Ken Richardson: Local Candidate Profile, Conway, SC
An Example Of How Conservatives Take Back America, One Local Election At A Time
What is a “non-partisan” election?
Well, to the average conservative or Republican voter, until recently, a non-partisan election has been one that we have surrendered to progressive ideologues or people who claimed to be “moderately” conservative but who, when in office, championed the policies of bureaucrats or progressive ideas rather than supporting the average citizens who voted them into office.
We are talking raising millage rates & taxes when it comes to non partisan city or county councils. We are talking implementing far-left ideology in the classrooms, even (in some cases, especially) in so-called “red states” like our beautiful state of South Carolina. And we are talking about “non-partisan” mayors who give "keys to the city” to partisan hacks like Pete Buttigieg while holding government-sanctioned perversity on the streets of small towns in SC in the form of “pride parades” that generally involve public displays of affection that would make the Marquis De Sade blush.
Ken Richardson is no stranger to the battle that comes with fighting against leftist ideology within those elected positions that aren’t highlighted on #MSM.
During the massive unveiling of the reality of South Carolina’s education system, led at the time by Molly Spearman, Ken Richardson was the elected as the Chairman of the Board of the Horry County School District. He beat 2 other Republican candidates in the primary with an 80% margin, taking the seat unopposed in the general when the Democrat dropped out of the race. He held that office from 2018 until January of 2023.
Horry County is an area that includes much of SC’s famous “Grand Strand” including Myrtle Beach and Conway, SC. During the massively unsettling times our nation faced in 2019 & 2020 consisting of forced school closures & mask mandates, leading directly into forced curriculum that was based in the universally destructive ideologies given such misnomers as “social justice,” “critical race theory,” and “gender ideology,” Ken led the charge in Horry County toward a focus on legitimate education. When we say “legitimate” we mean things like literacy rates, mathematic literacy, and a fundamental understanding of history, among other all-too-important subjects.
Rather than blaming the victims of bullying and shifting attention to “how can we help the perpetrators?” as the United States Education Department’s forced concept of “restorative justice” in their discipline practices demand, Ken worked to get to the root of the problems being faced by good students, and he was unapologetic in doing so.
As much as Ken has done in the realm of education as chairman of the board, that is only a drop in the bucket when it comes to Ken’s public service.
So we wanted to highlight Ken Richardson in the first of what will be a recurring segment of articles meant to introduce you, the readers, to some of the conservative candidates running in local elections throughout South Carolina. Richardson is a perfect public servant to begin with as he is a conservative who has been at the forefront of many of the battles we have all seen taking place over the past few years.
A brief history of Ken Richardson:
Ken Richardson was born at Fort Bragg at Womack Army Hospital, when his mother went to visit his father who was a serviceman stationed there, going into labor during the visit. 3 days later, he was back in Conway, and has been there ever since. He grew up attending Conway’s schools. He is well known and well liked in the small town, as well as the county at large. He soon became the owner of a high end car dealership specializing in Mercedes Bens, BMW, & Cadillacs. His dealership was actually the only one in the nation to sell each of those brands on a single lot. His business acumen and experience managing large numbers of people will, no doubt, help him succeed in the job as Conway’s next Mayor.
Ken Richardson was elected Chairman of the Horry County Board of Education in a county-wide election in November 2018.
Prior to that, he served for two decades on the Board of Directors for Horry Georgetown Technical College, spending most of his tenure as chair of that board. This gave Ken a keen awareness of the importance of tech schools in raising the next generation of workers, and setting up his fellow community members for success. Once he won his 2018 election, he resigned his state-appointed post at Horry Georgetown Tech. This made Ken the only person in South Carolina history to ever serve both as the Chairman of the Board of a college, and Chairman of the Board of Education.
His service at Horry Georgetown Tech led to his being honored by having The Richardson Art Gallery, on campus, named for him. A major achievement, to be sure.
Then, in 2020, Ken was given the honor of being inducted into Conway High School’s Hall of Fame.
Ken Richardson seems to have a very clear vision for his tenure as Mayor of Conway, SC, and he sees some problems with the way the current Mayor has conducted herself in the role. One of Richardson’s main goals is allocate more power and work more directly with the city council and its members. He has seen the current Mayor act in a unilateral fashion far-too-often, tending to “inform” city council of what will happen after having already made the decision on her own. Ken would rather include the council in the process from the start.
Richardson would also like to take bold steps to make the city more attractive to businesses. Small business is the life-blood of any city’s economy, and Conway is no different; such a thing is perhaps even more important for the future of Conway than many other cities. He wishes to help the city grow in a sustainable way, while keeping in mind some of the potential drawbacks to growth, such as the flooding issues that Conway may face. Working to create a better infrastructure, and solving the flooding problem is one of Ken’s main priorities. He understands these issues deeply, as he is currently serving on the Horry County Flood Commission, which is just another shining example of Ken’s tendency towards public service.
Ken has seen a number of very troubling actions from the current mayor, Barbara Bellamy, and believes she has crossed the line of a “non-partisan” position as Mayor. For example, when current Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg was a Democrat Candidate for President of the United States, he made a pitstop in Conway, SC. Bellamy, seemingly giddy to rub shoulders with the Democrat Candidate, unilaterally decided to give him a “key to the city,” informing the city council after the fact. This led to numerous council members feeling blindsided. To make matters more interesting, the actual President of the United States, Donald Trump, had visited Conway just a year prior to no such honor by Mayor Bellamy.
The members of Conway’s city council were so taken aback by this action, they released the following statement at the time:
Although this campaign stop was in the City of Conway, the City and its elected officials make no official endorsement of any candidate for any political office. Politics are a very emotional issue and some may have seen his stop and introduction by the Mayor as such an endorsement. While we welcome all candidates to visit us here in our great City to participate in the democratic process, we do not specifically endorse any candidate.
Another example of her apparent overstepping, crossing into the territory of hyper-political territory came recently, this past June, when she singularly issued a proclamation declaring the month “LGBTQ month,” again leaving council in the dark until after the proclamation had gone public. We have all seen footage of just how inappropriate public pride parades and events have become. It has become a hot button issue for those wishing to keep such egregiously sexual behavior away from the eyes of minors, as well as for those who are adamant to do so.
These small examples, when taken together, show us two main points. One, Mayor Bellamy seems to have little respect for the role of her colleagues on the city council, often attempting to rule by fiat; and two, her actions have shown, clearly, what side of the political spectrum she conforms to.
A small, but growing city, like Conway, SC needs a mayor that understands the challenges of running a successful business, with a heart for public service and a willingness to include his fellow elected colleagues in the processes of governing. If anyone has proven over a long and illustrious career, that he is up to that challenge, that person would seem to be Ken Richardson.
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