Randal Wallace

The news that Representative Thad Viers will not be running for Congress is not good news for Horry County. The upcoming election for the 1st Congressional seat will be without a doubt the most important race for our area. We are about to lose one of the best friends in Congress Horry County has ever had in Henry Brown.

Henry Brown has worked tirelessly on our behalf for the past decade. On issues of vital importance  from I-73,  Beach Renourishment and getting the stormwater pipes off the beach to our new airport terminal and a potential trade center.  Henry Brown has been at the forefront of , along with our Senator Lindsay Graham, all of them. It is a time when the first district needs someone at the helm that has ALL of us in mind. The way Henry Brown has always worked,  this fall I-73 itself could be at stake.

We need a congressman that understands that you have to have “Common Sense Conservatism” in mind when you are up in Washington fighting for our best interest. That means telling the difference between pork, and a good needed project of vital importance to our state and region. What is good for the first district is good for the entire state. The coastal region, from Charleston to Myrtle Beach, is the tourism magnet for South Carolina. Tourism is now the number one industry for all of South Carolina. Since Henry Brown has been in congress we have had a leader that understands that. Thad Viers understood that, I am not so sure I believe that Paul Thurmond, Carroll Campbell III, Tim Scott or any of the other potential candidates understands it.

I am very concerned that our next congressman fights to help our tourism based economy by working with Senator Lindsay Graham to get the funding for the various projects we need to continue to bring people to the area and have them spend money. That, after all, provides jobs and stimulates the economy. That is what we send these guys to Washington to do, look out for the people they represent while also protecting the nation from harm.

We need to elect someone to congress that understands our needs but also understands the precarious condition of our federal government with its current lack of self discipline fiscally. It sounds great to attack projects in districts and ear marks but the truth is that is a miniscule portion of the federal government. The real thing that needs to be brought under control is Federal entitlement programs and all of congress is scared to say it.  So scared ,in fact, that they are spending us into a hole that may put us into third world status and cripple our children’s ability to pay the debt. IE: a financial collapse.

We need leadership that understands the difference between what sounds good on the trail, and what needs to be done in reality, to truly bring fiscal sanity back to our country.  I think there is a big difference between an I-73 and a cowgirl museum. There is also a big diference between earmarks that make up less than 5 % of the Federal budget, and interest payments and entitlement programs that are ballooning to way over half. It is a scary time in our nations history.

We need leadership and I had hopes that we had a candidate who would go to Washington and fill the giant shoes we need filling in the 1st district. I am now concerned about the future of the district as well as the entire country. Please choose wisely this fall it will be important!

Tags: 1st congressional district, Myrtle Beach, Randal Wallace, Republican Primary, South Carolina, Tourism
Posted in State and National opinions |  | No Comments »

On a very cold day last week, I went with DRC director David Seebok on a tour of the Boardwalk construction. I was very happy and excited about what I saw. It is coming along very well. Sections on the north end are already walkable. It will be a narrow section from just north of Plyler park to the Pier 14 restaurant. (Which has great food!!)  The area south of that are also well on the way, but not as near to being done. The large center section in front of the old Pavilion site and the south end look great though.

A lot of thanks should go to David Seebok, Nicole Desantos, and Corey Brett for all the hours of hard work they have put into making the project a reality. The entire board both past and present have really done a remarkable job of championing the cause through years of hard work.

The Boardwalk will be a new beginning for our historic district downtown. In a tourism town such as ours you have to be constantly reinventing yourself in order to stay in front of your competition. You need new attractions to keep people coming back year after year. This is  the reason you are constantly seeing Orlando coming up with something new, and why It is important that Myrtle Beach is always coming up with new concepts. We have seen it with new Ripley’s attractions, the Slingshot, Freestyle Park, Market Commons and the like. Always coming up with something new for people to go to when they come back, hopefully year after year. I believe this attraction will be in league of its own because it will take advantage of the main attraction Myrtle Beach has, the Ocean Front. We have not always used the beach to our advantage.

As I write this there is only a short list of Restaurants that front on the Ocean. Outside of the actual hotels there is very little ocean front attractions for people to take advantage of while here. That will change with the Boardwalk. The historic district will now have the opportunity to take advantage of its great location with a series of boardwalk oceanfront cafes and bars. The different merchants will be able to draw people in as they stroll along the ocean front and,I believe, you will see a reemergence of the family wandering around Ocean Boulevard. The opportunities are truly limitless.

I look forward to working on making the Boardwalk into a central destination point. One that may redefine the image of Myrtle Beach and, I hope to see the merchants down there thrive again.  It truly will be a new beginning for the entire area downtown. If you get a chance ride down sometime and take a look at the work as it is being done. I am sure you will catch the excitement as I did, even if it is REALLY COLD.

Tags: Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach City Council, Randal Wallace, South Carolina, Tourism
Posted in Myrtle Beach issues |  | No Comments »

I was stunned last week when I learned of the impending retirement of Congressman Henry Brown. The general public has no idea what a loss this will be to our area. Henry Brown has been an extraordinary congressman for our area. All the while doing the job and getting results without the need to court T.V cameras all the time. He has lived up to the name “The Workhorse”

I know from experience the job he has done for the first district and for Myrtle Beach in particular. Every year I go to Washington D.C. to lobby congressman Brown and others for the needs of our city and area. We would discuss beach renourishment, ocean outfall projects, and I-73.  I also would attend the National League of Cities meeting where I serve on the steering committee for the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources committee.

My first year in office, I attended a workshop on how to effectively lobby your member of Congress. The entire class was about how your congressman will do just about anything not to have to talk in detail to you about your issue. They want to get you in and out of their office as fast as they can figure out how to do it. They also do not want to get stuck promising you anything.

So I walked over to Congressman Brown’s office armed with my new knowledge.  I knew not to ask about his wife , Billie, I knew not to let him talk about the pictures on the wall, not to allow staff to interrupt constantly. To get right down to business and get to the point.

I stepped into the front office and what do I hear with a thick Berkeley County accent. “Randal! Come on back!” Before I could ask a single question Congressman Brown goes through every issue I had without a note and without staff present to tell him anything. He had funding for this issue, he knew about that issue and of coarse he filled me in on I-73. It was amazing and before you knew it I asked “How is Ms. Billie”

He knew what I was there for and what I needed before I could even ask the question. That was Henry Brown. He also knew me and how interested I am in government. On another trip, I was whisked away to the capital itself. Through all the security and on the train. He let me stand outside the Chamber as he went into vote. I stood right by the door as Congressman after congressman walked into the chamber. He then took me upstairs and let me watch as a new congressman was sworn into office. Then off to a congressional reception we went and he introduced me to his colleagues. I have listened to others talk about how there congressman brushes them off. Not Henry Brown! I left Washington D.C. wide eyed and impressed with how great our country really is and more than a little impressed with OUR congressman Henry Brown.

Congressman Brown got the job done. He made sure we knew that Myrtle Beach and Horry County were priorities with him. He also made sure that ALL of his constituents knew that they were priorities as well. His office has helped thousands of residents in the first district with the help they needed in dealing with the Federal government.

The loss of Henry Brown as our congressman can not be overstated. It is vitally important that we elect someone that will take Myrtle Beach and Horry counties needs to heart, that will fight for us as well as all the district. Fight for us as Henry Brown has done. After looking at the entire field of potential candidates I already know who I think we should send up to Washington to fight for us.

Horry County’s own Representative Thad Viers I think would be the best choice. So if you see him I hope you will encourage him to run.

However, no matter who it is that steps into this void in the first congressional district. I have no doubt it will be a long time before we stop hearing ” Who ever is pretty good up there  BUT he is NO  Henry Brown”

Posted in State and National opinions |  | 1 Comment »

Next week begins my third term on city council. We have some daunting tasks to tackle in tough times in 2010. However, I still think this is an exciting time to be here working for you. I think what we are doing right now will lay the foundation for a very prosperous future in our community.

The results so far for the 1% tourism development fee are promising. Harrelson Boulevard is 14 to 18 months away. The new airport terminal is now on the way to reality. The Boardwalk is under construction and on time for a May opening. Things are happening all around us in Myrtle Beach.

As all of this is coming together I believe we need to aggressively address a couple of things this year.  We need to work to have a transportation system that will work well and on time. We as a city already help with large amounts of funding but we need to reach out to the Transit Authority to make it a success inside the city. We do not need gridlock. We need to be able to move people from the airport to the hotels and around town with out major delay and in a fashion that is reliable.

Perhaps establishing routes based off of Highway 17 is an idea that will work. This way you do not interfere with the traffic on Ocean Boulevard in the retail areas. I am not a traffic engineer but I can not help but think that there are solutions that will work and we do not need to over complicate  it. We do need to make improving transportation, getting the system in place, the bugs worked out , and ready to go so that when all the other things have come together it does not hold up progress.

We also need to continue to work to improve our relationship with Horry County Government. I am proud of the work I have done in this area and want to do more. I think a great example of how far we have moved is the new potential Aviation Business Park. City Council, County Council and both staffs have worked to make this a project with enormous benefit to all. We hope to be able to take advantage of the new Boeing operation that will be in the Charleston area soon. This is the best chance we have had during my tenure to diversify the economy and bring in new industry.

Years ago , Partners Economic Development Corporation conducted a targeted industry study. In it the airport was listed as one of Horry County’s most important economic resources. The aviation industry was the number one industry listed for us to go after. This I think is the first step in following the targeted industry study given to us so many years ago.  Our runway at the airport is actually an alternate landing site for the Space Shuttle. It is an enormous asset and one we need to come together with county government to take advantage of and I look forward to working with them in the future on it.

2010 is a year that has many challenges for us but also many opportunities. We have a chance for major new industry, developing a good transit system, improving our neighborhoods (especially historic Whithers Swash), and growing our market share in our lead industry tourism. These are just a few of the priorities we have in the coming year to work on. We just need to come together as a united city and county to work to get it done.

Posted in Myrtle Beach issues |  | 2 Comments »

A recent letter going into the SUN NEWS.

Dear Editor,

Amid all the fervor over climate change and the debate about what to do, many on the far right in our state have focused their attacks on U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, as if he caused this.

For my part, I want to say thank you to Senator Graham for offering to help strike a compromise.

Without his participation, an energy bill stands little chance of passing.

If you think that is a good thing, think again.

As a member of the Energy , Environment and Natural Resources Committee of the National League of Cities. I have spent countless hours studying these issues.

This week the EPA ruled that carbon emissions are harmful to public health, which means if congress does not pass a bill this year, the administration will unleash the EPA on American business with a vengeance much worse than any legislation negotiated in the Senate.

We need a climate bill to protect our economy from the EPA and Senator Graham seems to be the one of the only Republicans willing to do something about it, which is probably why he has the support of the U.S . Chamber of Commerce and other organizations who understand that sometimes you have to take the best deal you can get.

As for cap-and-trade, Senator Graham has stated flatly the he will not support the Kerry-Boxer bill.

He seems to realize that, while any passable proposal must successfully tackle the issue of carbon emissions, it must also be transparent, easy to administer, and resistant to manipulation. Cap-and-trade , as it has been proposed, simply does not meet those criteria.

Senator Graham is trying to make the best of a bad situation before it gets much worse and I applaud him for his efforts.

Randal Wallace

Tags: Randal Wallace, South Carolina
Posted in State and National opinions |  | 1 Comment »

I thought some of you might find it interesting, or amusing , to see the schedule I have been put on to get me ready for the 5k run in February. It is painful. I used to jog a lot and I am hoping to get back in that shape. That is the goal any way.

Week 1    Nov 30 - Dec 6

6 days, walk 1 minute , run 1 minute for 30 minutes

Week 2   Dec 7 - Dec 13

6 days ,  walk 1 minute,  run 1 minute for 40 minutes

Week 3    Dec 14 - Dec 20

6 days , walk 1 minute,   run 2 minutes for 30 minutes

week 4   Dec 21 - Dec 27

6 days,  walk 1 minute,  run 2 minutes for 40 minutes

Week 5   Dec 28 - Jan 3

6 days,  walk 1 minute,  run 3 minutes for 35 minutes

Week 6  Jan 4 - Jan 10

6 days , walk 1 minute,  run 3 minutes for 45 minutes

Week 7   Jan 11 - Jan 17

6 days,  Run 11 minutes, then walk 2 minutes,  then run another 9 minutes, then walk 2 minutes,  then run another 8 minutes

Week 8   Jan 18 - Jan 24

6 days Run 11 minutes, then walk 1 minute, then run 9 minutes, then walk 1 minute, then run 8 minutes

Week 9  Jan 25 - Jan 31

6 days, Run 14 minutes, walk 2 minutes, run 14 minutes , then walk 2 minutes

Week 10  Feb 1 - Feb 8

6 days , Run 20 minutes, then walk 2 minutes, then run 12 minutes

Week 11  RACE WEEK    Feb 8 - 11

6 days Run 20 minutes Monday - Wednesday    Rest Thursday

5k on Friday!!!

Drink 10 glasses of water a day, cut out bread, fried foods, no sugar, no soda’s and eat lots of fruit and vegetables.

That diet thing will be the hard part!!!

WOW!

Posted in New Years Resolutions..progress |  | 1 Comment »

I want to take a minute to say thank you to the people of Myrtle Beach. Thank you for returning me to office , for the vote of confidence you gave me on November 17, 2009. I plan to continue to work as hard as I can to improve the quality of life for the people who live , work and play here in this beautiful place we all call home. I also promise to work as hard as I can to bring the city together for everyone. If I can ever be of help please feel free to call me at 843-602-3845, my cell phone.

If there was anything I was disappointed in throughout this campaign it was that I was to busy to continue to write on this blog.  There was so much more I wanted to do and stories I wanted to tell. There just was not enough hours in the day to keep up with everything in this very busy campaign season.  This blog is one thing I intend to start keeping up with on a much more regular basis.

I hope to get to discuss a diverse set of issues and just things to do with my life.  From the different issues that come up in front of City council to the agenda I hope to be pushing on to the table for discussion. I also want to be able to talk about the different issues on a State and National level that I am interested in and vary off topic to my new interest in camping and seeing the National Parks to getting in shape to run a 5k in February and a half Marathon in October. If all goes well I will get to run in the February 2011 marathon and hike at Yellowstone National Park, planning on shedding a few pounds as well.

So please come along for the ride …or…run…or hike.

Again let me say a heartfelt thank you for your support throughout the campaign. The nice welcome I received from so many of you even when you were mad at City Council. Thank you for the opportunity you have given me again to help improve the lives of everyone in our great town. I plan to do what I can to live up to the trust you have placed in me for a third time.  It is and has been the honor of my life to serve you as your city councilman. Please join my NEW Facebook page “Myrtle Beach Vision 2010″  and let me know what you think and what ideas you have for Myrtle Beach’s future, and if you are not please join “Randal Wallace Myrtle Beach City Councilman” as well on Facebook.  Thank You again!!!

Sincerely,

Randal Wallace

In Memory of Jaci Pace Herron  February 15, 1962 - November 27, 2009  A great friend You will be Missed.

Tags: Myrtle Beach City Council, Randal Wallace, Tourism
Posted in Introduction |  | 2 Comments »

On my Facebook page I was recently asked a question. What do you think is the most important issue facing Myrtle Beach? I thought about it and felt that there is really two issues that stand out. The first one is growing our tourism economy and focusing on the downtown area.  I have advocated for a long time that we should focus on downtown. We have the boardwalk ready to begin in September and we have provided the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce with the ability to advertise heavily out of market to grow the economy, brand the destination and grab as much of the market share as we can.

Our downtown area has been hit in recent years with a series of problems ranging from the overall economy to the closing of both the Myrtle Square Mall and the Myrtle Beach Pavilion, the real estate collapse, the competition from new areas like Market Commons, Tanger Outlets, Freestyle Park, Broadway At The Beach, new accommodation development etc. as well as the loss of the advertising monies from the State of South Carolina that effected the entire area as well as the end of the Bike Rallies. It has been a tough go but the people downtown have persevered.

Council has already begun  discussing  incentives for how to encourage the business owners to get started anew. Ideas have been as varied as the different entrepreneurs that make up the area. From ways to help finance new facades, or as I have suggested , helping  with whatever open ended plan the business themselves come up with on their own. I  figure  they know better than I do what they need to be a success. We need to focus, perhaps in sections, throughout the entire highway 17 corridor and into the Downtown and ocean front areas. We have a zoning rewrite that the planning commission is working on, and the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce , the Ocean Front Merchants Association are also working on plans for events that will draw people to the area. It is like things are all coming together at once. It is an exciting time to be a part of what , I believe , can and will happen for the city’s business community, a future we have all been working toward for a long time.

I hope to return to Council to help this process along. To ensure that the government unleashes that entrepreneurial spirit that made Myrtle Beach such a great place to live, work and play. That our small businesses get to have a say in the direction of the city and not be stifled by to much city government. It’s been my purpose for many years but now the opportunity has arrived to help make it a reality. I am excited about that!

The second problem that I think is of equal importance and one that has been a concern of mine for a long time is improving the quality of life for the neighborhoods. I think we are seeing this come together as well. Knowing that you are never totally rid of blight, you can do everything you can to make it as minimal as possible. We have been working in many areas to do that but there is a lot more that can be done.

We now have 11 neighborhood watches that are in effect. Code enforcement is in the neighborhoods getting properties cleaned up and, with the help of the people living there, we have identified trouble spots. I have recently asked for a list of the various codes and laws we have passed to see if anything else can be done to address landlords about to whom and how they rent there properties.

We have an ever stronger community policing effort going on throughout the city, and we are very fortunate to have a top notch police department and, for the first time, an almost fully staffed one.

We also have begun to work on ways to help our residents with property upkeep problems that are beyond there financial means to handle. The City of Myrtle Beach and the Waccamaw Council Of Governments , of which I am on the board,  have worked on a program to help with repairs on homes. Sadly, there is not enough money to go around and the program has a long waiting list.  The COG also has to service three counties: Horry, Georgetown, and Williamsburg. That is a pretty tall order.

I think we are working to make this a better place to live for many of our citizens with all the different programs we are working on presently. The most exciting thing about all the above is the sense that all of it is coming together. With the advertising monies bringing in more tourists and growing our tourist base, providing jobs for our people and the opportunity to now focus on the downtown with such projects as the boardwalk and special events, we are poised to take a giant leap for the better when the overall economy turns around. This will be a future that will have us less dependent on any one group or event for our city’s economic stability and prosperity.

Posted in 2009 Platform |  | 1 Comment »

Dear Friends,

Last week I went in and filled out the paperwork to run again for a third term. In the next few weeks,  I will be writing articles here on the blog addressing  issues that I feel are important to our city. I look forward to hearing your feedback and what issues are also on your mind.

As the campaign begins, I want to take just a minute to say a simple “Thank You.”  Thank you for the past 8 years, that you have allowed me to serve you as your City Councilman. When I first ran for public office ten years ago I ran with the goal of getting council focused on the issues that I felt were important:  public safety,  protecting the quality of life of our neighborhoods, reinvigorating our downtown,   protecting your property rights and going after the help we needed from Washington and Columbia.

I think we have come a long way. There is still a lot to be done, but I am excited and proud to say that we can see a lot of the things we have worked on coming to fruition. Things are happening for the good in Myrtle Beach. We have the Boardwalk on the way which is  creating big plans for the down town, and 11 nieghborhood watch programs, a housing rehab program, strong community policing   and code enforcement.  We went to work to turn the Hotel around and renovated Doug Shaw stadium. There is a lot to be proud of and a lot more on the way.

As we move forward with so many good things coming together, I really hope to stay on the job and be a part of it. So if some how I have missed you and not had the chance to ask for your support and your vote, well I am doing it now. I also hope you know just how much I appreciate the opportunity you have given me to be a part of the success we have built together in Myrtle Beach - A town we are all proud to call home.

Thanks Again,

Randal

Tags: Election, Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach City Council, Randal Wallace
Posted in 2009 Platform |  | No Comments »

History is a great teacher. It is there that you can learn from both the mistakes and successes of others and how to take advantage of what you have learned. There is no better place to look at why the 1% tourism fee is so important than at the history of the two big cereal giants of the 1930’s.

At the beginning of the Great Depression there were two giant companies that competed for the prepared cereal market, Kellogg’s and Post. When the depression hit, Post did what most would do; they slashed there advertising budget and cut costs to ride it out. Kellogg’s, on the other hand, aggressively increased its marketing budget, defined its product and advertised , advertised, advertised. Kellogg’s has dominated the market over Post for 70 years. For Kellogg’s, the Great Depression became the Great Opportunity.

When you look at the current economic climate nationally, you cannot help but be frightened. Fourteen thousand  jobs were lost in Horry County alone,  the state cut out tourism’s two- for- one money, a projection by area experts of a 10% decline in visitor spending that could lead to a 581 million total loss in revenue and 7060 jobs as well. It has the feel of a perfect storm for tourism. However, it could be from that storm we have  the perfect opportunity to take our region to the next level.

I admit ,up front, that my only goal last October was to figure out what we, as a city, could do to help our immediate situation.  We had just passed a number of ordinances designed to reign in the negative effects of two major bike rallies in the month of May. I knew that those decisions were going to have an impact on certain  businesses in our area, and I wanted to figure out a way to help those people as these changes  unfolded. In the meantime, the economy grew much worse. I felt we had to do something.

 The 1% tourism fee began to spring to life from the very bright people at the Chamber of Commerce that have always made this such a great place to live. What they came up with is a strategic investment for the future that has a component of a huge tax cut for homeowners. A win- win scenario for everybody. We can potentially be the Kellogg’s of the tourism world. The plan calls for a long term branding of our product, Myrtle Beach, as a diverse, affordable, vacation destination. It’s simple and, over the next ten years, we will have the money to make it happen and become THE  PLAYER  in the southeast.

This fee is our first major investment in tourism by local government . The industry average is only 17% privately funded.  Myrtle Beach businesses have been funding up to 66% and piecing together the rest from everywhere else. The short term goal is to invest in our underfunded drive- in and fly- in markets. We have 26 direct service markets that are only 50% actively advertised in and all are underfunded.  The fee should allow us to maneuver in these markets.

The midterm goals are to have  active Fall and Holiday advertising campaigns that will grow our share of the pie into December. The long term goals to brand the destination and grow our  domestic an international air service, hold big events and help us grow into a year round destination, are very exciting. It will take us away from dependence on the spikes of our current mix of events.

My hope is to target these big event promotions in a way to revitalize our downtown. The Myrtle Beach ocean front area is truly our historic district. My thinking is that by placing a number of these potential outdoor concerts, arts festivals, family festivals, craft events etc, into this area, we will see downtown become just as competitive as any of the other newer areas of Myrtle Beach. We need to be dedicated in making this area thrive because it is the heart of Myrtle Beach. The 1% fee has already freed up the monies to make the Oceanfront Boardwalk a reality this winter.

It is an exciting time to be a part of what is happening here in Myrtle Beach. I believe we are making the investment necessary to become the premier resort area in the nation. Investing as Kellogg’s did in grabbing so much of the market share, we will be the leader far into the future. It is one of the things I am proudest to have been a part of making a reality.

(The statistics used were part of a presentation to City Council by the Myrtle  Beach Area Chamber of Commerce)

Tags: 1% tourism Fee, 1% tourism tax, Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach area Chamber of Commerce, Myrtle Beach City Council, Randal Wallace, South Carolina, Tourism
Posted in 2009 Platform |  | No Comments »