COLUMBIA, S.C. — With the deadline passed for filing for Columbia City Council's District 4 seat, two candidates are officially in the race.
Beatrice King and Peter M. Brown have filed to fill the seat vacated after the Dec. 29, 2022, death of Councilman Joe Taylor, Jr. Taylor was completing his first year of service to the district, having been sworn into office on Jan. 4 of last year.
King has served on the Richland 1 school board for 10 years and says she is running for Columbia City Council "because I love my city and want to help Columbia grow into a great place where people want to live and work because of the quality of life and great job opportunities." She says her experience with Richland 1 provides her with "a record of fiscal responsibility, accountability, independence and integrity."
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.
The special election will be held March 28. Those wishing to vote in the upcoming election must be registered to vote by Feb. 27.
Which ever candidate wins, he or she will serve through a term ending Dec. 31, 2025.