Mark McBride’s announces bid to be Myrtle Beach’s mayor

Former Myrtle Beach Mayor Mark McBride announced his plans to run for mayor again Wednesday afternoon.

McBride called the press conference at the Tradewinds Hotel on Withers Drive. A spot he said he chose as a warning to show how desolate the building was and how it symbolizes what the city has become in the last four years.

Besides his supporters and family, a group of grass mowers created noise distraction while the former city mayor took the podium to make his announcement.

“People had repeatedly asked them (mowers) to stop for ten minutes,“ said McBride, “I’m on tax payer city owned property, I didn’t go on any private property, this building sat there for two years and that’s an example of where the city of Myrtle Beach will be if we continue to raise taxes and divide it and tell people they are not welcomed to come to the best tourist destination in the country.“

The former mayor who served for two terms said that his decision to re-enter the political arena is all because he wants to bring prosperity back to the city.

The noise disturbance didn’t stop McBride from talking about wanting to lower taxes, clean up crime, get help for small businesses and bring in more jobs.

McBride said he keeps the same attitude he had when he was mayor about his feelings for bikers coming to town.

“When I ran four years ago I wasn’t very well received by the biker community, the rally community, I wanted a managed controlled event and I still am supporting a managed control event, it’s all law enforcements in enforcing the laws and we don’t have to create new laws to target any specific group,“ McBride said.

When McBride left the scene so did the workers with their equipment. News 13 found out those workers were with Boardwalk Beach Resort across the street. When we asked the resort’s office manager if the workers were there by coincidence during McBride’s announcement she replied, “the grass is cut once a week.“

McBride served as Myrtle Beach Mayor from 1998 until 2006.