Richland 1 member considering council run wants home annexed into Columbia

After living for years outside city limits, Aaron Bishop is now petitioning for his house to be annexed into the city of Columbia.

According to his Facebook page, Bishop is running for the Columbia City Council District 2 seat now occupied by Brian Newman. The election is Nov. 3.

Tuesday, council is slated to consider on second reading the annexation of Bishop’s house, at 954 Custer St., into city limits.

Bishop told a reporter in recent days that he planned to have a formal announcement some time this week. To run for council, Bishop would have to live within city limits.

Efforts to reach Bishop were unsuccessful Monday.

Bishop’s house is described as “directly north of I-126 and west of Greystone Boulevard” in the annexation papers. His property is located in what city officials term a “donut hole” – a piece of unincorporated property surrounded largely or entirely by city property.

By coming into the city, Bishop would get a 40 percent reduction in water and sewer services, according to city papers accompanying his application. But he also would pay an additional $237 in city property taxes.

Bishop, now a Richland 1 school board member, describes himself on his campaign site as “a proven leader within the city of Columbia.” A profile of Bishop on the Richland 1 web site says he is pastor of Grace Christian Church and works for the University of Phoenix.

Newman, a lawyer, was elected to city council in 2010 following the conviction in federal court of longtime Councilman E. W. Cromartie.

It was not known Monday whether Newman planned to seek re-election. Efforts to reach him were unsuccessful.