End of an era: Longtime Columbia City Councilman Sam Davis won’t seek re-election
For nearly a quarter century, Sam Davis has been the District 1 representative on Columbia City Council.
As it turns out, this year will be his last ride in that seat.
Davis, 72, told The State he does not plan to seek re-election this year. He has been on the council for 23 years, and is the longest currently serving member. District 1 is in the northern part of Columbia.
Long a fixture of the council with his diplomatic manner and trademark horseshoe mustache, Davis said he privately knew that his current term, which expires at the end of the year, would be his last. Now, he’s making that decision formal.
“I had made up my mind at my (2017) re-election that this would be my last term,” said Davis, who is in his sixth term. “I promised my wife (Andrena), and she was agreeable. I think I have been there long enough.”
Davis is a retired state employee, having done project management for the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs. He also does decorative blacksmith work in his free time.
The District 1 councilman said it wasn’t necessarily his plan to stay on council for almost a quarter century.
“There was never a timeline set,” Davis said, thinking back to when he first ran for the seat. “You go into it with some issues in mind and see what you can do to address some of the challenges.”
A number of reforms and initiatives have come during Davis’ time on council, including tougher regulations on absentee landlords, pay raises for first responders, the creation of the state’s first homeless court, and millions of dollars spent for various infrastructure and physical improvements in North Columbia, including $3.2 million for extensive new pool facilities at Greenview Park.
Third-term Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin was quick to call Davis a friend.
Benjamin said, back in 1998, when the District 1 seat came open, he considered running for it. Benjamin was just 28 at the time. But he went to lunch with Davis at Lizard’s Thicket, and Davis told him he planned to seek the seat. At that point, Benjamin said he heard a passion in Davis’ voice, so he stepped aside. (Benjamin was eventually elected mayor in 2010.)
“Sam has been a relentless advocate and warrior for North Columbia for two decades,” Benjamin told The State. “His leadership has led to millions of dollars in investment in North Columbia, everything from Main Street streetscaping, to investments in quality of life and our parks. … Those things came because of Sam’s advocacy.”
The mayor went on to say Davis is “unashamed in his love for North Columbia.”
The North Main Street corridor has changed quite a bit in recent years, with an influx of trendy businesses, especially just north of Elmwood Avenue. Restaurants like The War Mouth and Indah Coffee are there, as are the new location of Cromer’s P-Nuts and the CottonTown Brew Lab brewery, among other offerings.
Davis said he was pleased to see the growth in that area.
“I’m not going to take credit for each new business,” he said. “But, you have to be satisfied with the efforts you put forth to make sure we were able to accommodate them. We don’t want to get in their way when they come in and make that investment, and we want to work with them through staff and zoning and that sort of thing.
“Enough seeds have been planted that everybody is kind of looking at the North Main corridor.”
Ellen Cooper has long been a leader in the Cottontown neighborhood. She said Davis has always been responsive when she has needed his help.
“I’ve always been able to reach him when I called him,” Cooper told The State. “He’s always been accessible for me. And, if he didn’t know the answer to a question I had, he found out and let me know. That is very important.”
Though the COVID-19 pandemic has walloped the city’s budget and changed the way the municipal government does business, Davis insists it had nothing to do with his decision not to run again.
He promised to remain dialed-in for the remainder of his term.
“I’m going to walk the same walk and talk the same talk,” Davis said. “There’s always a lot to be done. I’m not going to lighten up at all, because the needs aren’t going to go away. The creativity and new ideas aren’t going to stop. … There are new things coming through everyday, and you don’t want to be left behind.”
The City of Columbia’s municipal elections will be on Tuesday, Nov. 2.
This story was originally published January 27, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
