Clemmons named Horry County master in equity

By Ruben Lowman

Former Representative Alan Clemmons was recently honored with a special designation by Horry County officials which will see him assume a new role going forward. 

Clemmons was recently bestowed with the title of the county’s “Master in Equity”, which oversees foreclosures and similar legal cases. Clemmons was appointed to a term of six years by Gov. Henry McMaster and the state general assembly. 

“I’m so very honored today to have been sworn in as judge of the Horry County Equity Court (Master in Equity),” Clemmons said. “The equity court deals with all on-jury matters referred by the circuit court, particularly those matters in which equitable relief is sought (foreclosure, partition of property, etc.). I look forward to serving litigants in their search for justice.”

Clemmons previously represented the 107^th District in the state House of Representatives, which stretches up to North Myrtle Beach and includes Briarcliffe Acres, from 2002 to 2020. He was recommended for his new role by the 15-member Horry County Legislative Delegation, which is chaired by state senator Greg Hembree, who represents that 28^th District that includes the county. 

Hembree was one of three of the members of the delegation who elected not to sign Clemmons’ letter of recommendation to the governor, also including Rep. William Bailey and Rep. Kevin Hardee. Bailey represents the 104^th District that includes North Myrtle Beach, Little River and Longs. Hardee represents the 105^th District in the state house, which includes Loris and Green Sea.

There were initially two other candidates for the post, including fellow Horry County attorneys Charles Jordan Jr. and Douglas Zayicek, but both dropped out of the race as soon as they were informed Clemmons had secured the votes from the local delegation. 

Cynthia Howe previously held the position, where she served for more than a decade since taking office in 2009. The county’s master in equity primarily deals with mortgage foreclosures and similar property cases and decides on the disbursement of funds that are involved in those cases. Horry County has a full-time position because of its population, but smaller counties may be part-time. 

One thing Clemmons said he wanted everyone to know is that he will lead a fair court and be fair in all his judgements. 

“The litigants that find themselves in my courtroom will walk away saying the judge was fair, the judge let our case be heard, and some may say we didn’t achieve the result we wanted but the court was fair,” he said.