‘Columbia will be open for business,’ writes Mayor-elect Daniel Rickenmann

Thank you, Columbia, for this incredible opportunity.

This is an amazing chance for us to fix our city and promote the remarkable prospects for growth and development we have here in our city.

The people of Columbia united to make this possible and now I will be a mayor for all people.

Now is the time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. We have neighborhoods that need sidewalks, roads that need potholes filled and steel plates removed, and families that need good paying jobs that serve as a ladder to grow and establish generational wealth.

We need to work together to re-stitch the fabric of our community.

That’s going to take time and effort, and the only way we’re going to accomplish that goal is together.

Under my leadership, Columbia will be open for business.

We are going to lower taxes to make Columbia an attractive city for investment and opportunity.

Our plan will bring good paying jobs that train our workforce for the 21st century and bring prosperity to our citizens that have been left out for decades.

We are going to make the soil in Columbia fertile so that businesses can grow, whether they be small or large. We will make Columbia a place where people don’t just survive, but actually begin to thrive.

I won’t be able to do this alone.

This will take communication and coordination from everyone. I want to hear what your neighborhood needs fixed and where your problems lie.

I want to know about how you think we can make your community safer.

I want to learn what obstacles are facing your business and how we can put every citizen in our city on the path to success.

None of this will be easy, but nothing worthwhile comes easily.

Tackling the city’s complex problems will take consensus, compromise, and commitment from a variety of stakeholders and organizations. I will work tirelessly to build that consensus.

Accountability will be a mainstay of our administration.

We laid out goals on the campaign and will work to produce objectives that can be tracked, measured and accomplished.

We will provide our citizens a government that serves the people first and foremost by living up to our promises.

Thank you, Columbia, for starting this movement.

We are all on the same team now and we need everyone to play their part.

We have a plan and we know it will take all of us, but our brightest days are ahead.

A united Columbia is a stronger Columbia.

Join the team and let’s get to work.

Daniel Rickenmann was elected the next mayor of Columbia, South Carolina on Nov. 16. He will be sworn into office on Jan. 4, 2022.