of two hands have been raised. Any wonder why the results of the Whetsell poll for the Chamber are more than questionable?

There is one additional candidate in the 7^th Congressional District race that bears mention. State Rep. Russell Fry who would like to gather the support of the Chamber, the developers and their cronies, the Myrtle Beach cabal if you will, should the Rice candidacy falter.

Fry remained silent on Rice for eight months after Rice’s fatal vote on impeachment until he decided to challenge for the 7^th Congressional District nomination. Since entering the race, Fry has criticized Rice for that vote and for failing the voters of the district.

However, Fry was happy to share the stage with Rice last fall at a Chamber event promoting I-73. Fry was also a co-sponsor of a failed SC House bill that would have dictated to Horry County that all hospitality tax revenue received by the county must be spent for construction of an interstate highway.

With such a clear difference about I-73 funding between Gardner and Richardson on one side and Rice and Lazarus on the other, with Fry waiting in the wings to take up the cabal banner if Rice falters, the upcoming June primaries in the Horry County chairman and SC 7^th Congressional District races could be viewed as a de facto referendum on what government agency or agencies should pay for construction of I-73, if it ever commences.

Put another way, it is Lazarus representing the interests of the Myrtle Beach cabal versus Gardner representing the interests of the people of Horry County in the council chairman race.

In the 7^th Congressional District, it is Richardson representing the interests of the voters, Rice hoping to hold on with the backing of the cabal, Fry looking to pick up the cabal support if Rice goes away and the remainder of candidates who criticize Rice’s vote to impeach Trump and how they can ‘out-conservative’ each other.