Election outcome certified in Columbia City Council races

The capital city’s election commission on Thursday certified the top two candidates that will duke it out in a Nov. 17 runoff for two seats on City Council.

The commission confirmed that retired municipal official Howard Duvall and Nickelodeon theater director Andy Smith will compete for a citywide seat that had been held by defeated Councilman Cameron Runyan.

Richland District 1 school board member Aaron Bishop will face retired minister the Rev. Ed McDowell.

The final totals from Tuesday’s election differed by a handful of votes from preliminary figures released on election night. But the changes do not alter the outcome in the six-man field seeking a at-large seat or a five-person race to fill the seat that Councilman Brian DeQuincey Newman decided to leave.

This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 4:57 PM with the headline "Election outcome certified in Columbia City Council races."