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Peter Brown wins special election for Columbia City Council District 4 seat

Peter Brown, Beatrice King were seeking the open District 4 seat on council after death of Councilman Joe Taylor.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Peter Brown has won the special election for Columbia's District 4 City Council seat.

Final results Tuesday showed Brown defeated Beatrice King 57-43 percent in the race to fill the seat that was left open after the December 29 death of Councilman Joe Taylor Jr.  Taylor was in his first year of service to the district, having been sworn into office on Jan. 4 of 2022.

Here are the final results from Tuesday: 

(100% reporting):

Peter Brown - 1,967 votes (57%)

Beatrice King - 1,464 votes (43%)

Brown will now serve through a term ending December 31, 2025.

Brown is the president of the family-owned Colite signage business in Columbia. According to his biography, Brown graduated the University of Notre Dame with an engineering degree and his expertise has "helped Colite evolve into one of the premier signage manufacturers in the world." He is a former chairman of the SC Jobs and Economic Development Authority (JEDA), an organization that promotes business and economic welfare of South Carolina by aiding the financing of public and private projects throughout the state.

During the campaign Brown received the endorsement of Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann and City Councilwoman Aditi Bussells. 

King served on the Richland 1 school board for 10 years. She had said her experience with Richland 1 provided her with "a record of fiscal responsibility, accountability, independence and integrity." 

Special Elections in Kershaw, Orangeburg Counties 

The Columbia race was the only contested contest on the ballot, but there were several other special elections. Here are the winners from those contests:

Elgin Town Council - Cristy Bradley

Kershaw County Council District 3 - Derek Shoemake

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