Who will fill Kelvin Washington’s council seat? 5 Democrats try

Five Lower Richland residents hope to temporarily fill the Richland County Council District 10 seat left vacant by Kelvin Washington.

In a special primary election Tuesday, voters will choose among five Democrats to finish the last few months of the former councilman’s term. They include Washington’s mother-in-law, who held the seat before him. Washington was removed from office in March by Gov. Nikki Haley for failing to file his income tax returns for three years.

No Republicans filed.

Vying for the seat that represents the majority of Lower Richland, including Hopkins, Gadsden and Eastover are:

Helen Taylor Bradley. This is Bradley’s fourth time running for the District 10 council seat, she said.

“I have been vigilant in the community all of my life,” Bradley said. “We weren’t getting the representation we should have been getting. ... It was a family regime. I think the community, now, they’re ready for a change. ... We don’t have bus service. The roads aren’t getting fixed. We are underserved. I feel like it’s time to make a change.”

Mary Jackson Kirkland. Kirkland is a military veteran who returned to the Lower Richland community after completing her service.

“I believe that I’m the best candidate because, one, I’m not a career politician,” Kirkland said. “There’s a lot of stuff (the county has) put on the books to really nickel and dime the community. ... And you’re getting nothing out of it. ... It seems to me that out of 11 districts, we’re the one that gets dumped on, and we’re the largest.”

Jerome Marvin Miller. Efforts by The State newspaper to reach Miller on Thursday and Friday were unsuccessful.

Dalhi Myers. A lawyer, Myers (first name pronounced DALE-ya) grew up in Hopkins and lived and worked abroad for several years before moving back to Lower Richland. In recent years, she has lived in other parts of Richland County before recently moving back to a home she owns with her parents in Gadsden.

“I am not running against anybody. I’m running for District 10, for our community, for better schools, for better roads, for better job opportunities, for better infrastructure,” Myers said. “When your house is on fire, it’s great to have good friends, but you don’t call your friends to get out of a fire. You call a firefighter. ... I think in this instance, I’m a firefighter.”

Bernice G. Scott. Scott served on County Council for 20 years, from 1988 to 2008, before her son-in-law, Washington, succeeded her.

“The experience, I do have. I can hit the ground running,” Scott said. “I’m very accessible, and that’s what people need. We have an undeveloped area that is looking for sewage and everything. ... I really take pride in taking care of people. ... My record stands for the people. I have always been a voice for the people, and I will continue to be a voice for the people because I care.”

District 10 polls will open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the votes Tuesday, a runoff will be held June 14 between the top two candidates. The winner will serve until just after the November general election, when the four people elected to council are sworn in for four-year terms.

Also on June 14, the general election primary for District 10 and all other local and state races will be held. The winner of the primary, or, if necessary, the June 28 runoff, will be on the November ballot seeking a four-year term.

Because no Republicans or candidates from any other parties have filed for the District 10 seat, the June 14 Democratic primary or runoff winner is all but certain to win the November election.

This story was originally published May 27, 2016 at 5:44 PM.