Will Kelvin Washington remain on COMET board?

Richland County Councilman Kelvin Washington, who is facing charges of failing to pay state income taxes for three years, does not say he plans to step down from his role on the Midlands transit system board of directors.

The charges against Washington and similar charges filed against former Columbia City Councilman Brian DeQuincey Newman, who pleaded guilty earlier in January, surfaced during an ongoing audit of the county’s transportation penny sales tax program by the state Department of Revenue.

The tax charges against Washington and Newman, though, are not related to the handling of any public funds.

The Midlands transit system, known as the COMET, has received millions in funding from the penny tax and will receive millions more.

Newman, a Columbia attorney whose license has been temporarily suspended after he pleaded guilty to the tax charges, served as chairman of the COMET board before resigning Monday.

Washington, as vice chairman of the board, is in line to be the next chairman.

Asked Friday whether he intended to continue to serve on the board, Washington pointed to County Council Chairman Torrey Rush and said, “He has to make appointments.”

Rush said he is evaluating the county’s appointments to all its committees and boards, but did not say whether he would remove Washington from his COMET role.

This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 5:47 PM with the headline "Will Kelvin Washington remain on COMET board?."