Richland County Councilman Joe Walker III is not seeking re-election this year
District 6 Richland County Councilman Joe Walker III announced Thursday he would not seek re-election this year.
The military veteran and businessman was first elected to the District 6 seat in 2018. He said he intends to complete his current term, which runs through December.
“It is with a great deal of humility and sincere appreciation that I want to thank you for electing me to represent you on Richland County Council for the past four years,” Walker, a Republican, said in a release. “Next to serving my country, it has been an incredible honor and privilege to represent and protect your interests on council.”
District 6 stretches through the south central portion of Richland County, and includes Forest Acres and a portion of Fort Jackson. Before Walker, Councilman Greg Pearce held the District 6 seat for 20 years.
Walker is a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he earned a Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He also has owned a number of businesses in the Midlands, including a host of Marco’s Pizza locations. However, he sold those pizza shops last year, and more recently inked a deal to bring 25 Scooter’s Coffee locations to South Carolina.
Walker said in a release that his choice not to run this year wasn’t easy.
“This was a difficult decision to make, but one made easier knowing the projects I fought hard for — construction of a new 911 operations center, construction of a new DSS facility, working to reform the county’s hospitality tax system to truly reward projects that bring tourism to Columbia, and continuing to support the work of our county’s economic development director — have borne fruit that will benefit County residents for years to come,” he said.
According to state Election Commission records, Republican Don Weaver has filed to run for the District 6 seat.
Filing for County Council seat is open until noon, March 30. As of Thursday morning, the following people had filed to run.
District 1: Republican Jason Branham
District 4: Democrat Booker T Little, Democrat Paul Livingston (incumbent)
District 5: Democrat Allison Terracio (incumbent)
District 6: Republican Don Weaver
District 11: Democrat Chakisse Newton (incumbent)
