Latest news with #ColumbiaCityCouncil
NBC News
18-07-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Democrats in a key state want to see their leaders 'fight' — and reach across party lines
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Democratic strategists, elected officials and voters in South Carolina are already eagerly looking forward, hunting for the next leader of their party after their 2024 presidential loss. They haven't had to look far: Prominent Democratic officials have flooded into the state, which was the first to vote in Democrats' 2024 presidential primaries, in recent weeks. Democratic Govs. Wes Moore of Maryland, Tim Walz of Minnesota, Gavin Newsom of California and Andy Beshear of Kentucky have all crisscrossed South Carolina so far this year, while Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., is also planning an event just outside of Charleston this weekend. As potential candidates test themselves out in South Carolina, state Democrats are considering whom they want to see leading them into a post-Donald Trump era. In conversations with more than a dozen Democrats across the state, two themes emerged: They want someone ready to 'fight,' but they also want someone who can appeal across party lines. And while the two concepts might have seemed like an implausible match in the past, in today's populist political moment, the pairing makes more sense. Tyler Bailey, a civil rights attorney and Columbia City Council member who attended Beshear's event here, said he's looking for 'somebody who's not gonna just come in there and just say I'm not for Trump. It can't just be an anti-Trump message.' There is 'a hunger of people wanting to see some real leadership on the Democrat side,' Bailey added. Spoiling for a fighter Over and over, in interviews across the state, Democratic leaders had one word on their lips: fight. 'People want somebody who's going to fight,' former Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison told NBC News in an interview following Beshear's Columbia event. 'If there's a theme that I am constantly getting, it's they're tired of the party being a doormat for Republicans. They want somebody who's gonna give the Republicans just as much hell — if not more — and fight for them and their families and their communities.' Harrison, who once chaired the South Carolina state party, said anyone without a case to make that they were strongly standing up to Republicans shouldn't bother hitting the campaign trail. 'If you're coming here and your backbone is like a wet noodle or spaghetti, you might as well just not even — save your airfare,' he said with a laugh. Christale Spain, the current chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, echoed Harrison, telling NBC News in an interview at the party's headquarters that this moment calls for someone who is 'going to fight back against the current MAGA Republicans. We're looking for a leader that is a fighter.' Spain added that the desire for a 'fighter' has 'been clear to me for the last few months, just going around the state myself, talking to voters and seeing how they respond to different things.' Governors who have visited the state have consistently rebuked Trump, positioning themselves against his tariff agenda, against his cuts to the federal workforce and against the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' the massive GOP domestic policy package that congressional Republicans passed earlier this month. 'Make no mistake,' Beshear told union members at the South Carolina AFL-CIO's annual convention in Greenville. 'What Trump and his congressional enablers have just done is a direct attack on rural America and on Southerners like us. It is a betrayal.' Speaking across party lines Beyond looking for a fighter at this moment, Democrats in South Carolina are also looking ahead to a post-Trump era, when dozens of national Democratic leaders seem poised to throw their hat in the ring in a 2028 presidential primary. And former South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodges, the last Democrat to serve in the state's governor's mansion, summed up what he thought his fellow primary voters should be looking for: someone who 'knows how to win.' For a lot of Democrats who spoke to NBC News, that means a focus on who can draw in voters of all political stripes. 'I hear several things consistently. … It's critically important that we choose well in this next election cycle, whether we pick somebody who can draw independent voters, rally the base and get some Republican votes,' Hodges told NBC News in an interview following Beshear's Wednesday meet-and-greet. Towner Magill, a Democrat who attended Beshear's meet-and-greet in Charleston on Thursday, echoed Hodges. 'I'm looking for a uniter, not just in the Democratic Party. I think we need to run a uniter, but I also think that maybe we need a uniter in the White House,' Magill told NBC News. A call for plainer language and clearer issues Many Democrats in South Carolina said that to unite voters across party lines, Democratic leaders have to remain laser-focused on certain issues. 'We stopped talking about issues that, you know, that working-class folks care about: jobs, health care, education, community safety,' Hodges said. 'That's why we did more poorly with working-class voters — white, Black, Latino — because we stopped talking about the issues they cared about.' 'There needs to be an adjustment in our message to addressing the concerns that they have about their own lives,' the former governor added. State Sen. Tameika Isaac Devine called the messaging she's hoping to hear from potential Democratic candidates a focus on 'real things.' 'What I think most people are looking for is somebody who actually they feel like is speaking to them about real things,' Isaac Devine told NBC News after Beshear's Columbia event. South Carolina Democrats want leaders who are 'speaking real things, and not just … the culture wars or the political correct terms, but actually can talk to what their pain point is. They want people who are going to give solutions,' Isaac Devine added. South Carolinians aren't alone in that desire. Other rising Democratic leaders, including freshman Sens. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Ruben Gallego of Arizona have also called for Democrats to stop using words like ' oligarchy ' or what Gallego calls ' Ivy League-tested terms ' — though Bernie Sanders pushed back on the criticism of his anti-oligarchy activism. Harrison pointed to the constant push for Democrats to use certain inclusive or technical language as a reason why some voters may have viewed Democratic candidates as inauthentic. 'For so long, I feel like Democrats, we put ourselves in straitjackets in terms of our language and how we talk to people and how we connect with folks,' Harrison said. 'We have to let our authentic selves step out. That means that we've got to be willing to take risks. That means that we should not be shy about making mistakes, because that makes us more human and more relatable,' he added. Bailey, the city council member in Columbia, pointed to character and relatability as something that could prove a major selling point for voters in his state. 'I think the relatability, people factor, is gonna be important. Because, you know, most communication is nonverbal,' he said. 'You can get a lot from somebody who's, for example, walks around scared, doesn't engage, doesn't talk, can't look you in the eye, can't shake your hand, seems, like, out of place eating fried chicken [and] would rather just have wine and cheese.'
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Endorsements continue to roll in for Columbia's Ward 2 council race
One candidate for the Ward 2 special election for Columbia City Council continues to rake in endorsements. The Boone County Democratic Central Committee on Sunday, June 15, unanimously endorsed Vera Elwood for Columbia City Council. The election is Aug. 5 and she is facing off against Ken Rice for the Ward 2 seat following the resignation of Lisa Meyer in May. Meyer has endorsed Rice, as have a few other Ward 2 residents, per his campaign website. 'Vera is the kind of leader Columbia deserves,' said Deborah Finley, chair of the Boone County Democrats. 'Her leadership on city commissions and her advocacy alongside working people show the clarity, compassion, and competence our community needs.' The Elwood campaign belief that "that Columbia should work for everyone" mirrors the Boone County Democrats mission of building "a fairer, more inclusive future," a news release noted. 'I am honored to have earned the unanimous support of the Boone County Democrats,' Elswood said. 'I believe in a Columbia that is safe, accessible, and thriving for all of us. That is the future I am fighting for.' Elwood also has received endorsements from local union LiUNA 955, former Ward 2 council members Andrea Waner and Mike Trapp, and Mid-Missouri Democratic Socialists of America, per her website and previous Tribune reporting. This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Columbia Ward 2 special election candidate gets another endorsement
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Community organizer, Mizzou librarian to run for Columbia City Council
The field of candidates for the Aug. 5 special election for the Ward 2 seat on the Columbia City Council is widening with the addition of Vera Elwood. Elwood, who was at the empty chair town hall on May 20, said she was running and put out an official announcement Thursday, May 22. "I am running for City Council because I love Columbia. I met my husband here. I started a family here. I found my community here. I believe that my experience in public service, knowledge of Columbia, and dedication to community involvement can help make Columbia a truly safe place for everyone," she said in the announcement. As of now, Elwood will face off against Ken Rice, who has the support of former Ward 2 council member Lisa Meyer, who resigned from the council due to health reasons. Elwood is the current chair of the city's Disabilities Commission and is a member of the city's Commission on Cultural Affairs. Her campaign tenants include "improving infrastructure, creating a safer and more welcoming city and ensuring every voice in the community is heard and uplifted," the announcement noted. She is the third generation of her family to have attended the University of Missouri and returned to the city in 2019 to raise her family. She is an foster and adoptive mother, and said she also brings lived experiences as a queer and disabled woman. "These perspectives have shaped her work leading accessibility, inclusion, and diversity trainings at libraries and organizations across the country," announcement noted. More: Ken Rice makes bid for Columbia City Council after school board loss Along with her roles on the city commissions, she also is Youth Program Coordinator at The Center Project, mid-Missouri's LGBTQ resource center, and is a union organizer with Laborers International Union of North America Local 955 and its Mizzou Workers United campaign. Elwood is a University of Missouri librarian and was able to join LiUNA 955 through that role. "My time in public service has included everything from libraries to community centers to unions to city commissions, but one thing has always remained true. The city can buy as much asphalt as it wants, but if we do not have trained and supported workers to lay it, the potholes aren't getting fixed. Our people should always be our first priority," Elwood said. She also regularly volunteers with True/False Film Fest, Unbound Book Festival, Mid-Missouri PrideFest, and the Central Missouri Humane Society. This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Vera Elwood runs for Columbia Ward 2 council seat in special election
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Columbia again defers conversion therapy vote as SC threatens millions in funding
Columbia city council again delayed a vote on the future of an ordinance banning professionals from practicing conversion therapy, which attempts to change a person's sexual orientation or gender-identity. Conservative state leaders want Columbia to repeal the ban on conversion therapy within the city limits passed in 2021, and are threatening legal action and millions of state dollars if they don't get their way. The city passed the ban in 2021 after LGBTQ+ members of the public asked for the protection. The ordinance has never once been used, but this year it became a 'political football' with two likely candidates for governor leading the charge against the local policy. At the same time, there have also been claims that members of Columbia City Council themselves were in favor of the state threatening the $3.7 million, with one state lawmaker telling reporters that members of the council 'asked for our help.' The issue is now deeply entangled with the city's budget, which state law requires to be finalized by the end of June, said Columbia City Manager Teresa Wilson. A proviso attached to the state budget would penalize any city with a ban on conversion therapy, and Columbia could lose nearly $4 million in state funds if it keeps the ban. 'Simply put, $3.7 million … is a gaping hole in the general fund of the city if we don't have it,' Wilson, the city manager, said at the council meeting Tuesday. After the city council deferred its vote on the ban, Wilson said she would go forward with recommending that the city find that nearly $4 million elsewhere, largely from the city's hospitality tax fund. That will also impact the city's ability to support certain nonprofits, Wilson said, which receive grants from the city through the hospitality fund for events and other efforts throughout the year. For LGBTQ+ rights advocates, the issue also bleeds into the bigger picture of what kind of place Columbia should be — and how inviting it is, or isn't. And how willing the city is to stand against political pressure that more than one person Tuesday equated to extortion. 'I am asking you to stand up for what's right in the face of an oppressive government' said Dylan Gunnels, president of SC Pride. 'In 2021 I was proud of my city, I just want to keep being proud of my city.' Rickenmann several times Tuesday said that the ordinance never provided real protection against abuse because it includes no criminal penalties and does not cover religious organizations, which are still able to practice conversion therapy. 'We voted on an ordinance [in 2021] that has no teeth,' Rickenmann said. 'But I can't have any part of our community feeling vulnerable. So what do we do?' In April, Attorney General Alan Wilson threatened the city with legal action if it kept the ordinance, saying the policy violates state law and the First Amendment. At the same time, conservative state lawmaker Josh Kimbrell, R-Spartanburg, added a clause to the state budget that would cost Columbia roughly $3.7 million if it keeps the conversion therapy policy. The clause, called a proviso, specifically withholds money from municipalities with bans on conversion therapy. Columbia's ban is the only one in the state. Both Wilson and Kimbrell are likely Republican candidates for governor in 2026. LGBTQ+ rights groups, residents and others have spoken out against Wilson's demand and have implored the city to stand against the attorney general. More than one person who testified at Tuesday's meeting told the council to prioritize its values over the budget. The city council has heard testimony from people who were traumatized after undergoing conversion therapy, from licensed mental health providers who attest it is no 'therapy' at all, from lawyers who argue against Wilson's legal opinion on the matter, and from parents, business owners and other community leaders who have urged the council to do what is 'right and decent.' A handful of people testified that they wanted the city to repeal the ban, several because they say they want to protect the city's budget. But the overwhelming majority of people who have spoken before the council have been opposed to repealing the ban. The council's second deferment of the vote comes after claims made last week that some in city council may have quietly been supportive of the budget proviso. State lawmaker Bruce Bannister last week told reporters, 'The city council members from Columbia were doing a very good job keeping us up to speed on avoiding a lawsuit and trying to resolve some stuff on a local level, and asked for our help.' He would not say who from the city council reached out to conference committee members about the proviso. 'They were supportive of us adopting the proviso and basically saying, 'You can't do something that probably is not constitutional, and they were going to lose a lawsuit over and that this would encourage their members to think a little harder about it.'' Rickenmann addressed that accusation in the meeting Tuesday, saying, 'We didn't start this,' and that no one on the city council had called lawmakers to advocate for keeping the budget proviso. State Rep. Seth Rose, D-Richland, a former Richland County Council member, spoke to reporters Tuesday morning ahead of the city council vote, along with the ACLU and others. He said he 'would hope' that no elected official would actively ask for state-level restrictions to affect local laws. 'If you want to do away with an ordinance that has been publicly put in place by local elected officials, then you should do so in a public setting, not behind the curtain,' Rose said. 'To do it in a cowardly way, in the shadows, out of public view, I think is absolutely wrong and the people of Columbia deserve better.' Rose also took issue with the attempt to set policy through the budget, an effort he called 'fundamentally unfair,' adding that it 'usurps' the existing state legislative process. Columbia postpones conversion therapy vote under threat of losing state money Columbia passed its ordinance banning conversion therapy for minors on a 4-3 vote in June 2021, with Rickenmann and former Mayor Steve Benjamin both voting against it at the time. The other no vote was Councilman Rev. Ed McDowell, who along with Rickenmann has remained on the council since that vote. Of the four council members who voted in favor of the conversion therapy ban in 2021, just Will Brennan is still on the council. Conversion therapy is a controversial counseling practice meant to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. It's opposed by prominent medical and psychology organizations across the globe, but some faith organizations have supported the practice, and several argued against Columbia's ban in 2021. Prominent organizations like the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics oppose conversion therapy and say it is ineffective and dangerous. It is unclear if or when the council will again take up the conversion therapy ordinance. The Attorney General's Office had previously given the city until July 7 to take action on the ban.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Should Columbia adopt campaign contribution limits? City Council exploring possibility
Candidates for Columbia City Council could face stricter campaign finance restrictions in the future. It all depends on what an eventual report from city staff says. Ward 3 council member Jacque Sample is seeking information from staff about adopting local ordinances that limit municipal campaign contributions. Rather than a candidate receiving multiple donations from a single person or group, they would be limited to one donation. She also is seeking information on how this could be enforced locally, such as through a local ethics committee. "I believe this has been done in Kansas City and St. Louis and Springfield recently passed or they are at least working on it," she said. This idea was met with pushback from Ward 5 and Ward 6 council members Don Waterman and Betsy Peters, respectively. Waterman said the proposal appeared linked to the April 8 election, during which Blair Murphy raised more than $250,000, compared to Mayor Barbara Buffaloe's campaign that raised about $70,000 and Tanya Heath roughly $5,000. There was a significant fundraising split for the Ward 4 race, too, in which Ron Graves raised about $30,000 to Ward 4 council member Nick Foster's $7,000. Sample ran unopposed and did not raise or expend more than $500. "I think as was demonstrated at least in Columbia, it doesn't really matter (how much you raise)," Waterman said. "You can't buy the election, it's a matter of policies and personalities." Even so, he still was interested in what metrics and limits the city may consider. Peters said there are more pertinent items for the city and council to focus on than campaign finance reform. While the council has asked for many reports, something like campaign contribution limits are important for Columbia, said Ward 1 council member Valerie Carroll. "It's going to come up and it's going to keep coming up. We are going to have another election soon. I think it puts unnecessary pressure on people even if it didn't turn out to matter in this one," she said. "At least, even if it didn't turn out to change the outcome, it did change the way the race was run and I think it changes the way elections and campaigns are done in Columbia. I would hate for that to be a lasting impact. "I don't know that all of our citizens and all of our candidates can bear that amount of fundraising." More: Columbia mayoral candidate raises 7 times more than closest competitor. Who's donating St. Louis and Kansas City have ethics commissions that review quarterly campaign finance filings with the state, said City Attorney Nancy Thompson. These municipal commissions are necessary as an enforcement tool as the Missouri Ethics Commission currently is unable to enforce state campaign finance laws or respond to complaints because there are not enough board members for a quorum as of last month, Missouri Independent reported. If Columbia were to adopt municipal campaign finance limits, "there would certainly have to be a method of enforcement," Thompson said, alluding to an ethics commission, or a staff member within the city clerk's office whose job would be to monitor finance reports and contributions. This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Columbia exploring campaign contribution limits ordinance
