At a fundraising Bethune campaign kickoff event last night, the Myrtle Beach Mayor called her husband a “sign boy”.

The Bethune campaign kickoff event was attended by a small group of political insiders and campaign donors.

After 7 years in office, Bethune spoke of re-vitalizing downtown Myrtle Beach. She complimented her team for the $100 million the town has spent in city taxpayer monies on downtown revitalization. She stated the work would continue.

Meanwhile our news coverage here, shows that only two days before the Bethune campaign kickoff a fight broke out downtown and Myrtle Beach made a new list as America’s 3rd dirtiest beach.

Events happening as Bethune Campaign Kickoff occurred.

While it is true that the town spent over $100 million in downtown efforts during Bethune’s first 2 terms, transformational improvements have yet to be realized.

Mayor Bethune and her team were in Columbia, S.C. earlier this month, just before this Bethune campaign kickoff, asking the state to provide $50 million in downtown revitalization funding.

Unfortunately for the city of Myrtle Beach, the S.C. General Assembly is cutting the budget this year. Sources tell our news team that Mayor Bethune will be fortunate to receive $10 million.

Her request, just before her campaign kickoff, largely fell on deaf ears, because many legislators in Columbia are aware the Myrtle Beach downtown area is landlocked by a 1945 trust fund arrangement.

$50 million will do nothing to change the following parcels left by Simeon B. Chapin in his will to his trust fund descendants and a few Myrtle Beach insider families.

Bethune Campaign Kickoff: Why changing the downtown will require humility

To bring about real change in downtown Myrtle Beach, the city requires a leader capable of meeting with three distinct organizations that share a trust fund legacy of common ownership.

Bethune’s negotiating approach often lacks humility, as demonstrated in the broadcast above. The mayor has been referred to as a bully by downtown merchants, including Tuvia Wilkes.

Seven years ago, following her first campaign launch, the mayor isolated herself from more than 350,000 Horry County residents. The residents rarely visit downtown Myrtle Beach, preferring Myrtle Beach State park and other beach cities.

3 keys to downtown renovation that require team work and humility

The above largely empty building was once called the Chapin Company. The Chapin Company is not owned by Burroughs and Chapin, but does have common trust fund owners. The parcel sits, largely abandoned near 8th avenue and and Highway 17.

This property is not for sale and never will be. It can be long termed leased, if the terms are ideal. The site occupies multiple blocks in the heart of the downtown.

Another empty lot downtown

Across from the dated Chapin Company building lies the abandoned lot that once housed the Myrtle Beach Pavilion.

This property is owned by Burroughs and Chapin, a separate entity from the Chapin Company. Yet, some of the same trust fund children have ownership in both companies.

This property will never be sold as it was bought approximately around 1911, leading to capital gains if sold. While a long-term lease is possible, retail will never be allowed on this site by Burroughs and Chapin to avoid competition with their other properties, including Broadway at the Beach and Barefoot Landing.

Burroughs and Chapin own this vacant lot in downtown. This lot formerly held the Myrtle Square Mall in the heart of the downtown. This property is not for sale. B&C will not allow competing retail on this site.

The Chapin Foundation, the top shareholder in Burroughs and Chapin, only allows a few original trust fund family members on its board. Carolyn Chapin Lund, a current Chapin family member on the foundation’s board, resides in Michigan and is a trust fund descendant of Simeon B. Chapin. Similar to many of Chapin’s descendants, Lund has never resided within the Myrtle Beach city limits.

Myrtle Beach requires a skilled diplomat and entrepreneurial negotiator to revitalize the downtown area. Mayor Bethune, after a 7-year tenure, has demonstrated an absence of the necessary attributes to drive significant change effectively.

The Bethune Campaign kickoff raised funds that can help her win re-election, however it does nothing to transform Myrtle Beach. Fortunately, one day after the Bethune Campaign kickoff, the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce hired a new C.E.O. that has many of the skill sets Bethune lacks.