McBride Campaign Network
Another example of the Real Mark McBride
Member Bob Baxby has a wonderful blog about Mark McBride, as a person...and friend. I thought I would add my impressions also. This is who Mark McBride is, to me.
I worked for the City of Myrtle Beach when Mark McBride was the Mayor. As the locals and residents of the Grand Strand know, the whole area changes when Memorial Day comes around. This is a result of a motorcycle rally, which occurs over the Memorial day weekend and brings thousands of people into the area. The numbers of visitors coming during that weekend put a huge strain on city resources.
For many employees of the city, our days off were canceled. We were working anywhere from 12 to 16 hours a day. The police were outnumbered hundreds to one. There were any number violent felonies occurring. It is so bad that officers from outside agencies come to assist the Myrtle Beach Police Department, as the MBPD could never handle it on their own. There are just too many people. To much going on for the department to handle on its own.
When it is over, one can not even see the asphalt of a hotel parking lot due the amount of garbage that is left. That garbage spills into Ocean Boulevard. The city, on any given night during the summer, would close the boulevard down to allow street sweepers to roll down cleaning the street. Memorial day weekend is no different. So every night, we would cut traffic and the city public works employees come down the street behind the street sweepers in a sort of weird parade. I really do not have the vocabulary to completely articulate what occurs during those 4 days but it is very taxing on all employees.
As a matter of safety, during all rallies, the police shut down all lanes of traffic, going north. Ocean Boulevard becomes a one way street. This is done so as to allow emergency vehicles the ability to respond quickly to incidents that require police, fire, or ambulance. Civilian traffic is not allowed to use the north bound lanes.
During bike week some years ago, I was teamed up with officers from various outside agencies and we were assigned a 2 block patrol area. We had no vehicle. This is a foot patrol....a 12 hour foot patrol. It was the last official day of the rally, and we were tired. We had been walking call to call for some hours when we elected to stop and take a break. We took up a position, standing in the emergency vehicle lanes just to rest for a few minutes. A trooper, with the South Carolina Highway Patrol advised me that there appeared to be a civilian vehicle moving slowly towards us in the emergency vehicle lane. I told him that we were going to stop them.
The vehicle was a Ford 4 wheel drive pick up truck. As the truck approached, we took up positions and flagged the driver down, so we could point out they were in violation. I approached the driver, looked up and saw the Mayor was driving the truck. Mark looked at me and said, "How are you guys doing?"
I was speechless. The Mayor....now there were upper level, command staff of the Police Department who would drive quickly down the boulevard, acknowledge us with a wave as the drove on by, just so they could say they were out there, but none of these commanders stopped and asked how we were doing.
I told him we were hanging in there, we were getting a little tired, but we were hanging in there. Mark McBride then asked if anyone needed any water. He had several bottles of water in the truck, and we gladly took some.
I have always lived by the idea that the definition of "LEADERSHIP" is FOLLOW ME. Mark McBride is the definition of a leader. Again, I can't describe the scene around us at the time this happened. For ease, I will use the word, Madhouse. Yet, here was the Mayor, in his personal vehicle, not a city issue car, on his own time, checking on us. Checking on the employees who worked for him. He, easily, could have been at home with his wife and kids. (As a side note, I am certain that Laura joined Mark that week....I recall seeing her handing out food to officers that night. Laura, if I am wrong please let me know.)
Later, on the last night of the rally, we were ordered to "flush" the boulevard. That is, get the traffic off the road way so as to allow the public works crew to come down to clean the street. As me and my team finally had a moment to stop and rest we could see the street sweepers coming down the road. Out in front, a line of employees some with blowers on their backs and others emptying overflowing garbage cans. And who do you think was leading?
There was Mark, with a blower on his back, in line with other employees, helping to clean the streets. The important part of that was Mark McBride, the elected mayor, at 4 o'clock in the morning, was along side his employees, getting the job done.
This is the type of leadership that we need in government. This is just one example of Mark McBride as a leader that I observed. There are more that I will relate in future blogs.
I worked for the City of Myrtle Beach when Mark McBride was the Mayor. As the locals and residents of the Grand Strand know, the whole area changes when Memorial Day comes around. This is a result of a motorcycle rally, which occurs over the Memorial day weekend and brings thousands of people into the area. The numbers of visitors coming during that weekend put a huge strain on city resources.
For many employees of the city, our days off were canceled. We were working anywhere from 12 to 16 hours a day. The police were outnumbered hundreds to one. There were any number violent felonies occurring. It is so bad that officers from outside agencies come to assist the Myrtle Beach Police Department, as the MBPD could never handle it on their own. There are just too many people. To much going on for the department to handle on its own.
When it is over, one can not even see the asphalt of a hotel parking lot due the amount of garbage that is left. That garbage spills into Ocean Boulevard. The city, on any given night during the summer, would close the boulevard down to allow street sweepers to roll down cleaning the street. Memorial day weekend is no different. So every night, we would cut traffic and the city public works employees come down the street behind the street sweepers in a sort of weird parade. I really do not have the vocabulary to completely articulate what occurs during those 4 days but it is very taxing on all employees.
As a matter of safety, during all rallies, the police shut down all lanes of traffic, going north. Ocean Boulevard becomes a one way street. This is done so as to allow emergency vehicles the ability to respond quickly to incidents that require police, fire, or ambulance. Civilian traffic is not allowed to use the north bound lanes.
During bike week some years ago, I was teamed up with officers from various outside agencies and we were assigned a 2 block patrol area. We had no vehicle. This is a foot patrol....a 12 hour foot patrol. It was the last official day of the rally, and we were tired. We had been walking call to call for some hours when we elected to stop and take a break. We took up a position, standing in the emergency vehicle lanes just to rest for a few minutes. A trooper, with the South Carolina Highway Patrol advised me that there appeared to be a civilian vehicle moving slowly towards us in the emergency vehicle lane. I told him that we were going to stop them.
The vehicle was a Ford 4 wheel drive pick up truck. As the truck approached, we took up positions and flagged the driver down, so we could point out they were in violation. I approached the driver, looked up and saw the Mayor was driving the truck. Mark looked at me and said, "How are you guys doing?"
I was speechless. The Mayor....now there were upper level, command staff of the Police Department who would drive quickly down the boulevard, acknowledge us with a wave as the drove on by, just so they could say they were out there, but none of these commanders stopped and asked how we were doing.
I told him we were hanging in there, we were getting a little tired, but we were hanging in there. Mark McBride then asked if anyone needed any water. He had several bottles of water in the truck, and we gladly took some.
I have always lived by the idea that the definition of "LEADERSHIP" is FOLLOW ME. Mark McBride is the definition of a leader. Again, I can't describe the scene around us at the time this happened. For ease, I will use the word, Madhouse. Yet, here was the Mayor, in his personal vehicle, not a city issue car, on his own time, checking on us. Checking on the employees who worked for him. He, easily, could have been at home with his wife and kids. (As a side note, I am certain that Laura joined Mark that week....I recall seeing her handing out food to officers that night. Laura, if I am wrong please let me know.)
Later, on the last night of the rally, we were ordered to "flush" the boulevard. That is, get the traffic off the road way so as to allow the public works crew to come down to clean the street. As me and my team finally had a moment to stop and rest we could see the street sweepers coming down the road. Out in front, a line of employees some with blowers on their backs and others emptying overflowing garbage cans. And who do you think was leading?
There was Mark, with a blower on his back, in line with other employees, helping to clean the streets. The important part of that was Mark McBride, the elected mayor, at 4 o'clock in the morning, was along side his employees, getting the job done.
This is the type of leadership that we need in government. This is just one example of Mark McBride as a leader that I observed. There are more that I will relate in future blogs.
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Comment by BOB BAXBY on February 16, 2008 at 11:20pm - Wow, That was a great post and a very good representation of the kind of man that Mark really is. I have known this for years and now we just have to relay it to the rest of South Carolina. Thanks for the kind words toward Mark and keep up the great work.
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