“To me, crime is a symptom of a bigger and deeper problem. Because to me the number one issue in this campaign is incompetence. The staggering failure to lead by the city council and mayor, a glaring history of bad decisions, secrecy… this behavior has been going on for years.” “This is exactly what happens when there is no transparency, ” Ed Carey addressing city residents September 20, 2017.
Residents today showed strong support for Ed Carey at the Dunes Club Mayoral candidates forum. Offering direct and to the point, solution oriented answers from residents in attendance, Carey was a breath of fresh air. He drew the loudest and longest applause from city residents, many of whom expressed their own frustrations at how the city has been mismanaged.
Carey was joined by candidates Brenda Bethune and Mark McBride at the forum. Mayor John Rhodes was scheduled to speak as well, but cancelled.
Mr. Carey is best known for his work in helping create the Myrtle Beach Market Common. After ongoing concerns about how city council and the current mayor continuously changed the Market Common footprint in ways that frustrated Market Common residents, Mr. Carey decided to start attending city council meetings several years ago. He is considered one of the most informed residents on all things Myrtle Beach city government.
Having a background in engineering, Mr. Carey brings a no nonsense, detail minded, no drama approach to solving a long list of city issues.
On practically any topic that concerns the city, Mr. Carey is likely to be among the most informed person in the room and best able to offer a viable, working solution. Long known for his ability to manage $100 million budgets and build strong teams, Mr. Carey provided a transparent, fresh perspective to the concerns of city voters in attendance.
Mr. Carey spoke only for just over 4 minutes but completely covered the issues that mattered most to voters. Much of the video above is actually of city residents finding a safe place to vent their ongoing frustrations about how the city has been run.
It was clear from those voices in attendance, voters are very upset with current leadership. Mr. Carey ducked no resident questions and offered clear solutions without any of the normal political spin. His responses were met with loud applause.
When asked by resident Jo Cooper, concerning the city building a private downtown library and private museum, Carey said, “Let’s remember what government is for. It’s for public safety and reasonable property rights. We have failed at both of those in this town. This library is a perfect example of a lack of transparency in this town. There has been no public hearings about whether we need a new library, where are we going to put it, where are we going to get the money from, and then, after they’ve got the cart out in front of the horse, we are having public discussions on what you want to put in this library. One of our council people has told us that they [the city] are working with two private sources of funding for this. The city needs to get out of the private development business today!”
Statements like those resonated well. Candidate Carey stated clearly his intentions to bring a new, no drama, citizens minded approach to Myrtle Beach city government.