Councilman Daniel Rickenmann to run for Columbia mayor
When it comes to running for mayor in 2021, it was kind of a now or never decision for District 4 Columbia City Councilman Daniel Rickenmann.
He decided the time is now.
Rickenmann, who has been a councilman for 12 years across two different stints, confirmed to The State Thursday afternoon that he will run for mayor this year. His entry into the mayoral fray was first reported by The Post and Courier.
Rickenmann’s decision comes after third-term Mayor Steve Benjamin announced that he would not be seeking re-election this year. Filing will likely open in August for the Nov. 2 municipal elections.
Seats up for election in Columbia this year include mayor, District 1 (Councilman Sam Davis has said he won’t seek re-election to that seat), District 4, and the at-large seat held by Tameika Isaac Devine.
Though Benjamin just announced his decision not to run on Thursday, the mayoral slate looks to fill up quickly. Aside from Rickenmann, Devine has confirmed she’s running. Meanwhile, Sam Johnson, a former top aide for Benjamin and a project consultant for NP Strategy, also is expected to announce a run, possibly as soon as Monday.
Rickenmann, 51, was first an at-large city councilman, elected citywide, from 2004-12. He returned to council in 2017 as a representative in District 4, which is in the northwestern part of the city and includes neighborhoods like Kings Grant and Brandon Acres/Cedar Terrace, among others.
Rickenmann said the idea of running for mayor has played on his mind for a number of years. He said the timing is right to give it a shot.
“My seat was coming up,” he said. “I really said, ‘Either I move up in the position, or it is time for me to move on.’ So, it was really that simple.”
The councilman was an owner and partner in a number of former Columbia restaurants, including Birds on a Wire and Yo Burrito. He now works as a business consultant in renewable energy development. His wife, Laura, is a Columbia pediatrician.
He would look to bring a business-forward approach to the mayor’s seat.
“To be quite honest, I really want to create the conditions for investment and growth and really support growing more small businesses and creating opportunities and equity for all aspects,” Rickenmann said. “We need some better conditions to take out those hurdles to allow people to explore their opportunities, and really make sure we have a clean, safe city. That is part of the conditioning for growth.
“The things I find that everybody has in common is they want opportunities, equity, and a clean and safe environment. No matter where you live in Columbia, everybody wants that.”
Rickenmann thinks his years serving as an at-large councilman will help him as he campaigns citywide for mayor.
“I feel completely comfortable citywide,” Rickenmann said. “I have relationships across the city. Look, I’m not the best public speaker in the world and I’m certainly not the best looking. But common sense and good ideas is what we need to move forward.”
Rickenmann was a proponent of an in-depth property tax analysis commissioned by the city late in 2020. That study showed the Columbia area having the highest property taxes among large metro areas in South Carolina, and suggested the city, Richland County and local school districts would have to work collaboratively to address the issue.
Rickenmann said tackling the tax issue is a must.
“For us to grow businesses and have the conditions we need, we have to address it,” he said. “It’s part of a multi-faceted issue. But it is the one where, every (development) project that comes to us today brings it up.”
This story was originally published February 4, 2021 at 6:19 PM.
