Horry County Council Chairman Johnny Gardner announced today his intentions to run for re-election.
Gardner has been the most ardent supporter of Horry County residents over the past 4 years.
Gardner beat former incumbent Mark Lazarus in a tightly contested 2018 race.
Lazarus is a well known vocal supporter of developers, as well as, the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.
Lazarus and Gardner will face off once again this June 14th in the Republican primary. Other notable candidates in this race are Katrina Morrisson and Councilman Johnny Vaught.
The Horry County Council is the governing body of the county. The council is made up of 12 members, all but one being elected from single-member districts.
The Horry County Council is responsible for allocating funds and overseeing the budget of the county. It also reviews and approves ordinances and resolutions that may be proposed by other governing bodies or departments within the county.
With Mark Lazarus in this race, Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce PACs are now actively supporting 8 candidates in these primaries.
Those candidates are:
Tom Rice Incumbent S.C. U.S. 7th Congressional
Russell Fry S.C. U.S. 7th Congressional
Carla Schuesslar S.C. State Representative New District 61
Heather Ammons Crawford S.C. State Representative 68th district
Mark Lazarus Horry County Council Chairman
Bill Howard Horry County Council District 2
Tyler Servant Horry County Council District 5
Jenna Dukes Horry County Council District 1 (North Myrtle Beach)
Michael “Mikey Mash” Masciarelli Johnny Vaught’s Open Seat
With so many candidates in the race for Horry County Council Chairman, a run off is possible.