Post by Pat on Jun 14, 2009 12:49:55 GMT -6
Dear Mayor Rhodes,
It is a sad state of affairs when you and the council think it is a victory for our area that you have done away with the bike weeks and lost the city $200-$300 million in revenue(by Brad Deans own estimation). How about all the loss of jobs by our service industry workers. Not everyone in this town is able to live on the wealthy north end or be retired. If people want to live in a quiet sleepy little town, they should not have come here. Why couldn't you have enforced the laws that were previously on the books before the new 15 ordinances were passed? Those laws already covered noise, congestion, and behavior.
I went to many of the meetings, wrote letters, even spoke at one city council meeting where of course I was cut off after three minutes. At another one I was told I couldn't speak as they were not taking people to speak on the rally subject at that particular one, although people did anyway. Of course your meetings are held at 2PM when it is hard for the working people to get there. I wonder why? There were many hotel and restauranteurs who showed up, but were not listened to. I have also spoken at two county council meetings and attended many more and have written to all those council people also. I was the person who gave the BOOST power point presentation to the county council in February. They did change some things as far as vendors, but did not enact any new laws set to keep bikers out and discriminate against them. They were at least open to some compromises, especially Harold Worley, a respected business man in North Myrtle Beach. At least they hold their meetings at 6PM when more of the people can get to them. North Myrtle Beach has sent out letters from their city manager welcoming the bikers. They are tourists too. When a biker comes with his wife, that is also a family. Because many of these bikers are older people, with grown children, they do not come with children, but that makes them no less of a family. These are for the most part hard working law abiding families, who like to ride with the wind in their hair. They should be welcomed as tourists and in this economy, we should be "welcoming them with open arms", not shooing them away.
The boulevard during Harley Week made me want to cry. The signs welcoming bikers and begging for their business where every where and on Business 17 too. I drove it two ways every day of the 10 days from start to finish both ways until of course, the city made it one way. What a joke. No one was on it anyway. We all know why that was done. And the check points. Mostly all that was stopped was locals in cars and your "precious family tourists". Do you think they felt welcomed on 501 going through that. The bikers were smart enough to avoid it for the most part. I and many others have said it over and over again, during the Harley week there are no family tourists to replace these people as school is not out. It's too hot for most northern golfers and if not too hot, they can play at home. You may after many years replace the Memorial day bikers because that is a three day holiday weekend and school is out. But it will take years to get the hotel rates back up there. The memorial day Bike Week was actually getting somewhat smaller and more manageable in recent years. there were planned events and corporate sponsored demo rides at Red Line Cycles for the visitors to do, but of course following somewhat in the city's lead the county would not allow Red Line to set up this year saying that they were in the 501 overlay zone and could not have vendors in front of that property. This year December rates of $28-$44 were on most hotel signs in May and even at that they couldn't get any business. I have talked to many businesses that were any where from 40-80% off for the month of May and they can not stay in business like that. Isn't the price of a business license for a hotel based on their revenue intake? Smart move, huh?
As for sports tourism, that is a fine and good. We need that too, but as an addition to what is already here, not as a replacement. One can only hope that this fiasco with the NAACP and the ACC gets straightened out, because Lord knows we need that business now that you have thrown the bikers out. And it is only a fraction of the revenue the bikers would have brought in. Also it is in the Memorial Day date range, so still nothing is planned to take the place of the Harley bikers. During the rally which you say did not exist this May, this areas Harley Chapter raised over $4,000 for Caring in our Lifetime, an organization which aids women with breast cancer who can not afford treatment. This money only stays in our area. Just think of how much more they would have taken in had we had our normal amount of those pesky bikers. This is one of the many charities that raised money during the bike week that didn't exist. I do not have figures to report to you of the other charities.
I am also against the penny tax that you and the council passed without the approval of the voters. Raising taxes during a recession is unconcionable. You just raised our taxes a few months ago by three mills to get rid of the bike week. Now you add a tourism tax to try to get new tourists to replace them. Why could it not have gone to a vote of the people. Why? Because all of you knew it would not pass. I don't even think the wealthy retirees on the north end would have voted for that. And it is most oppressive to the renters who will get no relief and can least afford this tax. Thank goodness I live close enough to the restaurant row area and North Myrtle Beach to do my shopping and eating out, outside of the city limits. I know many others who feel this same way. The Chamber would take no stand on the bike weeks because they said the membership is divided almost equally on the subject. This is simply not true. At least 60% of the businesses polled were for the bike weeks. And of course who is receiving this penny tax, but the Chamber. This is not an attack on the Chamber as they do at lot of things quite well and why wouldn't they take the money if it was offered to them.
And as far as telling residents to move if they don't like it, you can forget it. I can't believe a Mayor would even say such a thing. I have lived here always in the city limits for 35 years and I am not moving. I am a graduate of CCU. I have raised my family here. My son was born here 23 years ago at Grand Strand Hospital and has always lived in the same house here in the city all his life.
I supported you during your campaign and was at your party at Studebakers when you won the election. I remember the promises you made and now all is changed because those promises were lies. Now Studebakers was used for a BOOST meeting that I attended last week. When I have written before all I get in response is a canned letter from Mark Kruae or no response at all. I also handed you a letter personally which I wrote to you and received no response. It was at the Optimist Club meeting when you spoke, in case you don't remember. And just when I think that the city of Myrtle Beach can do no more to hurt bike week, you start using our tax dollars to play deceptive radio commercials all over NC and SC, our drive to tourist markets, telling them there is no bike week of either kind which was totally untrue and deceptive. There was a bike week in all the neighboring areas and our city businesses could have benefitted from these people staying and eating in the city. Then they could have gone out of the city to visit vendors and the motorcycle shops etc out of the city.
I am a tax payer, a voter, a home owner, a city resident, and a law abiding citizen who diagrees with every thing, you, the city council, Tom Leath, Mr Ellenburg, and Mark Kruae have been doing to our city. This also affects unincorporated parts of the county and other minicipalities in our area. They have been hurt too, just not as bad as our city. Hurray for BOOST and what they are doing. It is unfortunate that they should have to spend so much time, effort, and dollars to try to undo something the city has done, which should never have been done to begin with. My support goes to Thad Viers, Robert Kelley and others in BOOST for what they are doing. HELP is another organization you may want to watch out for.
This upcoming Mayors appreciation day on June 10th is nothing but a sham, being put on by Tom Rice (by the way, is he a city resident?), David Brittain, and the Mayhem Society. We all know that it is just a show for the media and the misguided public, just another product of your spin factory. In November, please beware.
Sincerely,
Sharon Kemerer
It is a sad state of affairs when you and the council think it is a victory for our area that you have done away with the bike weeks and lost the city $200-$300 million in revenue(by Brad Deans own estimation). How about all the loss of jobs by our service industry workers. Not everyone in this town is able to live on the wealthy north end or be retired. If people want to live in a quiet sleepy little town, they should not have come here. Why couldn't you have enforced the laws that were previously on the books before the new 15 ordinances were passed? Those laws already covered noise, congestion, and behavior.
I went to many of the meetings, wrote letters, even spoke at one city council meeting where of course I was cut off after three minutes. At another one I was told I couldn't speak as they were not taking people to speak on the rally subject at that particular one, although people did anyway. Of course your meetings are held at 2PM when it is hard for the working people to get there. I wonder why? There were many hotel and restauranteurs who showed up, but were not listened to. I have also spoken at two county council meetings and attended many more and have written to all those council people also. I was the person who gave the BOOST power point presentation to the county council in February. They did change some things as far as vendors, but did not enact any new laws set to keep bikers out and discriminate against them. They were at least open to some compromises, especially Harold Worley, a respected business man in North Myrtle Beach. At least they hold their meetings at 6PM when more of the people can get to them. North Myrtle Beach has sent out letters from their city manager welcoming the bikers. They are tourists too. When a biker comes with his wife, that is also a family. Because many of these bikers are older people, with grown children, they do not come with children, but that makes them no less of a family. These are for the most part hard working law abiding families, who like to ride with the wind in their hair. They should be welcomed as tourists and in this economy, we should be "welcoming them with open arms", not shooing them away.
The boulevard during Harley Week made me want to cry. The signs welcoming bikers and begging for their business where every where and on Business 17 too. I drove it two ways every day of the 10 days from start to finish both ways until of course, the city made it one way. What a joke. No one was on it anyway. We all know why that was done. And the check points. Mostly all that was stopped was locals in cars and your "precious family tourists". Do you think they felt welcomed on 501 going through that. The bikers were smart enough to avoid it for the most part. I and many others have said it over and over again, during the Harley week there are no family tourists to replace these people as school is not out. It's too hot for most northern golfers and if not too hot, they can play at home. You may after many years replace the Memorial day bikers because that is a three day holiday weekend and school is out. But it will take years to get the hotel rates back up there. The memorial day Bike Week was actually getting somewhat smaller and more manageable in recent years. there were planned events and corporate sponsored demo rides at Red Line Cycles for the visitors to do, but of course following somewhat in the city's lead the county would not allow Red Line to set up this year saying that they were in the 501 overlay zone and could not have vendors in front of that property. This year December rates of $28-$44 were on most hotel signs in May and even at that they couldn't get any business. I have talked to many businesses that were any where from 40-80% off for the month of May and they can not stay in business like that. Isn't the price of a business license for a hotel based on their revenue intake? Smart move, huh?
As for sports tourism, that is a fine and good. We need that too, but as an addition to what is already here, not as a replacement. One can only hope that this fiasco with the NAACP and the ACC gets straightened out, because Lord knows we need that business now that you have thrown the bikers out. And it is only a fraction of the revenue the bikers would have brought in. Also it is in the Memorial Day date range, so still nothing is planned to take the place of the Harley bikers. During the rally which you say did not exist this May, this areas Harley Chapter raised over $4,000 for Caring in our Lifetime, an organization which aids women with breast cancer who can not afford treatment. This money only stays in our area. Just think of how much more they would have taken in had we had our normal amount of those pesky bikers. This is one of the many charities that raised money during the bike week that didn't exist. I do not have figures to report to you of the other charities.
I am also against the penny tax that you and the council passed without the approval of the voters. Raising taxes during a recession is unconcionable. You just raised our taxes a few months ago by three mills to get rid of the bike week. Now you add a tourism tax to try to get new tourists to replace them. Why could it not have gone to a vote of the people. Why? Because all of you knew it would not pass. I don't even think the wealthy retirees on the north end would have voted for that. And it is most oppressive to the renters who will get no relief and can least afford this tax. Thank goodness I live close enough to the restaurant row area and North Myrtle Beach to do my shopping and eating out, outside of the city limits. I know many others who feel this same way. The Chamber would take no stand on the bike weeks because they said the membership is divided almost equally on the subject. This is simply not true. At least 60% of the businesses polled were for the bike weeks. And of course who is receiving this penny tax, but the Chamber. This is not an attack on the Chamber as they do at lot of things quite well and why wouldn't they take the money if it was offered to them.
And as far as telling residents to move if they don't like it, you can forget it. I can't believe a Mayor would even say such a thing. I have lived here always in the city limits for 35 years and I am not moving. I am a graduate of CCU. I have raised my family here. My son was born here 23 years ago at Grand Strand Hospital and has always lived in the same house here in the city all his life.
I supported you during your campaign and was at your party at Studebakers when you won the election. I remember the promises you made and now all is changed because those promises were lies. Now Studebakers was used for a BOOST meeting that I attended last week. When I have written before all I get in response is a canned letter from Mark Kruae or no response at all. I also handed you a letter personally which I wrote to you and received no response. It was at the Optimist Club meeting when you spoke, in case you don't remember. And just when I think that the city of Myrtle Beach can do no more to hurt bike week, you start using our tax dollars to play deceptive radio commercials all over NC and SC, our drive to tourist markets, telling them there is no bike week of either kind which was totally untrue and deceptive. There was a bike week in all the neighboring areas and our city businesses could have benefitted from these people staying and eating in the city. Then they could have gone out of the city to visit vendors and the motorcycle shops etc out of the city.
I am a tax payer, a voter, a home owner, a city resident, and a law abiding citizen who diagrees with every thing, you, the city council, Tom Leath, Mr Ellenburg, and Mark Kruae have been doing to our city. This also affects unincorporated parts of the county and other minicipalities in our area. They have been hurt too, just not as bad as our city. Hurray for BOOST and what they are doing. It is unfortunate that they should have to spend so much time, effort, and dollars to try to undo something the city has done, which should never have been done to begin with. My support goes to Thad Viers, Robert Kelley and others in BOOST for what they are doing. HELP is another organization you may want to watch out for.
This upcoming Mayors appreciation day on June 10th is nothing but a sham, being put on by Tom Rice (by the way, is he a city resident?), David Brittain, and the Mayhem Society. We all know that it is just a show for the media and the misguided public, just another product of your spin factory. In November, please beware.
Sincerely,
Sharon Kemerer