Residents turn out to urge City Council to 'do something'

Posted on Wed, Jun. 11, 2008
The Sun News
By Lorena Anderson - landerson@thesunnews.com

Myrtle Beach residents packed Tuesday's City Council meeting to let city leaders know that when it comes to motorcycle rallies, enough is enough.

Those three words, spoken by council member Mike Chestnut two weeks ago after a group approached the council wanting to work together to find a "better plan" for the bike rallies, have become the slogan in a campaign just starting to gear up.

"Why are we having events where we know - we know - someone is going to die?" resident Cynthia Powell asked the council. "Let's do something about it this time."

"We don't want to negotiate or compromise," Joyce Harris told the council Tuesday. "You are not alone - just look at the audience."

She, Powell and others spoke up during the afternoon meeting's public discussion section, even though the bike rallies that fill the city at least two weekends each May - the Harley-Davidson Cruisin' the Coast rally and the Atlantic Beach Bikefest - were not on the agenda.

The audience gave Harris a standing ovation after she told the council she and others had already been in touch with officials in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to find out how they stopped spring break crowds that had been as out of control as some people feel the bike rallies are here.

She said the Fort Lauderdale mayor appeared on "Good Morning America" to publicly declare spring break partiers were not welcome any more; the city heavily enforced stricter ordinances; and the city met with hoteliers and worked with them as it created a "massive" marketing campaign to lure families back to the resort town over spring break.

Resident Ronnie Felts said he has spoken with members of the legislature who urged the city to push the state for a local option on the state's helmet law, which now says no motorcyclist 21 or older is obligated to wear headgear.

The city cannot now pass any law more restrictive than the state's, though Mayor Pro-Tem Wayne Gray, leading the meeting in Mayor John Rhodes' absence, said there are efforts to allow municipalities to do just that.

Resident Susan Shanks suggested a series of wide "speed tables" along city streets every block or so to slow traffic down, like the city of Alexandria, Va., has.

No one spoke in favor of the rallies, but after the meeting, Bikefest event organizer and biker Hakim Harrell said he wished he had known about the meeting because he wanted to address residents.

"I had 60,000 people over three days at my event at the convention center, and not one act of violence, not once were the police called," he said from his Philadelphia home. "The bikers come in unity and peace. We're a community. It's the other 35 percent of the people, who come in cars, who are the problem."

Local organizers could not be reached for comment.

Harrell was one of the people who approached the city two weeks ago about coming up with a plan to handle bike rallies, and he said he still wants to do so.

He said better communication and more organized events would help lessen the congestion that Bikefest, particularly, draws to Ocean Boulevard.

"I want to produce multiple events in multiple locations next year to show the city it can be done," he said.

City Manager Tom Leath, City Attorney Tom Ellenburg and Police Chief Warren Gall are planning to come up with options to present to the council, Leath said recently.

Resident Milton Frietas asked the council members how they feel about the bike rallies.

Chestnut reiterated his anger over the Memorial Day weekend shooting of a 20-year-old Coastal Carolina University student. That shooting didn't involve bikers as far as investigators have determined, but it took place during the Bikefest rally.

"I don't care who did it, a young man is gone," Chestnut said. "His mom and dad don't have a son anymore. We're going to do what we can to shut the sucker down."

Chestnut also got a standing ovation.

Councilwoman Susan Grissom Means said she's "100 percent in favor" of ending the rallies - neither of which is sponsored by the city - but wants residents to "support this with your mouths and with your pocketbooks."

She said if the council has to raise taxes to bring additional help in to end the rallies, citizens have to support that.

Councilman Phil Render, usually considered the most fiscally conservative council member, said he supports an increase in emergencies, and "this is an emergency."

Councilman Randal Wallace asked staff to find out how much a campaign similar to Fort Lauderdale's would cost.

Councilman Chuck Martino told the audience the city will need all the support it can get, especially because Horry County and the state will also have to be involved in efforts to end the rallies.

"You have to make your voices heard," Martino said.

Each of them agreed they want to end the rallies, but Gray reminded people it takes time.

"There are a host of things that need to take place, but this is a first step," he said.

Contact LORENA ANDERSON at 444-1722.

I was reading about gripes from the city members about Rallies. I was living in ft.Lauderdale during the period they drove away spring breakers. The city lost allot of income by driving spring breakers away. They even changed streets on ocean front so people could not cruise ocean front. which was great for locals and retired persons who had nothing better to do then rot on the ocean front. Now those Spring Breakers are going to Miami Beach or Daytona or Panama city. And these cities are taken the rewards in dollars.
In These days of increased Gas and Food Local business owners should welcome Bikers and the funds they get. Which most do for what I have observed. I own Business near MB and our numbers are way down due to high cost of travel. City of Myrtle beach is Service based they should be careful for what they wish for or their jobs will go else where. Fewer dollars means less money for city.
In talking to people from around country during Harley Week I continued to hear same thing allot of people are not heading to Daytona due to the cost of hotels & travel cost and higher pricing in Beverages.  But it is up to the Bikers to Restrain themselves such as speeding in their fun also. Don't get me wrong! We all enjoy a good party and I Really Do!
Signed

Big Daddy

Taxpayers to foot bill for driving away rallies

Posted on Wed, Jun. 18, 2008
The Sun News
By Lorena Anderson - landerson@thesunnews.com

Myrtle Beach City Council hit the gas on eradicating motorcycle rallies Tuesday by passing a three-mill property-tax increase dedicated to an anti-bike-rally campaign and beginning to enact ordinances that will end motorcycle-related vending inside the city.

All seven council members at Tuesday's meeting voted in favor of the tax increase, which will raise about $1 million a year. One mill equals an additional $4 in property taxes for every $100,000 of assessed value for all owner-occupied homes, and $6 for every $100,000 assessed value of commercial property and second homes.

City staff members are tasked with coming up with a list of strategies for ending the rallies, and city leaders will choose which ones they want to try and which ones the city can afford.

It's news that will please the hundreds of anti-rally residents who showed up at last week's council meeting; but for others, it's not glad tidings.

"What I do in May and October is 40 percent of my business," said Ben Brown, owner of B&M Custom Cycles in downtown Myrtle Beach. "Without bike rallies, I don't have a business. What about all these other businesses - the drug stores, the movie theaters, the restaurants - that make money from the rallies? The money filters through the local economy."

City leaders say they want to actively market May as a family vacation month, replacing bike rally attendees.

But Brown said many of the people who come for the Harley-Davidson-related rallies in May and October also come down for family vacations at other times of the year, and they will not come back if they are not welcome in the spring and fall.

"When times get tough, you cannot go back and say 'we welcome your business,'" said Mike Shank, a partner in Festival Promotions, one of the Grand Strand's largest promoters of bike rally events.

The millage increase is a part of final passage of the 2008-09 budget that equals, with the capital improvement plan that pays for the boardwalk and other downtown improvements, about $151 million.

At Tuesday's meeting, council members also voted to change the city's OZ-50 zoning so vending permits cannot be issued in May. OZ-50 covers the Myrtle Beach Convention Center and Broadway at the Beach, two spots that in years past have drawn motorcycle-related vending.

That proposed ordinance must go before the city's Planning Commission for review before it gets its second and final reading.

Council members voted to cancel all motorcycle-related facilities permits for the month of May, as well. That ordinance also needs a second reading before it is considered official.

And they passed a resolution to send Mayor John Rhodes to Horry County Council to ask for the county's help in ending the bike rallies.

Rhodes takes part in the Coastal Alliance, a group of Grand Strand governments that meets monthly to work together on regional issues, and he said that group supported the city's efforts.

Council members who had previously been hesitant to enact a millage increase to dedicate a mill's worth of money to fund public transportation through The Coast Regional Transit Authority and additional police and recreation staff said residents clearly want an anti-rally campaign.

At last week's meeting, people said they were willing to pay for it.

But as part of the budget's passage, council members also agreed to fund two additional workers to assist at the city's three recreation centers, at a cost of $86,000. That money will come from the general fund.

The new budget is balanced with $252,000 going to The Coast RTA - not as much as some council members wanted, because a mill is worth about $335,000 a year. But Councilwoman Susan Grissom Means said she would push for that increase next year.

She said the anti-rally campaign takes precedence this year.

Shank said he thinks it's interesting that the city wouldn't pass an increase to fund transit or services "that actually benefit the residents, but they will pass an increase that they don't even know how they're going to spend yet."

Contact LORENA ANDERSON at 444-1722.

Biker blocs gear up for duel



Posted on Wed, Jun. 25, 2008
The Sun News


Campaigns start up to fight council decision
By Lisa Fleisher, Lorena Anderson and Mike Cherney - lfleisher@thesunnews.com, landerson@thesunnews.com and mcherney@thesunnews.com

Pro- and anti-bike-rally forces are forming across the eastern seaboard, heading for a showdown.

Via e-mail blasts, phone calls, blogs and advertising, people on both sides are putting out the rallying cry, calling for people to attend several public meetings over the next few weeks. They're responding to a Myrtle Beach City Council decision a week ago to raise taxes to fund an effort to push the rallies out of town.

The May rallies _ the Carolina Harley-Davidson Dealers Association Myrtle Beach Rally and Atlantic Beach Bikefest _ are seen as a scourge or savior to local businesses and residents. Some say business is worse in May than in the dead of winter, while others say they do almost half their business for the year during the rallies.

``We're not going down easy, I'll tell you that,'' said Craig Smith, owner of several clubs and a bar at biker hotspot Broadway at the Beach. ``If they're going to try to get rid of it, we're going to fight them.''

Today, Smith is hosting a pro-biker meeting at his club Revolutions. He said a ``hunk'' of his business comes during the rallies, when dozens of vendors sell biker wares.

On June 17, City Council outlawed those vendors and raised taxes to fund a plan to get rid of the bikers. Mayor John Rhodes plans to ask Horry County Council to make similar moves.

City Councilman Chuck Martino said he thinks Myrtle Beach residents should ``caravan'' to Horry County Council meetings to express their thoughts.

``I don't think Myrtle Beach residents have made their voices heard to all the elected officials who can have an impact,'' Martino said. ``They've made themselves clear with us, but we're only one part of this.''

One local man who plans to go to Tuesday's County Council meeting is Tom Rice, an attorney and longtime resident.

``I think the bike rallies are a black eye for Myrtle Beach,'' he said. ``They give it a bad name, and they are a huge detraction to the quality of life.''

That meeting could be a key turning point _ if Rhodes makes it on the agenda.

In anticipation, some groups are sending word to supporters to show up.

Hakim Harrell, a rally promoter and CEO of Cycle Shoe International in Philadelphia, sent an e-mail to the media and supporters urging people to go to the county meeting on Tuesday and providing e-mail addresses for local politicians.

``I feel that if we work closely together with both bike communities, we can convince [City Council members] to reconsider their decision,'' Harrell wrote in the e-mail. ``At the end of the day, we are still going to go to Myrtle Beach anyway.''

The rallies are neither sponsored by nor completely enclosed in Myrtle Beach, so if the city wants to successfully get rid of the rallies, it will likely need to coordinate with other municipalities. Already, Atlantic Beach, the small, oceanfront town to Myrtle Beach's north that hosts Bikefest, has said it plans to keep supporting the rally during Memorial Day weekend.

Several county politicians, including Horry County Council Chairwoman Liz Gilland, said they support Myrtle Beach's efforts to get rid of the rallies, but there has not been a formal vote. Gilland said she did not want to discourage bikers from coming to the Grand Strand throughout the year.

``Bikers are great for Horry County,'' Gilland said. ``But I think 300,000 at a time has overwhelmed our ability to enjoy them.''

Although rally supporters have said that eliminating the events would hurt the economy, Gilland said she thought the economy would recover.

Gilland said she thought most of County Council backed Myrtle Beach's efforts. Councilman Brent Schulz, who represents part of Atlantic Beach and Myrtle Beach, said he was keeping an open mind but would rather do away with the rallies.

``It might not mean getting rid of bike weeks. It might mean stepping up enforcement,'' Schulz said. ``But when people can't sleep and they are scared to go out, there's a problem.''

County Councilman Carl Schwartzkopf said he would wait to make a decision until he got more information on the economic impact. He wasn't sure if other local lawmakers would do the same.

``This will turn out to be an emotional decision, rather than a rational decision,'' he said.

Club owner Smith said he is getting ready for a big crowd at today's meeting.

``If it's any indication from the phones ringing, it could be a lot,'' he said. ``I have no idea whether it will be 100 people or 500.''

He said he has not heard anything official from his landlord, Burroughs & Chapin Co. Inc., one of the largest companies in the Myrtle Beach area. The company has not returned repeated requests for comment from The Sun News.

Terry Neilon, owner of Beach Customs bike shop in Little River, said his group of 15 to 20 local riders will reroute their weekly ride and head to Revolutions for the meeting. He, too, sent an e-mail about the meeting to his list of a few hundred customers.

``It's not to say that things couldn't be improved to accommodate other folks,'' he said. ``I understand the feelings people have about congestion and noise and all that, but . . . rather than fix the problem it seems to me they just want to throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak. There ought to be a better way to go about it than to completely go against it.''

The Myrtle Beach Harley- Davidson Dealership e-mailed a call to action to its contact list, said Mike Shank, a promoter and spokesman for the dealership.

He said people have strong opinions on both sides.

``If it affects them that much then they will show up at these meetings and they will continue to call and they will fight it until they can't fight it no more,'' he said. ``Trust me I've heard it all from people who are outraged [over the plan to get rid of the rallies] to people who can't wait for it to be gone.''

Has anyone , business , individual , civil rights organization , etc.. pointed out or filed a discrimination suit against the Myrtle Beach City council yet ? If not , why not ?

Rally supporters show up in force

Posted on Thu, Jun. 26, 2008The Sun News
By Lisa Fleisher - lfleisher@thesunnews.com


If the scene at Revolutions nightclub Wednesday evening was any sign, next week's Horry County Council meeting could be the event of the season.

Motorcycle rally supporters, with signs and petitions in hand, packed the nightclub at Broadway at the Beach to learn what they could do to protect the rallies.

At least 500 people attended the event, which was hastily organized last week after Myrtle Beach City Council took action to get rid of the May rallies that bring hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists, and their wallets, to the Grand Strand.

"We were hoping people would show up," organizer and rally promoter Mike Shank said. "But I never expected this many people."

Yet even if thousands come to the county meeting on Tuesday - pro- and anti-bike-rally groups have pledged to show up - there might not be much public discussion about bike rallies, County Council Chairwoman Liz Gilland warned.

"We won't be talking about bike rallies as far as I know," she said. "It is not on the agenda, and our public comment period is already full. And there is only one speaker on there that has anything to do with bike rallies."

At Wednesday's event, owners of bars, bike businesses and non-bike-related businesses spoke to the crowd about how the rallies boost the local economy and stressed that they needed to make their concerns loud and clear to Horry County Council.

“This impacts a great deal of businesses in Horry County and Myrtle Beach - not just bars not just restaurants it affects employees,” said Craig Smith, owner of Revolutions. “It affects Dunkin' Donuts, for example.”

Toward the end of the hourlong meeting, Don Emery, owner of two Myrtle Beach bars, gave out Gilland’s cell phone number and told rally supporters to call her and let her know what they think.

"Suddenly my phone went absolutely nuts with phone calls and text messages," Gilland said. "I'm the head of the council so it has to be OK for people to call me. It's not always pleasant, but it's part of the job."

Emery told the crowd that the rallies' economic impact spreads far beyond May.

“At the end of the rally, my employees go out and buy cars, they get braces for their children,” Emery said. “That is where these dollars are spent. That is what the community at large doesn’t see. When you hear noise, when you see traffic, you know what that means folks? That means your town is making money.”

Last week, the Myrtle Beach City Council raised taxes to fund a program to get rid of bikers. Myrtle Beach is the hub of two bike rallies every May -- first, the Carolina Harley-Davidson Dealership Association Myrtle Beach Rally and then the Atlantic Beach Bikefest.

One city councilman, Randal Wallace, attended the meeting. He said that even though he was impressed with the crowd, he thought his council made the right decision.

“I understand these people are upset,” he said. But “there are some real issues with crime, with noise, with people feeling like they’re locked in their house for three weeks.”

Myrtle Beach Mayor John Rhodes is expected to attend an upcoming Horry County Council meeting to ask for the county's support in driving out the bikers.

Speakers at Wednesday's meeting urged the crowd to attend Tuesday’s County Council meeting and reminded people that several council members are up for re-election in November.

Ella May Cliver, 49, of Socastee, said she moved here from Merchant Hill, N.J., after falling in love with the area while attending the Harley-Davidson rally.

“I think it’s crazy,” Cliver said of the city’s decision. “I think they’re biting off their nose to spite their face.”

Several people at the meeting said their businesses see the best weeks of the year during May.

“Our livelihoods depend on this,” said Tim Larocque, 42, of Murrells Inlet, who works part-time at a bike shop.

It's difficult to determine the financial impact of the rallies on local governments, because there are no tickets sold and much of the impact is spread throughout the region.

Horry County collected nearly $400,000 in vendor permits for the 2007 rallies, according to county figures.

Myrtle Beach spends an extra $300,000 or so each year on the bike rallies, between additional law enforcement, overtime, trash clean-up and other services, city spokesman Mark Kruea said. There is no way to know how much the city takes in because it does not issue vendor permits, but “I'm pretty sure it's not the giant windfall the pro-biker groups want it to be,” he said.

Bike rally vendors within the city are required to purchase full-year business licenses, the fees for which are determined by declarable revenue each business generates. The business licenses are not separated or marked as being bike-rally-related, and there are not hundreds of vendors at Broadway at the Beach or the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, Kruea said.

Rally supporters pointed out that the economic boost from the events are apparent even at businesses not directly tied to bikers or bars.

Gold's Gym on U.S. 17 Bypass in Myrtle Beach sees some of its busiest weeks of the year during May, said Karen Bellamy, who works the front desk.

Emery said it was unfair to pick on bikers.

“You cannot market Myrtle Beach only to white, Christian families,” he said. “Myrtle Beach is a tourist destination, people are going to come here, and people should love to come here.”

Staff writers Mike Cherney and Lorena Anderson contributed to this report.