 held court with Dietrich announcing a new candidate for hire.){kind=link}
“Lawyers we spoke with after a press conference held in the City of Myrtle Beach said they expect multiple lawsuits to come out of Surfside Beach over these issues. Some believe these suits could equal or surpass the $8.5 million settlement amounts just charged in damages to the City of Myrtle Beach.” ($11.25 million total – City and Horry County)
Tuesday night’s Surfside Beach Town Council meeting had fireworks to spare. Town Administrator Dennis Pieper and Town Councilman Bruce Dietrich (each) held court with Dietrich announcing a new candidate for hire.
Dietrich named the new employee, David Combs, of which records show is still on probation as a floodplain manager. Pieper stated to council he sent the information over to Dietrich on the candidate late on Tuesday afternoon. Dietrich was privy to the information just over one hour prior to the council meeting.
Councilman Michael Drake inquired as to why he was not given the information as well.
The subsequent 4 to 3 vote to approve the hire divided council and upset the town.
“Feels like something is being slipped in,” Keating
Mayor Bob Hellyer expressed his concerns that permits were being approved while the suspended, current Planning and Zoning Director was on mandatory paid leave.
Reasons for placing Planning, Building & Zoning Director Sabrina Morris on mandatory leave have never been publicly explained by the Town Administrator.
As the Charleston Post and Courier reports, this type of divisiveness was a pattern for Pieper at his formerly held post of Administrator in Summerville, S.C. https://www.postandcourier.com/politics/summerville-losing-its-town-manager-administrator-pieper-gives-council-resignation/article_708c0e81-3254-5d6f-bc64-6826924d0bc3.html
Dennis Pieper abruptly left his position in Summerville.
The hire in question is David Combs. Combs has been employed by the town for the past four months.
Qualifications found online show the below:
Lawyers we spoke with after a press conference held in the City of Myrtle Beach said they expect multiple lawsuits to come out of Surfside Beach over these issues. Some believe these suits could equal or surpass the $8.5 million settlement amounts just charged in damages to the City of Myrtle Beach. ($11.25 million – City and Horry County)
Questions remain as to whether business operators, who are suspected to be behind these actions, can be sued as well. The dots would have to be clearly connected.
As the Baltimore Sun reported, Attorney Bradley Bannon took down the city of Durham, N.C. and the town’s prosecutor Michael B. Nifong over the Duke Lacrosse affair. Nifong was nationally embarrassed and forced out of office, his career in tatters. The town of Durham was duly embarrassed as well. https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2007-06-15-0706150302-story.html
Bannon just won the largest single person settlement in S.C. history over a culture of corruption inside City of Myrtle Beach government.
Arrogance, guilt and cover up cost Myrtle Beach $11.25 million
This ongoing drama is sure to play out in Surfside Beach. It will certainly be worth watching.