Penny tax controversy driving candidates in Richland County Council elections

The controversy surrounding the transportation penny sales tax and a perceived lack of transparency in county government are driving candidates in this year's Richland County Council elections.

Two candidates have filed to run in Lower Richland's District 11 against incumbent Norman Jackson.

District 1 incumbent Bill Malinowski has a challenger in real estate agent Stan Smith.

Two candidates have filed for the vacated District 5 seat of Seth Rose, who is running for the S.C. House of Representatives.

And businessman and decorated Iraq and Afghanistan combat veteran Joe Walker III will be taking the District 6 seat of Greg Pearce, who is retiring after 20 years.

Several of the candidates cited the need for stricter oversight of penny sales tax spending and more openness in government as motivating them to run. The S.C. Supreme Court recently ordered the county to stop spending penny tax money on expenses not related to transportation projects.

"They’ve lost trust," said District 5 candidate Will Brennan. "We need more transparency and better business practices."

The winners will be elected to four-year terms. Only five seats are up for election this year; the other six will be up for election in 2020.

Here are the candidates:

Distict 1 (Irmo-Dutch Fork)

Bill Malinowski, 69, an incumbent Republican from Chapin who has served since 2007. He is a retired FBI agent.

Stan Smith, 37, a Republican real estate company owner from Chapin who is making his first run for public office.

District 4 (Downtown Columbia, parts of St. Andrews)

Paul Livingston, 67, who has served on council since 1990. He is running unopposed. He is director of community development for Midlands Technical College.

District 5 (Downtown Columbia)

Will Brennan, 37, a Democrat who is making his first run for public office. He is the owner of Brennan Works, a design and construction company. One of his most recent projects was the renovation of the historic Curtiss-Wright Hangar at Jim Hamilton-L.B. Owens Airport into a craft brewery.

Allison Terracio, 40, a Democrat who works in banking. She is making her first bid for public office.

District 6 (East Columbia)

Joe Walker III, 36, a combat veteran in Iraq and Afghanistan who owns numerous businesses in the Midlands, including the Marco's Pizza franchises. He is running unopposed in his first bid for public office.

District 11 (Lower Richland)

Norman Jackson, 62, an incumbent Democrat who has served on council since 2007. He is a retired highway design engineer for the S.C. Department of Transportation.

Zoe Pruitt Owen, 47, a Republican teacher and businesswoman from Lower Richland who volunteered for the campaigns of former Gov. Nikki Haley.

Chakisse Newton, 43, a marketing and public relations professional and the owner of Cardinal Consulting. It is her first run for office.

This story was originally published March 30, 2018 at 3:59 PM with the headline "Penny tax controversy driving candidates in Richland County Council elections."