Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009

Issac Bailey | Was it bold leadership or foolishness?

Though we still don't know the full makeup of the new Myrtle Beach City Council, there's still only one thing to remember:

The 2008-09 version of the council took a major gamble in the midst of the country's steepest economic downturn since the Great Depression to aggressively turn away hundreds of thousands of tourists. And they promised to replace those all-important visitors and their dollars with loads of family-friendly tourists.

Some members used the shooting death of a Coastal Carolina University student to galvanize public frustration over the large May biker rallies, even though the alleged perpetrators were locals and it was not rally-related. One has pleaded guilty and another is on trial this week. The Council pivoted from that death to implement a tax increase and a host of rules to not only scale back the unwieldy events - which had grown too large - but to kill them and the revenue they generate. (Can you imagine a City Council member using a high-profile crime that happened early in July to argue for the cancellation of the Fourth of July Weekend?)

Maybe that was bold leadership, maybe foolish. But if there's as big a tourism drop next May as this past May, the council should have a lot to answer for.

The council's gamble isn't one that can be given a 10-year shelf-life before results should be demanded. Too many jobs hang in the balance in an area that already has too many un- and underemployed residents.

Tuesday's election was important, as elections always are. It won't take long for Myrtle Beach residents to realize what they got in exchange for their votes. For all our sakes, I hope they got it right.

Note to readers: I'll be hosting a discussion at the Grand Strand Senior Center in Myrtle Beach from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday. What I'm hoping to do is answer any uncomfortable questions people have on the topic of race relations but are generally afraid to ask for fear of being unfairly labeled or misunderstood. I promise not to do either. In speaking with a number of different groups, what I've learned is that we can have reasoned, even tense discussions on the most delicate issues. If you have any "uncomfortable" questions but don't want to ask them publicly Sunday, send them to me through e-mail.