Sunday, Nov. 01, 2009

The City That Forgot How to Listen

" Myrtle Beach residents who are sick of the bickering that plagues city government can bring it to an end by choosing Judy Rodman as their next mayor. [She] offers residents a soft-spoken, collegial personal style and steely intellect ... [and] has a far better chance than her opponents of forging the council into a cohesive policy-making group whose decisions make sense."

- The Sun News, Oct. 30, 2005, editorial recommendation

Four years ago, Myrtle Beach's governing body was high drama, a comedy for the outside world looking in, but tragedy for those of us who cared about the characters. Mark McBride had been mayor for eight years, and during that time had repeatedly drawn the eyes of the country, the state and the city to Myrtle Beach in derision. Either of his opponents, longtime Councilwoman Judy Rodman and businessman John Rhodes, seemed to be an improvement, but Rodman in particular possessed exactly the blend of perceptiveness and peacemaking the city desperately needed, and still does. McBride and Rhodes edged Rodman in a close three-way race, and Rhodes (with her endorsement) defeated McBride in the runoff, but oh, four years later, how we long for a choice as clear as we had then.

Rhodes' stated first priority was to reunite the City Council, and for that we certainly give him credit. Especially at the outset of his term, a welcome civility and cooperation flourished. When faced with major issues - the rallies and the recession - however, the council's cooperation transformed into what now comes off as stony self-absorption, arrogant indifference. Every high-minded leader fancies himself the champion of the common man, yet on this council, there is none.

This attitude is exemplified in the incumbents' attitude toward the bike rallies. May 2008 was a contentious month for Myrtle Beach, with much of the city in an outcry over the tragic rally-time slaying of a young man in a senseless dispute over a parking space. Motorcyclists exchanged their long-held defiance of the city's dream of a smaller rally for outrage of their own when the city swiftly passed a raft of harsh new laws intended to end the rallies. To be sure, The Sun News supported then and now the general desire of residents for a saner May, and specifically most of those laws. Helmets save lives, and prohibitions against crowds in parking lots made congested areas such as Ocean Boulevard more manageable for public safety officials.

But as the depth of recession has become painfully clear, and the city has done nothing to ease the ever-escalating tensions with motorcyclists, we and the council incumbents now differ sharply over the city's overall goal of ending the rallies permanently. While curtailing their excesses remains a necessity, we no longer believe that stopping the events outright is the right course for Myrtle Beach. As a tourist city, we should pass the laws we deem necessary to maintain a high quality of life, but should meanwhile welcome any group that wants to come abide by them. The incumbents' attitude, however, is well expressed by Rhodes, who told us his only regret is that the recession hit while the city was trying to end the rallies.

And about that recession: The council's response was to pass a sales tax, a fast-money fix for tourism advertising that has undeniably brought some new customers. But the arguments against it were legion, for us and many others. For starters, it should have gone before voters for approval as every other sales tax has. Funneling the proceeds to the private Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce makes any financial accountability a voluntary effort. Starting the tax Aug. 1 allowed it to run for only one month of the tourist season while locals will now pay it all winter. The property tax relief council members threw in to sweeten the deal will only help the home-owning half of city residents, while the other half, for whom the impact of an extra penny tax is greater, get no relief at all.

In the face of so many complaints about the tax, neither Rhodes nor the council listened at all. No one considered any other options. For many voters, the arrogance with which they passed the tax and still tout it as the city's salvation will likely be unforgivable.

Mayor

Although there is nothing to indicate McBride has matured any in his four years out of office, our disenchantment with the Rhodes gang was enough for us to call Rodman last week and ask her why she chose not to run for mayor again this year. With her characteristic sensibility and humility, Rodman replied that she felt the voters spoke in 2005. Yet, while eloquently expressing the same dread we share at the thought of another McBride administration, Rodman declined to endorse Rhodes for many of the same reasons we do not want to recommend him for re-election.

This year's ballot will have names other than McBride or Rhodes, perhaps most notably restaurateur Bill Howard, who is presenting himself as an alternative to either. Yet Howard's understanding of city government seems limited, and his vision for the city's future never seemed clear to us. As yet, we're unconvinced that Howard would be an improvement over the incumbent, though if exasperated voters turn to him, we could hardly blame them.

It is this lack of a clear choice on the ballot that directed us to look off it. Rodman, surprised by our call last week, said she would serve as mayor in the unlikely event she is chosen without having sought the job. Four years after recommending her to voters, we can still say with confidence that her style of leadership would have not only united the council, but done so without alienating so much of the city as well. Yet, writing in an otherwise undeclared candidate is the most severe form of a protest vote, and we leave it to voters to decide whether they want to take such a drastic step - especially when such an unwanted alternative as McBride looms as a distinctly possible consequence.

City Council

Fortunately, the challengers for Myrtle Beach City Council present far better choices, and had any of several of them run for mayor, voters' choice on Tuesday would likely be easier. Among them, we believe that Mike Lowder's time for a seat on the council has finally come. His service on the city's zoning board and two previous close runs for council have given him a deep, impressive knowledge of the city's workings. Further, the south end has gone without a representative since the end of Wilson Cain's long term, and Lowder shares our support for some form of modified district system (such as North Myrtle Beach's) to generate some ideological and geographical diversity as Myrtle Beach grows. Most important of all, Lowder will provide fresh thinking to a council that has marched in lockstep too long.

For the remaining two council seats, we hesitatingly recommend the return of two incumbents, Wayne Gray and Randal Wallace. If McBride is elected mayor, the city will need Gray's leadership and experience resisting his antics - despite Gray's apparent infection with the same unpleasant inflexibility as Rhodes. Of all the incumbents, Wallace seems the least stricken by that arrogance. He still knocks on every door in the city to campaign, he never misses an event, and he was the only council member to dissent at all on the motorcycle vote, choosing to vote against the helmet law. Though we disagree with him on the policy, we admire his independence - undoubtedly the product of so much time spent among the public.

For those voters who are determined to vote out all the incumbents, however, there remain three more especially fine choices. One standout, Keith Compton, supports many of the positions the incumbents has taken, but does so with a congeniality that they have mostly lost. Combined with his extensive business experience, we have no doubt he will appeal to many voters seeking a change in attitude without a change in course.

Likewise, Adam Parness' campaign as a centrist in such a bitterly divided contest - combined with his governmental and political experience - also makes him a strong choice for many voters. Finally, Joanne Vogelsong's reputation as a civil servant and volunteer, not to mention her apparent open-mindedness and kindness, is sure to draw many voters tired of acrimony.

We were impressed by the energy on display from two of the younger candidates, Pedro Lusardi and Terry Mitchem, and while they seem as yet unready for City Council, we hope they will continue their involvement in government. Time on a city board could easily give both the experience to make them strong leaders down the line. Though it will be difficult for most voters to see bar owner Don Emery as more than a single-issue candidate, he is a lucid spokesman for the opposition with good ideas we hope he will continue promoting even if he is not elected. Likewise, Karon Mitchell, his ideological counterpart, has a passion for the city that will be an asset for Myrtle Beach whether on the council or off.

We have long maintained that civics is hard work, and this year more than any exemplifies that principle. We strongly encourage Myrtle Beach residents to study the issues and particularly the individual candidates, and choose the mayor and three councilmen that they believe will best lead a city that, four years after a pivotal election, cries out for healing yet again.

Do your part

Why are we telling you how to vote? We're not. Civics is hard work, and we hope that the opinions of The Sun News editorial board will be only one of many sources you consult as you decide. Perhaps we've brought up ideas you hadn't thought of, or perhaps we've praised the very things you like least about these candidates. In the end, we're sharing our ideas as just one more perspective to consider as you head to the polls Tuesday.