CCU to host Conway mayoral debate on campus Oct. 25

Coastal Carolina University’s Edgar Dyer Institute for Leadership and Public Policy and the
Conway Chamber of Commerce will host a Conway mayoral debate on Wednesday, Oct. 25, at 6
p.m. in Johnson Auditorium, located in CCU’s E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business
Administration building. Tickets are required for entry and seating is limited.

The debate will feature Conway mayor Barbara Blain-Bellamy, who is seeking a third term, and
Ken Richardson, former Horry County Board of Education chairman. Drew Kurlowski, associate
professor of political science, will moderate the event.

Sworn in as Conway’s first Black mayor on Jan. 4, 2016, and after re-election on Jan. 6, 2020,
Blain-Bellamy’s contributions as a member of the Conway City Council began in January 1993.
She twice served as mayor pro tempore and was the city’s deputy administrator in the early
2000s. Blain-Bellamy, a Conway, S.C., native, has also served on a dozen or so boards and
commissions during the past 25 years. She is a member of the South Carolina Bar Association,
president of the Horry County League of Cities, executive board member of the Myrtle Beach
Regional Council of Governments, and board member of the Municipal Association of South
Carolina (MASC). Keeping Conway in the spotlight, Blain-Bellamy is the former president of
the Association of South Carolina Mayors, chair of the Waccamaw Region Council of
Governments, and first vice president of the MASC.

Richardson has deep roots in Conway, S.C., where he lives along with his wife of 46 years,
Donna. His daughter, son-in-law, son, and two grandsons also make their home in Conway.
Coming from humble beginnings, Richardson started his career selling boiled peanuts throughout
the downtown area as a young boy. Some of his accomplishments include being named to the
Conway High School Educational Foundation Hall of Fame, guiding and managing operations at
Fowler Motors for 45 years, serving on the Coastal Carolina University advisory board, serving
as chairman of the Horry County Board of Education, and being named chairman emeritus of
Horry-Georgetown Technical College.

Debate tickets and parking
CCU faculty, staff, and students can reserve tickets through the Wheelwright Auditorium box
office with a valid University ID. Community members can reserve tickets through either
candidate’s campaign office or through the Conway Chamber of Commerce.

Patrons should arrive early for parking and for security clearance. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and
seating will be first-come, first-served. General parking will be available on campus in front of
Brittain Hall, the Wall Building, and Penny Hall. For a campus map and more information on
general parking, visit coastal.edu/parking.

Video

Date and Time

Monday Oct 23, 2023 Wednesday Oct 25, 2023

October 25th, 2023

Location

View the Conway Mayoral Debate and be an informed voter! Broadcasting will begin at 6:00 PM on Wed., Oct. 25, 2023 from the campus of Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC.

Click this link to view: https://www.youtube.com/live/NiE-wiCJ6cU?si=mJbk6DEvlFmdfBap

CCU to host Conway mayoral debate on campus Oct. 25