With three Columbia City Council seats up for grabs, here’s who’s running for election
The race for Columbia City Council has officially begun. Candidates interested in running for the council had to file to run by midday Friday, Sept. 8. Six candidates have filed to run for three open seats.
Two of the three seats up for election on Nov. 7 will have contested races.
At-large councilman Howard Duvall, who joined the council in 2015, isn’t running to keep his seat, which guarantees at least one new face will join the council in January.
The District 3 seat, held by Will Brennan, and the District 2 seat, held by Ed McDowell, also are up for election in November. In addition to Brennan and McDowell both running as incumbents, a former city councilman is seeking to reclaim his old seat.
Here’s who is running.
At-Large
Three people have filed to run for the seat now held by Duvall: Jesse Bullard, vice president of business for Southern Way Catering; Tyler Bailey, a local attorney; and Christa Williams, owner of Uncle Willie’s Grocery Store.
Bullard came to Columbia to attend the University of South Carolina and has lived in Columbia ever since. His catering company, Southern Way Catering, offers fine dining catering for large and small events and has offices in Columbia and Greenville.
“As Columbia is seeing growth in jobs and investment, I will bring my experience and expertise to the City Council to continue that positive growth. In my line of work, customer service is key and problem solving is critical,” Bullard said in a statement announcing his candidacy. “I will bring that approach and experience to ensure people in all corners of Columbia have a voice at City Hall, to attack root causes of crime through outreach in our communities, and to make Columbia a great place to raise a family and grow a business.”
Bailey grew up in Columbia, left to attend Hampton University and then the Southern University Law Center and then returned to the city to practice law. He practices personal injury and civil rights law through his firm, the Bailey Law Firm.
Bailey previously ran for an At-Large council seat in 2021 but lost in a runoff election to Aditi Bussells.
“I’m running for Columbia City Council At-Large because this entire city is my community, and I’m ready to step up to lead our city into its next chapter by serving as a bridge builder who unites us, so we can collectively help Columbia be the city you and I know she can be,” Bailey said in a statement on his campaign website. “Columbia has seen encouraging signs of economic growth and business investment. But far too many of our neighborhoods have been left behind, and communities are still being neglected.”
Williams attended Columbia College and still lives nearby her alma mater. She serves in the South Carolina Army National Guard and worked for the state Department of Corrections before opening Uncle Willie’s grocery store on north Main Street to provide more fresh food in the area.
Williams ran for City Council District 1 in 2021 but was defeated by Tina Herbert.
“After running for Columbia City Council in 2021 and hearing the community concerns regarding access to healthy food, Christa Williams, took a chance when the odds were against her and opened a Mom and Pops Grocery Store in North Columbia,” Williams’ campaign website reads. “She worked diligently with the City of Columbia, Office of Business Opportunities, local farmers, and suppliers to fill a need in her community.”
District 3
Two people have filed to run for the District 3 council seat: Will Brennan, who currently holds the seat, and former councilman Moe Baddourah.
The match-up between Brennan and Baddourah is a rematch — when Brennan won his council seat in 2019, he ousted Baddourah, who was the sitting councilman at the time. Brennan won with 53.5% percent of the vote, compared to Baddourah’s 22 percent.
Brennan has lived in Columbia for most of his life, graduating from A.C. Moore Elementary, Hand Middle School and Dreher High School before attending North Carolina State University.
Brennan is a real estate consultant who specializes in redeveloping historic properties. He’s worked on projects including the Curtiss-Wright Hangar,among other Columbia properties. Brennan is also chairman for the Central Midlands Council of Governments.
“This election is about our neighborhoods, our streets, our tax dollars as well as our future. I believe all citizens of the City of Columbia deserve to have an honest and efficient local government. And that is why I am running,” Brennan said in a statement on his campaign website. “I’ll be continuing walking the neighborhoods meeting one-on-one with as many voters as possible. I look forward to sharing my ideas and learning about yours.”
Baddourah joined the Columbia City Council in 2012 and served through 2019, but he was suspended from office for more than a year in 2017 and 2018 after he was charged with second-degree criminal domestic violence. The charge was dropped after Baddourah completed a pretrial intervention and his suspension was lifted in late 2018.
With an extensive background in local restaurants, Baddourah owns the Badd Boys Cafe at Middleburg Plaza in Columbia. Previously, he ran Moe’s Grapevine, an Italian restaurant on Rosewood Drive, until 2019. He also worked as a faculty member at the University of South Carolina.
In 2021, Baddourah campaigned for mayor but lost that election to Daniel Rickenmann. He also unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2013 against Steve Benjamin.
The State could not immediately acquire a campaign website or other materials for Baddourah.
District 2
District 2 Councilman Ed McDowell’s seat is up for election this November, but the councilman won’t face any challengers at the polls.
McDowell is the only person who filed to run for the District 2 seat, which he was first elected to in 2016.
McDowell has had a long career as both a pastor and administrator in the Methodist Church. He’s led congregations in Spartanburg, Charleston and Greer in addition to Columbia. McDowell served as pastor at Francis Burns United Methodist Church in Columbia for 14 years.
The election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 7, with early voting beginning Oct. 23.
To vote in the election, residents must be registered by Oct. 8 if they’re registering online, by fax or by email. If a resident wishes to register in person, they must do so by Oct. 6.
