Tuesday, Nov. 03, 2009

McBride holds public meeting

About 100 people gathered Thursday to hear former Myrtle Beach Mayor Mark McBride lay out reasons he believes the incumbents should not be returned to office next week, and he laid out a few initiatives he believes should get him elected again to the mayor's seat.

During a meeting at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, McBride said he supports making new development pay its share in a 50-50 deal with the city, redesigning streets to better control traffic and expanding the city by taking in at least part of Lewis Oceans Bay Heritage Preserve.

The former mayor, who is in a five-way race for the seat he lost to current Mayor John Rhodes in 2005, spoke for most of his one-hour-and-45-minute presentation about why he's running, citing people who asked and encouraged him to make a bid for the seat this year.

He talked about what he believes the city has done wrong, including the 1 percent sales tax to raise money for out-of-market tourism promotion, and said the city needs to welcome all tourists.

He criticized the city for raising the property tax millage rate, saying the whole reason the city increased the taxes was to pay off debt to the Burroughs & Chapin Co. Inc., for 42 acres the city purchased next to the convention center. He said he went to the city to find out why, in October 2008 after the city raised the millage rate, a $354,000 interest check written to Myrtle Beach Farms - also known as Burroughs and Chapin - didn't show up in the budget. The city raised the millage rate by 3 mills, and one mill equals about $350,000.

McBride said he was told the check wasn't in the budget, but in the documents that detail each budget item.

Budget Director Michael Shelton confirmed he spoke with McBride about this issue, but said, "he remembered what he chose to remember."

The authorization for the payment, Shelton said when contacted after McBride's meeting Thursday night, is in the item that acknowledges the debt, which is in the budget.

"The authorization was there, and the cash was there. It has nothing to do with the 3-mill increase," Shelton said. "They don't even operate out of the same fund. The two never met."

McBride said purchasing the land near the convention center "was what caused all our problems."

He also rebutted print, radio and TV ads that talk about his financial troubles, including tax liens and civil lawsuit judgments dating back to when he was a business owner that remain unpaid. The ads talk about McBride's having used a city credit card for personal expenses when he was first elected mayor, including a ski trip for his family and new clothes. He also had transferred the billing address for the credit card from City Hall to his own home.

McBride said he paid back all the money and gave back the credit card. That was about the same time the city set a policy that no elected officials could have city credit cards.

He told the audience his position has always been consistent on the May motorcycle rallies. He advocates a five-day city-sponsored motorcycle event now, but when he was mayor, McBride advocated banning the rallies. Last summer, he told the council members he had learned from his mistake in using the word "ban" when he was mayor, and pleaded with them not to use it.

The audience had the opportunity to ask questions of McBride. Many of his statements earned applause and laughter, though he told those gathered that "this is not a joke. It's not a game. It's very serious."