More from Myrtle Beach

Lorena Anderson writes in the SunNews more about Brad Lofton's new job, including a very interesting tidbit about how he left his previous job. Georgia man tapped to bring businesses, jobs to Myrtle Beach area: Lofton gets three-year deal to lead MB agency:

A Georgia native with experience attracting industries and jobs to his home state has signed a three-year contract to lead the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation.

Doug Wendel, EDC board president, said the board voted unanimously Thursday afternoon to offer Brad Lofton the job. He will announce the change to his current employer, the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority, on Tuesday, Wendel said.

Lofton will begin work on the Grand Strand on April 15, bringing to an end the EDC's search for a new chief executive, which began more than a year ago.

The EDC will pay Lofton about $121,000 a year to bring new industry and jobs to Horry County.

Look what else they mentioned:

The biomass power-plant earned its share of vocal opponents, but Wendel assured the committee that the project also had the support of many environmental groups as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, and that Lofton had handled the situation well.

This is even more interesting, about Lofton's previous job before VLCIA:

Lofton was asked to resign from the Effingham development agency in June 2006, according to news reports. Lofton told reporters he was surprised by the ultimatum he received to resign or be fired, because he had never been criticized by the agency's board of directors.

It seems the Myrtle Beach newspaper is doing more due diligence than the EDC board. And by his own account, Lofton wasn't just asked to resign from the Effingham job; he was asked to resign immediately:

Brad Lofton said Effingham County Industrial Development Authority lawyer Mickey Kicklighter told him Tuesday to resign immediately as chief executive officer or be fired.

In that SavannahNow article from 2006 he complained:

"The board never talked to me," Lofton, 29, said Wednesday. "Their attorney came to my office Tuesday morning and said they wanted my resignation. They told him to wait in the lobby while I cleaned out my office."

Local experience around here might indicate that they could have talked to him until they were blue in the face and if he didn't want to hear it he wouldn't remember it.

One has to wonder: has history just repeated itself?

-jsq

Comments

[Yuck]

Good grief, the Industrial Authority Board which included Crawford Powell and Gary Minchew at the time, as well as Mary Gooding and Jerry Jennett and Roy Copeland, hired a guy who was asked to resign from his previous job? Good grief.

[Leigh Touchton]

Congratulations, Mr. Quarterman, for breaking this story, I believe you scooped the Valdosta Daily Times? Awesome news coverage, thank you for your diligence in covering this issue for our community.

[Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange]

I actually wasn't the one who got the google alert; remember LAKE is more than one person. But you're welcome. -jsq

[Jon Parris]

Myrtle Beach's loss is our gain! :-/

Watched "All The President's Men" for the first time in years last evening... I nearly wept, thinking of what we've lost in terms of outstanding journalism/media.

LAKE and similar independent media are filling the gap in an AMAZING way... but think of what could happen with that mindset + financial resources like a newspaper or TV station...*!*

Keep up the great work, JSQ & LAKE!

[Karen Noll]

Wow, Brad is gettin while the gettins good!! And man, oh, man I think we all know about the Blue in the Face. Thanks again to LAKE and its 'staff' for keeping the knowledge flowing!!

[Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange]

You're welcome. LAKE would be ecstatic if the traditional media would do what LAKE is doing; as noted in a comment on the previous post, I tipped off the VDT immediately after posting that one. The VDT has actually been pretty good on VLCIA issues, especially for about the past six months, and WCTV and WALB have from time to time pitched in. Also, we continually suggest to local government that they should video their own meetings and put them on the web. Meanwhile, the more material people send us, the more LAKE can post. -jsq
PS: Jon, you bring up an interesting topic about financial resources and business model, which is something that probably needs exploring. For now, the main thing is many hands make light work; send us what you've got; we don't promise to post everything, but the more we get, the more we can post.