Cameran Runyan: Columbia needs … lower taxes

It has been a blessing to serve as representative of the people of Columbia for the past three and a half years. This season of service has afforded an unparalleled opportunity to see the goodness of the people of Columbia. Like life, the task of governing is not easy, and sometimes difficult choices must be made. Yet it is incredibly rewarding to know that you can act to improve the lives of those you represent and serve.

As an at-large member of the Columbia City Council, I:

▪ Spoke and voted against the city’s burdensome 5 percent tax on electricity bills that is costing families and small businesses $13.5 million on top of ever-increasing SCE&G rates.

▪ Exposed the city’s hidden tax on health, auto, home and all other insurance premiums that will cost Columbia families and businesses $10.6 million this year alone and has cost South Carolinians $1.7 billion since 2001.

▪ Worked for the elimination of the business license tax, which would put 500 people back to work through the private sector in Columbia. I was the only local elected official in South Carolina to stand with members of the Legislature calling for the statewide elimination of this job-killing tax, in order to put South Carolinians back to work.

▪ Voted against the city’s use of the water and sewer system in a manner that the S.C. Supreme Court declared to be a “slush fund.” I promise to continue to vote against every water and sewer increase until politicians stop robbing the system.

▪ Became the first, and only, City Council candidate or council member in Columbia history to sign the S.C. Association of Taxpayers’ “No New Taxes” pledge, so that you know my commitment to you is real.

▪ Have consistently opposed any efforts to deprive citizens of their God-given religious freedoms, regardless of their beliefs or belief system.

I thank voters for the opportunity they have given me to serve as their representative and humbly ask for your vote on Tuesday. If re-elected, I promise to continue to work without ceasing to represent the public and to make Columbia not only a place where people want to live, but a place where they can actually afford to live.

This story was originally published October 29, 2015 at 1:00 PM with the headline "Cameran Runyan: Columbia needs … lower taxes."