Randal Wallace

Every year the city of Myrtle Beach goes through the budget cycle figuring up what we can and can not do and how we are to allocate money. This year will be the toughest in the time I have been on council. The City has had to make tough calls in the services and other things that had to be cut or toned down. In the end, I think it is a testament to the sound financial management of the city under Manager Tom Leath and the City Budget Director Mike Shelton that the situation is as good as it is.

If all stays as it is, the current level of service will stay as it is, with no new things added. In order to make this happen we have to say no pay plan increases, suspend the 3% merit pay, hold health insurance premiums at the previous level, and  suspend the educational reimbursement program. However, we have not made any cutbacks to current positions, no job losses.

We will not be filling 14 vacant positions, lengthening our mowing and ground’s maintenance schedules due to doing it in house, our Myrtle’s Market Farmer’s market will be privatized, and we will not be having the July 4th event at the Baseball stadium this year. We will also be keeping our Capital improvement projects to a minimum this year. We will only be doing the basic items to our existing parks and recreation and tourism facilities.

There will be some minor fee increases in instructional and recreational programs. A rise in the storm water fee of .75 cents and a 5% increase in solid waste. The millage rate will be 57.1 for operations and a 7.3 mills for debt service. All in all I think it is not to bad considering the size of the worldwide economic slowdown.

I think I am proudest of how well the city finances were run during the big boom years. It was this sound conservative management that has led us to being able to weather this storm  as well as we have. This speaks to the sound judgement of planning for a downturn that always eventually happens. That is the nature of economics, it runs in cycles, and by good budgeting, when times are good you can stay in front of things when times get tough. We shall see what happens as you know things are always subject to change before second reading.

For the Record the title was lifted from Mike Shelton’s Budget Presentation at Pinapolis.

Tags: Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach City Council, Randal Wallace
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This visit to Washington D.C. I felt was one of the most fruitful I have been able to attend despite the hard times. I was able to have extended meetings with our Congressman Henry Brown and with Senator Lindsay Graham’ s staff. Senator Graham did come in and talk briefly.

The meeting with Congressman Brown was very good. Though all the news was not good. Due to a moritorium on earmarks on the enitre Republican caucus many of the projects that Congressman Brown has worked so tirelessly for may not get funded this year. I could tell he was very frustrated by the situation. Luckily the U.S Senate is not hamstrung by this at the moment and I feel like Senator Graham will try very hard to keep these things in the pipeline.

We did talk at length about the pool enclosure situation that FEMA is pushing on us. Congressman Brown was trying to push through language that would allow them in the winter but it has been an uphill fight. I got the same kind of reaction from Senator Graham. So it has become a basic wait and see kind of  thing. I do not think the FEMA people realize what  handcuffs this can be to us in the winter time.

I thanked Congressman Brown for all he has done for our area. I have heard some people talking about the congressman now that it is campaign time. Well I can attest that no one has worked as hard for us as Congressman Brown. It was sad to think this would be our last meeting in D.C. However he let me know that Horry County has not heard the last of Henry Brown and I am glad to hear  he intends to stay involved with us in Horry County.

I had the opportunity to talk to some FEMA representatives at a disaster workshop.  We had a long talk that was joined by the Mayor of Folly Beach, I do not know whether it will bear fruit but we shall see. That is one of the benefits of the National League of Cities events you get help from people in other cities who are in the same boat so to speak. The help from other leaders has happened to me before. When I was working to get the NLC to lobby for Beach Re-nourishment as part of its policy I received a great deal of help from Mayor Bobby Horton of West Columbia S.C. and Walter Parker of Tybee Island GA. We were able to get that language through the NLC Energy , Environment and Natural Resources Committee.

That is the committee that I now serve on the steering committee. That has been a real eye opening experience. I have learned more on a wide array of issues than I ever thought I would know. We have worked with some of the leading experts in a number of fields in the world.  A number of the issues pertaining to sustainability are a part of the comprehensive plan we are now working with locally in Myrtle Beach. I’ve learned to appreciate our planning department better after serving on this committee because Jack Walker is such a leader in this area.

Finally, I learned a very valuable personal lesson on this trip. It is the kindness of strangers that is still very prevalent in this country. While walking down the street in the middle of my last afternoon, after checking out of my hotel, I tripped and fell on the sidewalk. I cracked my head good on the sidewalk, ripped up my sports coat and blackened up my eye. I really looked pretty bad when I stumbled into the Newseum.

They called EMS.

The staff could not have done more to take care of me. Caprecia Alston took me down to a first aid room and called EMS. Nate Turner stood over me and got me some water while we waited on EMS to get there and Kim Clarke sat with me and kept me laughing through the entire experience. I hung around there for a while because I decided not to go to the hospital, which was not wise I might add, and they really looked after me at the Newseum and I want to say a very special thank you to them.

The same is true of the EMS workers in Washington and the people at the hotel and airline. The Taxi driver even toted my bags to the door at the airport (they usually just pull them out the trunk) I truly was treated very kindly and it surely renewed my belief in the basic goodness of people. I would add this is also true of our own Myrtle Beach EMS workers who in an unrelated medical issue rushed to take care of me a week before this happened.  So let me just say thank you to all of the people involved.

While all the news was not good in these tough times I think we have two great champions in Henry Brown and Lindsay Graham working on our behalf and I certainly did every thing I could to let them know what our problems were.  I also think a thank you needs to be said to Representative Jim Clyburn who has also worked hard for us even though we are not in his district. His staff has bent over backwards to listen to our needs when I met with them.  That covers my two trips representing the city.

Tags: Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach City Council, Randal Wallace
Posted in Myrtle Beach issues | | 1 Comment »

I recently had the honor to represent the city on two different trips. I traveled with the Chamber of Commerce on a trip to Toronto , Canada and then I represented the City at the National League of Cities trip to Washington DC. I thought these were both very productive trips for the city.

On the trip to Toronto,  I  was part of a large group that was promoting Myrtle Beach and Horry County. Our airport recently added flights directly to Toronto on Porter Air and  to Niagara Falls on Direct Air. These are two great opportunities to tap into this heavily populated area around Buffalo NY and Toronto . While we have reached out to these areas for years the Chamber has made a renewed effort in recent days and the addition of these two airlines will be a big help.

We were hosted by the United States Consul General to Canada for a reception. He invited various travel operators and Chamber members from around the Toronto area including our sister city Burlington Ontario. This was an extraordinary event and I commend the Chamber of Commerce folks who put this together. It is great to know we have these folks working so hard on our behalf.

I think that one event will pay huge dividends because it shows how important the Canadian market is to us, as not only a city , but as a country to have our Consul General involved in promoting our area. The Canadians in attendance were very excited at the prospects of coming to Myrtle Beach. I even had a new property owner asking for advice on what to do and where to go when he brings his family down for the first time.

The relationship to Canada is a special one for me because I have entire side of my family that is Canadian, a Step Dad and all of his family. They stretch from Toronto to Ottawa to out west in Saskatoon, Edmonton and British Columbia. I have actually been able to travel out west and it is an extraordinary place to see.  From  Banff, to Frank’s slide, to Smashed in Head Buffalo Jump western Canada is breathtakingly scenic.

The second day of our trip was very special  because it was a chance to renew our relationship with our sister city Burlington. Their Mayor Cam Jackson met us at the Toronto Star Golf and Travel Show to cut the ribbon on the Myrtle Beach area booth. He showed up with reporters in tow and Mayor Rhodes and Mayor Jackson hit it right off. The visit received a lot of local press because of the Sister City connection.  I think we will see many more opportunities to renew this relationship after all the talking the two of them did.

Mayor Rhodes really does do a fantastic job in these situations as an ambassador for the City of Myrtle Beach. I will give him credit for that talent. It is something I wish all the citizens of Myrtle Beach could see. We also had another luncheon in Niagara Falls with there travel operators. This was yet another venue in which Mayor Rhodes shined as he invited these folks to come to Myrtle Beach.

In both areas the interest in Myrtle Beach was very high and I feel like this was an enormously successful trip promoting and more importantly getting to know the Canadian and New York travel operators and promoters. Tourism promotion is just like every other area of life it is built on relationships that is why these promotional opportunities are so important.

I would be remiss to not mention the efforts and work of Horry County Council Chairman Liz Gilland. This was most likely the last trip I will be taking with her since she will be retiring from public office in January. Ms Gilland has traveled a few miles for the county and I have been with her a few times. She has always been an outstanding representative for all of Horry County. She will be missed and I feel like she has done a lot to get Horry County to the level it is today in many areas especially tourism promotion and I wish her well.

I also want to brag on our home grown airline Direct Air. I have been impressed with the job they do not only as an airline but also as an active member of our community. I expect great things from them. They have really contributed to the promotion of Myrtle Beach as a fun affordable vacation destination all over the Northeast epecially in the Niagara Falls area.

I think we are going to see a lot more Canadians in our area in the near future and I might add, a few of us ought to fly up there. If you have never seen Niagara Falls or spent time in Toronto it is well worth the trip.

Tags: Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach City Council, Randal Wallace
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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 | | 1 Comment »

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
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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
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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 »

That I am sure is a very scary thought to anyone who knows me. For me this is the most exciting thing I’ve done in a long time. The idea of being able to connect directly with the public in a meaningful way is something everybody in the political world should want to be able to do. To get your ideas out, your interests exposed and introducing to you the people  who are your neighbors that I meet as I go door to door.  They are, afterall , the real faces of Myrtle Beach.  That to me will be fun.

I hope to be able to do all of these things with this Blog. Throughout the campaign and beyond, I plan to report back to you my views on various issues we face as a community, to express opinions on different subjects, both local and of interest to me  and, as I walk the neighborhoods, introduce you to some of the interesting people I meet along the way and tell their stories.  Meeting and talking to our citizens  has always been the most enjoyable aspect of knocking on doors and listening to the fascinating stories they tell and hearing about their lives.  I’m looking forward to sharing the campaign with you.

For me, this will be a throwback to the only other thing I enjoyed in college other than politics,  Journalism. I admit, upfront, to not being up to “Sun News” standards but their reporters are  professionals and, I assure you, I am not. However, I really did enjoy my time as a student staffer on Lander University’s newspaper, “The Forum.” So I hope you will find this of interest.

I also hope you will let me know what you think. That is part of getting the information you need to make a good decision, hearing from many different people and listening to their point of view.  I am also reminded of something one of my favorite journalist told me when I was on one of my rants.

“I don’t want you to sound stupid or like you don’t know what you are talking about!”

 

So, please, if I go off on a rant, feel free to try and prevent the above from coming true,  either with a comment or an email.

As always,  if I can ever be of service to you as your Myrtle Beach City Councilman, please do not hesitate to call  843-602-3845

Thanks again,

Randal

Tags: Election, Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach City Council, Randal Wallace
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