37th MAYOR OF COLUMBIA: Daniel Rickenmann speaks about goals for next four years after narrow victory

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) –It ended 52 to 48 percent.

Tuesday saw a tight runoff election for the 37th mayor of Columbia, only the 3rd in 30 years. 

“Thank you everybody. Thank you Columbia,” said mayor-elect Daniel Rickenmann, after victory was confirmed Tuesday night.

He will be sworn in on January 4th, but Rickenmann is ready to get to work.

“I’ve already been talking to businesses and trying to get them invested in Five Points and other businesses. We need to really look at the small but look at how we’re growing our home businesses,” he said. “Spending time with the small businesses and understanding what we can do to make them grow. They will be here to grow with us, they’ll hire here and they won’t leave.”

The Central Carolina Realtors Association believes that Rickenmann will do a good job as mayor.

“We endorsed Daniel Rickenmann because we believe he has the experience to protect property rights and grow home ownership in the city. Those are the big priorities he had and we believed he demonstrated that,” said Taylor Oxendine, co-executive director of the Central Carolina Realtors Association.

Another one of Rickenmann’s goals for the city of Columbia is to improve public safety.

“We’re going to give full support to our police officers. We’re going to give them the things they need, not just equipment but mental health,” the mayor-elect said. “Make sure we’re taking care of them and listening to them to make sure they can succeed in their job. We got some incredible people. I’ve done ride alongs with them so I know how talented they are.”

The mayor-elect says Columbia can get ideas on how to improve from successes in other southern cities.

“Why should we invent the wheel when you got places like Durham where Duke University is integrated into the community? They have 100 square feet of incubator space. They’re growing businesses there. We can do the same thing,” Rickenmann said.

While congratulating Daniel Rickenmann on his victory, opponent Tameika Isaac Devine had a different list of priorities for Columbia.

“Our work in the city continues. We have to make sure we are supporting councilman Rickenmann and we need to make sure he is speaking to all of us,” Devine said to supporters Tuesday night. “I think tonight it was confirmed how divided this city is through race and economic status.”

The former at-large councilwoman says she will continue to work for change in the city as a citizen.