Highly contested, debated Surfside Beach races remain to be decided

SURFSIDE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – In a highly contested and debated race, much remains to be decided for Surfside Beach city council.

Three seats on council were left open after Tuesday’s vote and will be filled by a runoff election on Nov. 19, according to the official results.

 Four candidates will vie for the three seats. Running for council are Michael Drake, Paul Holder, Cindy Keating, Kathryn Martin.

The tallies for each during Tuesday’s vote were too narrow for victory and are within a margin of error:

Paul Holder –  488 (16%)
Michael Drake – 444 (15%)
Cindy Keating – 443 (15%)
Kathryn Martin – 433 (15%)

Voters again will choose between mayoral candidates Bob Hellyer and Julie Samples. Hellyer had only 12 more votes than Samples during Tuesday’s election, with 416 votes.

Runoffs held on Nov. 19^th in Surfside Beach, Conway and Myrtle Beach.