Rep. Carl Anderson said the meeting had to be delayed because Rep. Kevin Ryan said he didn’t plan to attend. State Sen. Ray Cleary originally wanted to have the meeting on Wednesday, but Ryan said that day didn’t work for him, so it was moved to Thursday.
Ryan said earlier this week the meeting should take place in Georgetown County, where it would be easier for constituents to attend. It looks like the delay will accomplish that.
Cleary said he is working with the fourth member of the four-man delegation, Sen. Yancey McGill of Kingstree, to nail down a new date for the meeting in Georgetown.
The meeting was needed to address communication problems within the delegation that have led to recent infighting among members and are hurting their ability to work together for the good of the county, according to Cleary.
Ryan has recently been at odds with Cleary and Anderson over separate issues, including the recent appointment of an Horry County resident, Howard Barnard III, to the state Aeronautics Commission. Barnard has since resigned and Cleary and Ryan have both opted to take a back seat in finding a new appointee, leaving it to Anderson and McGill after the controversy with Barnard.
Anderson planned to announce a Georgetown County nominee to represent the 1st Congressional District on the commission after the meeting. The announcement has also been postponed.
“I think each of us would be satisfied with him,” Anderson said of the nominee. “That’s all I can say right now.”
Jasonn Russell, then 16, suffered brain trauma, a chest wound and broken ribs after he was knocked into the marsh by a car driven by Thomas A. Gallagher, who was 18 at the time.
Gallagher left the scene, then turned himself in two days later.
He was convicted Thursday of "hit and run resulting in great bodily injury," said Assistant Solicitor David Richardson. Judge Benjamin H. Culbertson handed down the sentence.
“There was a moment of exhilaration, like ‘Oh my gosh, they just said good luck and are giving us this nod,’ ” said Kristin Bohan, who chairs the planning committee for the school. “It’s a wonderful affirmation to know we have satisfied the state’s requirements.”
Plans for the school, scheduled to open in August 2012, have been in the works for 18 months. Bohan isn't sure when the plan will go to the school district.
Because the district is under a federal desegregation order, plans will also have to be reviewed by the Department of Justice.