Myrtle Beach Mayoral and City Council Forum

I raised a question yesterday at the Myrtle Beach Republican Women's meeting that unlike certain other questions, was not aimed at one person in particular, nor was it a personal attack. I wrote over the weekend about how non-partisan elections, which are abundant in these parts, give cover to candidates since they do not have to declare a party. There is no primary, and candidates can conceal their beliefs.

I researched as many sites of the candidates for the upcoming mayoral and city council elections that I could find. Some had websites, some had social media pages, others had nothing. Most of these pages tell absolutely nothing. They are generally filled with platitudes that nobody would disagree with. For example, something like: "I will work to lower crime," "I am for cleaning up the beach," or "I will work to open up communication." These are meaningless statements, because nobody would be against any of that. They don't take a stance.

So I decided to give the opportunity to every candidate to share where they fit in the political spectrum. Voters have the right to know this information. Here is a list of candidates and their basic answers:

Mayor
Daniel Aumen – Was not in attendance. Could not find a website or social media presence.

Brenda Bethune (Incumbent) – Was not in attendance. She is a liberal who believes men should be allowed in women’s spaces. Under her watch the city’s crime and debt have increased drastically.

Mark Kruea – Claimed he is a fiscal conservative, but would not commit otherwise. Absolutely dodged answering the question. Has social media with lots of videos, but one would not be able to determine his affiliation. General platitudes abound.

Mark McBride – Said he was a conservative, voted for Donald Trump, and that he would say the same thing in front of the NAACP when he speaks to them. Clearly came off as the most genuine and honest.

Eva Rigney – claimed she was a republican since 1974. Her recent social media videos trying to establish “Gun Free Zones” might just indicate otherwise. Criminals do not obey laws, so these zones, a liberal talking point, would only tell them where there will be no resistance. Came off as telling a republican audience what they wanted to hear.

City Council

Johnnie Bellamy – did not shy away from the question at all, claimed she is a conservative, and has been the chair of the Myrtle Beach Republican Women for some time now. Came off as completely genuine, unlike most of the others.

Terrance Butler – non-committal. He stated he would have disagreements with people of either persuasion, and I did believe that. But he did not answer the question.

Samuel Paul Fresquez IV – Was not in attendance. Has a Facebook page that tells nothing.

Jackie Hatley (Incumbent) – Claimed she is a conservative, but spoke like a politician looking to get re-elected. Her website tells us what she has done while in office, like trying to add more police and increase their compensation. I don’t know that much would change if re-elected.

Kenya Hennigan – Claimed she voted for Biden in 2020, but flipped to the other side when she saw what the left put Donald Trump through the last four years. She is also a member of the Horry County Republican Women, thus aligning herself with the far less conservative establishment wing of Republican women of the area.

Doug Kelly – Was not in attendance. Could not find a website or social media presence.

Mike Lowder (Incumbent) – Claimed he had a conservative viewpoint, but would not commit to either party. His website focuses on public safety, but more of the same cannot be the solution.

Phil Render – Not in attendance. Could not find a website or social media presence.

Myra Starnes – Practically dismissed the question as unimportant. I didn’t appreciate that.

Nick Vaugh – Gave a genuine response saying he is a conservative and a Trump supporter.

Even as a conservative, I wasn’t looking for these candidates to tell me what I wanted to hear. I would have had more respect for a democrat who declared it rather than dodge the question, which several of these candidates did. I would like to hear their answers to the same question in front of a crowd they know are not republicans. I'd be curious to see if any of their answers would be different, or less committal, since they knew who their audience was yesterday.

Lastly, when vetting these candidates, it’s important to see what their ties to the Chamber of Commerce are, and how they would benefit in their own walks of life from the office. Several of these candidates are real estate agents, business owners, or have ties to other special interests. The chamber is not interested in addressing the strand’s crime or infrastructure issues, they are only interested in lining their pockets. Just keep building and selling.

It seems to me that Mark McBride for mayor and Johnnie Bellamy for council are the best choices. They have no special interests or ties to the chamber, they just want to improve Myrtle Beach. They were also the most genuine which was appreciated. Don’t forget to vote on November 4.