CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – After a two-day debacle and votes certified two different times, Horry County Council Chair winner is Johnny Gardner, officially.
The official recount of the votes was completed Saturday afternoon, affirming Gardner as the winner over incumbent Mark Lazarus. Tuesday’s primary for the seat resulted in an unofficial win for Gardner by less than 1 percent, calling for an automatic recount, according to South Carolina state law.
According to Tuesday’s preliminary primary numbers, Gardner received 192 more votes than incumbent Mark Lazarus in the Republican primary for county chair. Lazarus has served as chair for the past five years. Gardner is an attorney who has never held office.
Tuesday’s primary numbers were certified by state officials Thursday. After the votes were certified, an addition 200 uncounted votes were discovered Thursday afternoon, calling for state certification of those votes.
The final vote county is Gardner at 12,426 and Lazarus at 12,313.
The votes were recounted and certified Saturday afternoon. It’s assumed Gardner will take the Horry County Council Chair as no Democratic candidate filed to run for the position, allowing Gardner to run unopposed in November’s general election.
Gardner had strong support from first responders in the county, who desire higher pay and fewer overtime hours, among other work condition improvements.