Since opening the new Boardwalk Coffee House in April of 2010 ( located on the new Myrtle Beach Boardwalk) we have been very busy and very active in the city of Myrtle Beach. Myrtle Beach has not only become our home , but it has also become our vision and passion as well . We really do see an incredible bright future for Myrtle Beach and feel that we are here to help see its new future evolve.
The new development that we have seen since moving to Myrtle Beach has been incredible! Each year we have seen more improvements, new attractions , new restaurants, new development and many buildings that once stood dormant and dilapidated have now been restored, yet with all the new improvements, we still see many things that must be fixed. For example:
Public Safety. Our top priority should be to keep our city safe. We must make it our top priority to continue seeking out and hiring the very best trained police officers in the nation, equipping them and then compensating them for their occupational risk. Myrtle Beach has a relatively small local population, but we have close to 17 million tourists who visit the Grand-Strand almost every year! I firmly believe that we must not only spend money to get the tourists here, but we must also spend the money to keep them and our locals safe, while they are here. Many of our police are doing a great Job and are very dedicated, but they are often stretched beyond their own limits. As both our local and tourism population grows then so must our law enforcement program grow with it.
Family Friendly. I will support events that promote good clean family values, but I will not support events that promote lewd, crude and rude behavior. Our city needs to be known for clean family recreation and fun activity and not unlawful and disrespectful behavior. We should not support events and activity that continue to discourage families from coming to our city.
Business Friendly, our city needs to make it easier for small business to function and not more difficult. We need to attract more new, good, clean, ethical and diverse business into our city and begin to make it harder for unethical business to operate. We must create more good, year around Job opportunities for our locals in order to to boost our economy.
Downtown Redevelopment. Downtown redevelopment is a key to the prosperity of the entire Grand-Stand. Downtown Myrtle Beach represents the very heart of Grand-Strand, it really is where it all began, but like so many other cities the downtown areas have often been neglected and even abandoned, leaving them for the homeless and unlawful activity to thrive and take over. As your next newly elected councilman I will make it my mission to work hard with the downtown redevelopment corp, the city manager and other city organizations to bringing new life back to the heart of Myrtle Beach. Downtown will become the shining star on the east coast! that will in turn cause a ripple effect that will benefit the entire Grand-Strand.
Cleaning and Maintenance . I walk the streets in downtown Myrtle Beach almost everyday and I am sickened by the filthy gum dots and stained sidewalks, the weeds growing up through the cracks, the untrimmed trees, the unpainted curbs and the cities garbage cans spilling over with garbage, that often smell so bad that you have to literally hold your breath when you walk past them. I will make it a top priority to make sure our city stays clean and well maintained. Remember, first impressions are everything. We have 17 million guests who visit our city every year and we want to make sure their impression is a positive one.
Huge Homeless Problem that needs to be addressed and fixed! We have set Myrtle Beach up as a drop off place for the homeless to come, but when they arrive our city has not provided the adequate programs to provide the real help that many of these people need, many wind up living on vacant lots , in our parks, on beach access points or aimlessly roaming the streets. In the past six years I have not seen the homeless situation not get better, but grow worse. As your next elected official I will work hard with local area churches and non profit organizations to address the homeless situation and get it fixed. This has got to become a top priority.
Protect Our Number One Asset. We must continue to invest, keeping our beaches and shorelines clean and safe. The number reason people come to Myrtle Beach in the first place is for our beautiful beaches and ocean. We must make sure that the maintenance of our beaches is kept as a top priority.
Since our arrival to Myrtle Beach , I have been very actively involved, not only at our coffee house business, but also in city organizations such as the Oceanfront Merchants Association and the Downtown Redevelopment Corp. I am presently serving as President of Ocean Front Merchants Association and an Active board member on the Downtown Redevelopment Corporation board .
Please email me anytime at ricksarverforcitycouncil
