Old foes vie in Columbia council district where dirty water and safety are heavy concerns

Five Points has changed dramatically in recent years. Historic neighborhoods such as Shandon and Rosewood continue to appeal to residents young and old. And now, even the Congaree riverfront is part of the puzzle in Columbia’s District 3.

Two candidates are vying for the opportunity to represent the unique district that spans part of the Vista, Five Points and numerous downtown neighborhoods. One candidate currently sits on council, and one is hoping to win back his old seat: Will Brennan and Moe Baddourah, respectively.

In interviews with The State, both candidates shared their views on what they feel are the biggest issues facing their district and Columbia as a whole.

Basic services and quality of life

Baddourah and Brennan both prioritize basic quality of life issues in their campaigns.

“Public safety, fire protection, metal plates and potholes, infrastructure and brown water, clean rivers ... that is part of the quality of life that young folks and everybody’s really looking for,” said Baddourah, a restaurateur who previously served on City Council from 2012 to 2019.

Both candidates referenced brown water problems that have plagued the older neighborhoods in District 3 and other parts of Columbia for years.

Brennan, who was elected to City Council in 2019, said he’s successfully advocated for needed water-line improvements in Rosewood after getting complaints from residents about dirty bath water.

“It’s about being very vocal and very active in pursuing capital improvements projects through Columbia Water” and the water utility board, Brennan said.

They both also said they felt like previous councils didn’t prioritize infrastructure projects.

Baddourah specifically pointed to the city’s old practice of transferring money out of the fund meant to pay for water projects and using the money for other work. City leaders have said that practice is over.

“Your city is only as good as the foundation it’s built on, and I think it’s pretty apparent in some of our downtown neighborhoods that we need a little tender love and care to bring them up to speed,” Brennan said.

Brennan said he’s also excited for work to begin to allow better access to the Congaree riverfront. Brennan said he was a major advocate for getting county and state collaboration to finish needed infrastructure work between Blossom and Gervais streets along the riverfront.

He also noted growing the city’s relationship with USC and the other universities as a means for improving quality of life. Neighborhoods being more included in conversations about the new Campus Village student housing on Whaley Street was a good start, Brennan said. (However, a number of nearby neighborhood representatives, including a state senator, have complained about changes that were made to the Campus Village parking plan without neighbors’ input and have said that the university hurt trust with the surrounding neighborhoods in the process.)

Brennan added that he supports the city launching a “town and gown” group with colleges, neighborhoods, students, businesses and other interests represented.

Housing and homelessness

The money the city has invested in creating more resources for homeless residents is evidence that leaders are serious about finding solutions, Brennan said.

“We are invested, $3 million-plus that we’re going to have to continue finding revenues for moving forward, we can’t turn around now,” Brennan said.

He said he thinks Rapid Shelter Columbia’s pallet shelters and other city initiatives are a good start, adding, “Have we gotten it right completely? I don’t think anybody has. But we are participating.”

Baddourah said while there is a lot of attention on chronic homelessness, there are many people in more temporary situations who could be helped through job assistance.

“For example, I’ll give you myself, as a business owner I would be willing to hire (someone experiencing homelessness), and I can get them on track, and I think there’s a lot of other businesses that would be glad to partner with the city,” Baddourah said.

On affordable housing, Baddourah said he doesn’t believe the issue is that complicated, saying if the county and city can approve tax credits for student apartments, they should for affordable housing.

“But don’t bring the low-income housing if you can’t make the streets safe,” Baddourah said. “If you can’t have enough officers to secure (the residents’) safety, make sure they’re happy, not worried about gunshots … you can’t just address one corner without addressing the whole situation.”

Both said affordability comes from better jobs, which comes from economic development.

Brennan said he believes the city has a role in finding creative ways to bring down home prices and said he is a major supporter of public-private partnerships to create more affordable housing.

On housing generally, Brennan noted that as Columbia grows, downtown neighborhoods are going to struggle with more density.

“As a city grows, that is going to happen. It’s just how it happens is very important,” he said. “Just because zoning says you can put 28 townhomes on 1.5 acres doesn’t mean you should.”

Public safety

Baddourah referenced public safety and the need to have a fully-staffed police department more than any other concern during his interview.

While campaigning, he said he’s noticed a dramatic increase in doorbell cameras, which he says is an indication that people don’t feel safe in their communities.

“We need more police officers on the road, right? We need to not only hire them, we need to find a way to keep them,” Baddourah said.

Brennan also referenced police department staffing but said the city has been working to reduce the number of vacancies in the department.

Both candidates said they would like to see better traffic enforcement, which they both said goes back to fully staffing the police department and retaining officers once they are hired.

Columbia City Council also has begun discussing ways to address rising rates of gun violence in the city, particularly among youth. The majority of shooting victims in Columbia are between 15 and 24 years old, according to police data.

“It’s interesting that all these big issues always fall to the local level for us to tackle,” Brennan said. “Very much like our initiatives with the homeless, we’re trying … but we need a lot of partners in the community.”

Both candidates said the city should support more youth programs in the face of rising gun violence — every candidate interviewed by The State agreed the city should facilitate more after-school programs to keep kids occupied.

Brennan said he will be paying attention to the city’s new violent crime prevention office, which the city hopes will be a touchpoint connecting community groups, faith leaders and more while working to steer young people away from gun violence.

Baddourah also raised the need for jail bond reform and promised to work with state lawmakers to advocate for new laws regarding magistrate judges and how bond can be set. Local and state leaders have long criticized lax bond procedures that often allow someone arrested for a violent crime to be released on bond the same day. Many have called it a “catch and release” system.

About the candidates

Will Brennan grew up in Columbia and returned to the city after college. He worked with the Three Rivers Greenway before co-founding a development design firm that has worked on Columbia projects including the Curtiss-Wright Hangar.

Brennan was elected in 2019 to represent District 3 on Columbia City Council and has highlighted infrastructure and basic customer service among his top priorities. Brennan was also elected chairman of the Central Midlands Council of Governments in June.

“This campaign is about a continuation, continuing to really focus on the basics,” Brennan said, such as improving infrastructure, public works and customer service. “We’ve come a long way in all those aspects, and I’m proud of that.”

Moe Baddourah came to Columbia in 1980 from Lebanon at 16 years old. He’s operated numerous businesses in the Columbia area, including the former Moe’s Grapevine Italian Restaurant on Rosewood Drive and his current business, Badd Boys Cafe at Middleburg Plaza.

“It feels like there’s nobody’s thinking outside the box to do the necessary thing to improve the city,” he said of why he is running for council.

Baddourah represented District 3 on Columbia City Council from 2012 to 2019 but was suspended for more than a year in 2017 and 2018 after being charged with second-degree criminal domestic violence. The charges were later dropped after pre-trial intervention.

Baddourah ran for reelection in 2019 but lost the race to Brennan. He also ran for mayor in 2021 and came in fourth, with Daniel Rickenmann winning the race in a runoff.