John Krajc, Bill McClure to face off in Myrtle Beach City Council runoff

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - After a crowded race for three Myrtle Beach City Council seats, only two out of three available seats were taken, the race for that third is headed to a runoff between incumbent John Krajc and challenger Bill McClure.

Both candidates are looking to tackle a number of issues in office, but one of the most important for both of them is crime. Krajc said he is pleased with how the council has handled crime during his term.

“Major crime is down 41% in the city. That’s not just because of COVID, it is a trending line that we’ve had every single year, for the four years I’ve been in office,” said Krajc. “That’s huge to me.”

However, McClure argues there is room for improvement.

“I know the city says the crime statistics, they’re not being represented fairly, because of our 38-thousand population right now, at least in 2023, versus, you know, the 50 to 100 thousand visitors that we have in the city,” said McClure. “The fact remains, though, that our crime numbers exceed both state and national levels.”

One of McClure’s main campaign points is establishing voting wards.

“We change the way we vote, so we ensure that small businesses, and our neighborhoods, that every citizen can have a voice on city council,” said McClure.

Krajc says he is not opposed to this, as long as it is something residents want.

“I am for doing a referendum on the 2024 ballot for single-member districts in the area, with a phase-out plan to make sure the city is covered for the time period that that’s phased in,” said Krajc.

Both candidates tell me if elected, they want residents to be more involved in city government.

“We need to have quarterly town hall meetings starting in 2024, where we go to the people across the city in the evenings during their time frame, and we listen to them and their concerns,” said Krajc.

McClure’s idea for involving residents is changing council meeting times.

“Let’s move it to evening time, that way more citizens who work have the opportunity to be in the city council meeting, listen to us, and ask us questions,” said McClure.

Election results will be certified Thursday morning at 10 a.m. and the runoff election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 21.

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