Election Day’s not over. 2 Columbia City Council candidates battle it out in runoff
On Tuesday, voters in Columbia will go back to the polls just two weeks after they last cast a ballot.
Because no candidate won a majority of the vote in last week’s four-way election for a citywide council seat, City Councilman Howard Duvall faces a run-off Tuesday against businesswoman Sara Middleton.
The outcome could match last week’s result in District 3, where challenger Will Brennan unseated two-term incumbent Moe Baddourah. Or it could follow the pattern in District 2, in which Councilman Ed McDowell prevailed against two challengers to win a second term.
Both candidates see reasons to be optimistic. Duvall, the 76-year-old retired director of the S.C. Municipal Association and a former mayor of Cheraw, cites his experience in local government as his main advantage in the race.
“She’s got a well-funded campaign,” Duvall said of his opponent. “I’ve been out-spent three-to-one, and she’s been on TV for a month. But if you look at the qualifications, I think people will vote for me.”
The latest public reporting of election spending show Middleton’s campaign, through late October, had spent $77,973 on this year’s election, out of $78,485. Duvall had spent $25,795, out of $45,510 raised, through mid-October.
For her part, the 27-year-old Middleton sees voters ready to make a change in how the city is run. She compares the contest to the work her business has done redeveloping historic properties.
“You always look to the past, to understand it and keep it with us,” Middleton said. “But you also have to know how to take it and move forward.”
On Nov. 5, Duvall won 44 percent of the vote in his race for a second term on Columbia City Council, while Middleton won 36 percent, necessitating a runoff to decide who holds the seat for the next four years.
Dylan Gunnels won 12 percent of the vote, while Amadeo Geere won 8 percent.
Middleton has criticized Duvall for suggesting the city could move some money from its water and sewer fund to cover some of the city’s other needs. Columbia stopped transferring money out of the fund in 2016 amid legal pressure and reached a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency to fix the city’s aging water infrastructure.
Duvall, who notes he supported preserving the water and sewer fund at the time, had suggested the change as a way of better funding the city’s police and fire services, which he has made a campaign priority.
“I brought the issue up when council members were tasked with finding ways to increase revenue without raising property taxes,” Duvall said in a post-election statement. “Only 30 percent of property in the City of Columbia yields property tax revenue (while) water and sewer revenue comes from a much larger base, including non-taxable entities” like nonprofits, government property, colleges and universities and water customers outside the city limits.
Duvall was in a similar position four years ago when he finished first in a crowded field, but faced a run-off against Nickelodeon theater director Andy Smith. He ended up winning by a 2-to-1 margin.
Meanwhile, Middleton hopes to translate her experience working with various Columbia businesses into attracting more businesses to the capital city. She notes LTC Health Solutions, where she is general counsel, moved from West Columbia to its current Main Street office after being recruited by Mayor Steve Benjamin.
“He said, ‘let me introduce you to some people and let’s see how it’s feasible,’” she remembers. “Those connections brought us across the bridge, without using local tax dollars. We have investors across the U.S. we can bring to Columbia.”
Duvall also wants to see the city improve its customer service experience, not only with better training for face-to-face interactions with city employees, but also through technology. He notes the city is rolling out new technology that monitors how long callers are on hold with city departments, and $40 million is being spent on a new system of water meters.
“I get calls about water bills every day,” he said. “Now we can get data down to the 15-minute level, and help reduce customers’ water bills.”
On Wednesday, Duvall received the endorsement of both Geere and Gunnels, his two defeated opponents. Middleton boasts endorsements from former District 2 candidate Catherine Fleming Bruce, current Councilman Daniel Rickenmann and former S.C. state Rep. Bakari Sellers.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHow to vote
Polling places will be open citywide between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
To vote, you will need to have one of the following:
▪ an S.C. driver’s license
▪ a photo ID issued by the state Department of Motor Vehicles
▪ a photo voter registration card
▪ a military ID
▪ a U.S. passport
However, voters who can cite a “reasonable impediment” can vote without an ID, including: a disability or illness, a work conflict, a lack of transportation, family responsibilities, a lack of a birth certificate or a religious objection to being photographed.
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