Dusty McCracken for Surfside Beach, SC Town Council

Dusty McCracken for Surfside Beach, SC Town Council Been dedicated to SSB before election time and long after! Representing residents first!

Hello Surfside Beach,Thank you sincerely for your continued support, I’m honored and grateful for the encouragement I’ve...
11/05/2025

Hello Surfside Beach,

Thank you sincerely for your continued support, I’m honored and grateful for the encouragement I’ve received from so many of you. As always, I will continue to be an advocate, volunteer and good neighbor for our community! I don’t think anyone can debate that I dont have some amazing supporters!

Congratulations to Rick Lawhorn and John Hiatt on your election to Town Council. I wish you both success in your service to our community and hope your leadership reflects the values and priorities of Surfside Beach.

Unofficial Election Results:

Have a Great Day Surfside Beach! Polls are open Today 7am-7pm!
11/04/2025

Have a Great Day Surfside Beach!

Polls are open Today 7am-7pm!

The Town of Surfside Beach’s municipal election is tomorrow, Tuesday, November 4. Polling places will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.
You can find your polling place by clicking the link below ⬇️ https://vrems.scvotes.sc.gov/Voter/Login?PageMode=PollingPlace or visiting https://scvotes.gov/
For a list of candidates, visit our website by clicking the link below.
https://www.surfsidebeach.org/AlertCenter.aspx?AID=Election-Information-2025-16

11/03/2025

Last call:
If you have put off calling a neighbor , sharing your support for your preferred candidates to friends & family —Today is the last day! Make sure you have plans to Vote tomorrow!

11/03/2025

Surfside Beach Voter Info for Tomorrows Elections.

Average of around 27% vote which translates Into about 1100 of 4155 residents voting — dont put It off tomorrow- Show up and cast your votes!

In the upcoming November 4, 2025 Surfside Beach municipal election, voters will elect three Town Council members. You may vote for up to three candidates, but you’re not required to use all three votes. Voting for just one or two is perfectly valid as you see fit!

📌 What to Expect on Your Ballot

Race: Town Council (3 seats)
Candidates (alphabetical order):

• Kathleen Delano (Dropped Out)
• John Hiatt
• Laverne Kreklau (Incumbent)
• Rick Lawhorn
• Dusty S McCracken
• Chris Stamey (Incumbent)

You may select up to 3 candidates. If you vote for more than 3, that race will be invalidated. If you vote for fewer than 3, your ballot still counts.

🗓️ Key Dates

• Election Day: Tuesday, November 4, 2025 (Polls open 7 AM – 7 PM)

Check your Voter ID for polling location.

11/02/2025

Enjoy that extra hour today—call a friend, catch up with neighbors, and connect with your Surfside Beach family.
Encourage them to vote and share why choosing the right candidates matters.
Happy November!

11/02/2025

As we enter the final days before the election, I want to extend my sincere thanks to Keep Surfside Beach Beautiful for organizing the Farmers Market candidate event, and to the Business Committee for hosting both the Candidate Forum and Coffee with the Candidates. These were thoughtful, well-executed opportunities for residents to engage directly with those seeking to serve—and I appreciate the effort from everyone involved.

I also want to thank each candidate for stepping forward. Public service requires time, energy, and a willingness to be held accountable. While recent election cycles have been largely respectful, I was disappointed to hear from a resident yesterday who shared that an incumbent candidate recently visited their home and instead of sharing his accomplishments he spent his time excessively trashing other candidates. That kind of behavior stands in contrast to the values we should uphold. I can honestly say I believe In the people, to choose their representatives and not by persuasion of myself or my opinions.

Throughout this campaign, I’ve focused on sharing my qualifications, my record, and my vision for Surfside Beach through each of you . I’ve made it about service—not personalities. I don’t regret that approach. In fact, I believe how we campaign reflects who we are—and character always matters.

I’d be mindful to that as you cast your votes!n

11/01/2025

𝑺𝒖𝒓𝒇𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉,

𝑱𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝑺𝒖𝒓𝒇𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉, 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝑰𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒖𝒑𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝑵𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 4𝒕𝒉.

• 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘧𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱

• 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘦, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵

• 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘯 𝘙𝘪𝘥𝘦-𝘈𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘧𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴

• 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴

• 𝘔𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘧𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘯 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴

• 𝘐𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘪𝘯𝘱𝘶𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮. 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘧𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘍𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦

• 𝘚𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘍𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘓𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 (𝘊𝘈𝘕) 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘶𝘺 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯

• 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘢𝘸 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦

• 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 13-𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘧𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦, 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵.

• 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘒𝘚𝘚𝘉 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘰𝘹𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘓𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴.

10/31/2025

I’ve been told that being the only full-time employed candidate puts me at a disadvantage—mainly because I don’t have as much time to knock on doors as others might. But let me be clear: that doesn’t mean I’m any less dedicated to our community. My record of service speaks for itself, with countless hours invested in making Surfside Beach stronger, better & more transparent In your representation!

During my first campaign, I came within just a few votes of being elected. That momentum is real—and with your help, we can build on it. If you haven’t already shared my page, reached out to friends and neighbors, or encouraged someone who’s never voted before, now is the time. Every voice matters. Every vote counts and I’d be honored to have your support and help!

10/31/2025

Good Morning ,

Here’s more questions asked at the recent Candidate Forum that we had no opportunity to answer — These responses highlight some of my stances and perspectives. As you can see I differ from other candidates In responses. Please let me know If you have any more questions.

1. In one word, how would your friends describe you?

Loyal. I’m often a giver—someone who invests more into relationships than I expect in return. I remain close with friends I’ve had since grade school, and I’m the one person they trust without question.

2. How do you view SSB’s relationship with the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and Visit Myrtle Beach?

Our Chamber relationship has improved over the last few years, but I still have concerns about their current representation of our town. We’re often unclear on the specifics of how they serve Surfside Beach. From what I’ve seen, they tend to promote us as a secondary stop after attracting tourists to Myrtle Beach. It’s difficult to identify the specific work they complete for our town beyond brief recaps in director reports. Presentations and marketing strategies are rarely explained. I support continuing to build a stronger connection, but I would also potentially support establishing our own Chamber within town.

3. What’s the most effective way for a Council member to stay connected with the community and how would you do that?

Listening is the most important. While residing here, I’ve come across many residents with different opinions and ideas—sometimes individually, sometimes as part of organized groups. I believe every viewpoint has value. Unfortunately, the current administration tends to focus more on discrediting or criticizing social media posts and other sources of feedback rather than truly listening and analyzing the information. All feedback is important. What matters most is how we use it.

4. How would you approach identifying and pursuing new sources of revenue for the town beyond just raising fees or taxes?

There are opportunities to explore—such as offering tax incentives for new businesses, implementing impact fees, and focusing on the intent of the entertainment district while strategically marketing during the off-season. These efforts could significantly increase revenue. I also have concerns about staffing levels for a two-square-mile town. While our amenities and services are excellent, I believe some job descriptions may not reflect a full workload, and that deserves review.

5. What is your opinion about building a new Town Hall and Police Station?

We’ve needed a new Court and Council Chambers for some time. I’ve attended meetings where public access was restricted due to occupancy limits, and our court system is dysfunctional in such a small space. The town deserves a facility that serves its people. In my opinion, the building should meet basic needs and not exceed that purpose. A $4 million complex for a two-square-mile town feels excessive, but I do agree we need a facility—and future improvements to the Police Department’s layout and capacity.

6. How do you propose we address ongoing nuisance concerns like noise, illegal parking, speeding, etc. in a way that balances enforcement and fairness?

The first step is action. I hear a lot of discussion, but not enough follow-through. Council should make motions to either direct subject-matter experts to bring forward solutions or work diligently to develop their own. Council members must understand how ordinances are structured, implemented, and enforced. That knowledge should be reflected in the motions they advance.

7. What will you do to ensure Surfside Beach remains a welcoming, family-friendly destination for both residents and visitors?

My public service has been visible for many years. I’ve consistently prioritized the views of residents over my own and deeply value the input I receive. Having lived here for a long time, I understand what “The Family Beach” truly means.

8. Do you think the Town Administrator should manage council interaction with staff to minimize disruption?

Absolutely not. Town Council is the legislative and policy-making body of our town. In a Council form of government, the Town Administrator is hired to assist with day-to-day administrative duties. While I believe we should hire individuals capable of performing effectively in that role, Council must provide clear and concise direction and ensure the Administrator has the tools necessary to fulfill their responsibilities. Oversight and accountability for performance gaps are essential and should remain a Council function.

9. What is your opinion of the current status of height restrictions on buildings in Surfside Beach? Would you consider changing those limits?

Height limits remain under 55 feet. I would never support high-rises or any form of unsightly parking infrastructure east of Highway 17. This comes us every election but I’ve never met one person in town that supports High rises

10/31/2025

Did you call your friend , neighbor, or other family today and encourage a vote?

I’d be honored to have your support but more honored if a higher participation rate was achieved! Don’t Wait ….

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Surfside Beach, SC
29575

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