Chamber denies back scratching claims about campaign contributions

The accusations on a website about the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and some campaign contributions are false, that’s according to the MBACC.

In an email sent to News13 and several other local news organizations, http://www.ibiker.com shows an article on the front page of its site titled, “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.”  The article states that “The net is abuzz with a story concerning a troubling pattern of political contributions to the incumbents in the upcoming Mayoral and City Council elections.” 

The site points out that it received materials about official South Carolina Ethics Commission records showing the four incumbents running for re-election on Nov. 3 in the City of Myrtle Beach, received identical donations of $1,000 each from the same 24 companies, which ibiker.com claims is a “whopping total of $24,000 each or $96,000 total that may have even been distributed on the very same day.“

On the site, there are several links to the information referred to in the article.  You can see the information by clicking here, http://www.ibiker.org/.

One of the concerns pointed out on the site is that according to the South Carolina State Ethics Commission website, http://www.sc.gov/PublicReporting/Contributions/Candidate/SearchCandidate.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1, many of the checks have the same address.  One that is used as an example is 1298 Professional Drive, Myrtle Beach. 

Brent Schulz, Director of Planning Services for DDC Engineers, Inc, and a Horry County councilman, told News13 that 1298 Professional Drive is the address and location for their offices.  Schulz said Robert S. Guyton, who according to the SC State Ethics Commission’s website, made $1,000 contributions as an individual to Mayor John Rhodes and council members Chuck Martino and Wayne Gray, used to rent space from DDC Engineers, Inc. and never changed his address, although he no longer rents the space.  Schulz tells News13, DDC Engineers, Inc. does not have any connection to Guyton or the $1,000 contributions.

Brad Dean, president and CEO of the MBACC, released a statement to News13 on behalf of the MBACC about the website http://www.DiscoverMyrtleBeach.com.  The MBACC states that the site “has accused the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce as a distributor of campaign contributions to Myrtle Beach City Council incumbents. The statement goes on to state that the Web site alleges a “coordinated Chamber effort to either ‘thank’ or ‘reward’ elected officials for the passage of the (tourism development fee).“

The statement from the MBACC also said, “The Web site also implies that local companies making political contributions are somehow beneficiaries of the fees collected and further suggests that funds dedicated to advertising from the ad tax were redirected into the coffers of local elected officials who voted to approve the measure.  As of today, the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce has not received any payment from tourism development fee proceeds. Only three of the 24 entities listed are members of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

The individuals named are former directors of the chamber of commerce but neither currently serve, or have served recently, on the chamber’s board of directors. One business, Palmetto Strategy Advocates, inadvertently listed its address as 1200 North Oak Street, but that mistake was identified several months ago and the entity has no financial ties to the chamber.  The chamber involves itself in public policy at the local, state and national levels but solely through issue advocacy. The chamber encourages individual businesses to be active and involved in all levels of politics. 

Dean said, “I am disappointed, but not entirely surprised, that yet another nameless, faceless accuser would spread misinformation about our organization. The chamber does not make political contributions. Twenty-one of 24 businesses mentioned are not even members of our chamber of commerce, and the individuals named do not currently serve on the chamber’s board or any standing committee. Apparently, our efforts to grow tourism and create jobs while actively supporting property tax reductions and investments in infrastructure have irritated critics who don’t mind falsely attacking us behind a veil of secrecy.”

News13 also spoke with Brant Branham, chairman of the MBACC Board of Directors.  Branham spoke about a letter he sent to the board after learning about the claims on the Web sites. 

Branham said he started getting calls from some friends and chamber board members that reported seeing something on a blog that he should take a look at.  After reading the information, Branham said it was completely false, far-fetched and he didn’t know how someone could reach those conclusions. 

“I obviously recognize the names that were listed as the contributors, I raised that money, those are individual businesses and friends and pro-business folks that want to support the candidates that have proved to be pro-tourism, pro business candidates, I’ve raised money for local and state and federal candidates, probably over a hundred over the past several years, it’s election time and that’s what I do sometimes.”  Branham said.

When asked what he thought about the claims on the websites, Branham said, “I guess it makes for good talk around the water cooler, the coffee pot and at people’s offices, but it seems to me a lot of it is much to be said about nothing, a lot of people that are just trying to, in this case, just hide behind curtains and I mean done anonymously, as I told someone, whoever said this I don’t think could read the truth out the Bible.“

Branham also told News13 he raised the money as an individual business man.  Branham said, “I do chair the board of the chamber of commerce, but in taking a volunteer position at the chamber of commerce, I certainly didn’t give up my freedoms to try and participate in the political process and I wanted to support candidates who are pro-tourism, pro-business candidates and went to some friends and fellow business people I thought might have those same views and raised this money and gave it to the candidates that we, that I thought would be most deserving and would help us.”  Branham said whenever he makes contributions he tries to operate within the rules as they are set up by the SC State Ethics Commission.

News13 also spoke with Cathy Hazelwood, an attorney for the State Ethics Commission and asked about the number of checks and the amounts in question on the websites.  Hazelwood said they are not a violation of the ethics code.  Hazelwood added that unless people have evidence that the money comes from one big checking account, the way the ethics code it written, there is nothing about the contributions that she sees that would raise any red flags with the Ethic Commission.