The Committee to Elect Clinger Releases Text of Remarks by Robert M. Clinger III, Candidate for the Horry County Council District #2, for The Suns News Editorial Board

Robert M. Clinger III, Republican candidate for the Horry County Council District #2 seat, appeared before The Sun News Editorial Board on Tuesday, May 23, 2006 to discuss his views on issues facing Horry County as well as his candidacy. In his prepared remarks Mr. Clinger specifically discussed issues such as growth and zoning, fiscal responsibility, investing in the County’s infrastructure, and the Capital Projects Sales Tax Act. He also outlined three criteria against which he would assess decisions as a member of the Horry County Council. Mr. Clinger was then questioned on several topics by the editors of The Sun News. The subjects of discussion included the new Myrtle Beach Airport terminal, U.S. 501, casino boats, freedom of information, and impact fees.

Myrtle Beach, SC (PRWEB) May 27, 2006 —Robert M. Clinger III, Republican candidate for the Horry County Council District #2 seat, appeared before The Sun News Editorial Board on Tuesday, May 23, 2006 to discuss his views on issues facing Horry County as well as his candidacy. The Committee to Elect Clinger has posted the text of Mr. Clinger’s prepared remarks on the campaign website.    

In his prepared remarks Mr. Clinger specifically discussed issues such as growth and zoning, fiscal responsibility, investing in the County’s infrastructure, and the Capital Projects Sales Tax Act. He also outlined three criteria against which he would assess decisions as a member of the Horry County Council. The three criteria included:

Is the decision being made in the best interests of the people of Horry County and the community or communities affected?

Is the outcome of the decision consistent with the objectives outlined in the Envision 2025 Comprehensive Plan?

Is the decision fiscally responsible and economically sound?

Mr. Clinger was questioned on several topics by the editors of The Sun News. The subjects of discussion included, but were not limited to, the new Myrtle Beach Airport terminal, U.S. 501, casino boats, freedom of information, and impact fees.

The New Myrtle Beach Airport Terminal—Mr. Clinger indicated that, while he would not work to derail the new airport terminal, he would encourage the County Council to carefully assess the project against his three criteria, specifically with respect to economic feasibility and financial responsibility. Mr. Clinger suggested that the County Council should be cautious that the new project does not become a financial burden for the taxpayers, much like the convention center hotel in Myrtle Beach. In addition, the new terminal project should be considered against the prospects for a new regional airport in the future.    

U.S. 501—In that the Capital Projects Sales Tax Act did not include funding for improvements to U.S. 501, a major concern for many residents, Mr. Clinger suggested that the Council and the people encourage elected representatives in Columbia to secure funding for such a massive project. Stating that funding from Columbia was ultimately unlikely, Mr. Clinger suggested that, if the State representatives’ one-shot efforts failed, the County Council should examine other methods of funding the project, including potential tolls for U.S. 501.
   
Casino Boats—Mr. Clinger stated that, while it was not the responsibility of the County Council to legislate morality, the decision to tax the casino boat operations at the highest rate allowed by law was reasonable.

Freedom of Information—As a finance professional and economist, Mr. Clinger indicated that he believed in greater transparency as part of the decision making process and correlated this to greater transparency at the Federal Reserve.

Impact Fees—Mr. Clinger indicated that the studies showed mixed results on whether growth actually paid for itself. Since he believed that growth, despite increasing the tax base, did not pay for itself, he suggested that impact fees could be a responsible way of helping to pay for the strains on infrastructure resulting from that growth. However, legal issues surrounding impact fees and the ability of the County Council to impose them remained. Should this be resolved, Mr. Clinger indicated that the County Council would need to discuss and establish the optimal level of impact fees.    
   
Prior to his appearance before the editorial board of The Sun News, Mr. Clinger appeared before the Legislative Committee of the Coastal Carolina Association of Realtors and participated in the North Myrtle Beach Republican Club’s candidate forum and the League of Women Voters’ candidate forum. The complete text of his prepared remarks at these events is also posted on the campaign website.        

More information on Mr. Clinger and his campaign is available on the campaign Web site.

Press Contact:
The Committee to Elect Clinger
Telephone: 843-902-7599
Web site: http://www.clinger2006.com

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