‘Dear friend and mentor’: Former longtime West Columbia Mayor Bobby Horton dies at 87
A key former Midlands leader has passed away.
Bobby Horton, who was a former longtime mayor and city council member in West Columbia, died Thursday, according to a release from the city. He was 87.
Horton served West Columbia for 24 years. He was a member of West Columbia City Council from 1977 to 1989 and later served as mayor across two separate stints, from 2004 to 2011 and from 2015 to 2019. Horton also spent 37 years working for SCANA, retiring from its governmental affairs department in 1993.
Current Mayor Tem Miles, who previously served as a city council member during a portion of Horton’s time as mayor, mourned the loss of his former colleague.
“I am incredibly grateful for all that Bobby Horton has done for our city during his long service and for me personally,” Miles said in a statement. “I know of no better public servant and no better man than Mayor Bobby. I am so glad he is now back home with Mrs. Kay.”
Horton’s wife, Kay, died in 2018.
Miles expanded on his thoughts about Horton in a Thursday evening Facebook post.
“He encouraged me, believed in me, and believed that we could all be and do better,” Miles wrote on the social media platform. “He shared his time and treasure with so many through the years. There was never a time that I reached out to him to ask for help for someone that he was not willing to assist, no matter the ask or the person it was for.”
West Columbia City Administrator Brian Carter said Horton leaves behind a legacy of leadership.
“The City of West Columbia expresses its heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Mayor Bobby Horton during this difficult time,” Carter said in a statement. “Mayor Horton was a dear friend and mentor. He enabled city employees to accomplish lasting improvements for West Columbia. His support for city employees and city leadership will continue to inspire us as we serve West Columbia.”
The city noted in a release that Horton was integral in helping establish the Lake Murray Water Treatment Facility in the late 1980s, a move that made West Columbia the largest wholesale water provider in Lexington County. He also was a charter member of the West Columbia Beautification Foundation, which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for beautification projects in the city.
Horton also was key in the development of Carraway Park, city officials said, and advocated for the extension of the riverwalk from the Gervais Street Bridge to Moffatt Street in West Columbia, among many other efforts.
This story was originally published June 30, 2023 at 7:37 AM.
