Bussells, Johnson face runoff election for City’s At-large seat

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Municipal Election Day has come and gone — but the race isn’t over for two candidates vying for Columbia’s At-large City Council seat, currently held by incumbent Councilwoman Aditi Bussells.

Bussells’ challenger Sam Johnson received around 47% of the votes, and Bussells received around 43%. However to win, a 50% threshold must be reached.

They’ll now faceoff in a runoff election on Tuesday, November 18th — with early voting being held November 12th through November 14th.

ABC Columbia’s Lee Williams spoke with both candidates about their goals.

“Well, I’ve always said that, you know, were just getting started in terms of moving this city forward together, and I want to continue working on the initiatives that I’ve spearheaded around safety, economic development which leads to good paying jobs, affordable housing, and of course, as y’all probably know — always keeping government transparent so that you know exactly what City Council is doing,” says Bussells.

Johnson stressed collaboration, saying, “And make sure that we once and for all, come with real solutions for homelessness, come with real opportunities for economic growth and high wage opportunities where we’re able to retain our talent, and tackle the 20,000 home deficit that we have here in Columbia.”

Both candidates also shared their goals around growth.

“I would like to see home ownership increase and that means anyone who wants to live in Columbia own a home that they have options, and that also means that our workforce that can’t find a. place that they have options and so I’d like to see more options for people in our workforce to live downtown,” says Bussells.

“Some of our community that has historically not felt that growth or seen that development, whether its District 1 or North Main or Farrow Road corridors, how to make sure that we’re focusing and providing the economic incentives there that those communities deserve,” says Johnson.

Both Bussells and Johnson say they support the LGBTQ community as well.

“We are a very diverse community. It’s hard to find our place. Anything I can do to make sure that I have my city’s backs as it relates to their rights and to live authentically — I’m gonna do that,” says Bussells.

“Regardless of who you love, regardless of your socio-economic status, regardless of any of that, making sure that folks feel at home — that this is their city — is extremely important to me,” says Johnson.

Voters will decide who wins the seat in the runoff election on Tuesday, November 18th.