Meet the Candidate - Genesis Bordner
My name is Genesis Bordner, and I’m running for Horry County Council District 5 because I believe our community deserves leadership that listens, shows up, and doesn't make excuses.
I wasn’t born into comfort or connections. I was born to a teenage mother and an addicted father, and I grew up depending on my local community. From a young age, I learned what it feels like when the world is unstable—when adults don’t have what they need, and kids are expected to “figure it out” anyway.
As a teenager, I experienced homelessness. I worked, fought for my education, and slept in my car while trying to build a future that didn’t look like my past. It wasn’t easy. But I kept going. I earned three degrees, and I built a new life through grit, discipline, and the belief that your beginnings don’t get to decide your ending.
Three years ago, my life changed in a different way—I became “Mommy” to a little boy who needed stability and love after being born into the chaos of addiction. I didn’t plan for motherhood the way most people do. It found me. And I stepped into it because he deserved a safe place to land... and he stole my heart.
That experience made everything more personal. It deepened my empathy, but it also sharpened my anger at injustice. Because here’s the truth: even after all the hard work I’ve done to build a stable life, I still can’t afford the cost of adopting him.
I’m running because I know what it’s like to be left behind. I know what it’s like to work hard and still feel like the rules aren’t built for people like you. And I know that far too many families in Horry County feel ignored while decisions get made that change our lives without our consent.
Right now, Horry County is growing faster than our infrastructure can handle. Traffic is getting worse. Flooding is getting worse. Our roads and services can’t keep up with the pace of development, and residents are the ones paying the price—through longer commutes, higher costs, and a quality of life that feels like it’s slipping away.
I’m not a career politician. I’m a working person. A parent. A neighbor. And I’m running because I believe County Council should be a place where residents come first—not developers, not insiders, not politics-as-usual.
If elected, I will fight to slow runaway development, demand responsible planning that matches our real capacity, and protect the community we love before it becomes unrecognizable. I will show up. I will speak up. I will not be intimidated, bought off, or pressured into silence.
Because I didn’t survive everything I’ve survived just to stay quiet now.
As a mother, as a business owner, as someone who slept in my car to make it through college - I can assure you - My spine is just fine.
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