Voters Head to Polls for Special Election

Candidates Remember Leona Plaugh

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)– Voters in District IV cast their vote for Daniel Rickennman or Jessica Lathren Tuesday. The winner of the election will finish the  late Councilwoman Leona Plaugh’s term.
This election is familiar territory for Rickennman who served as a city councilman for eight years.

“Having the experience and understanding how to maneuver things, I think it’s an advantage.
Also, we’re getting ready to step in to budget season and having the knowledge on how to be involved is very important.”

Lathren, a business woman, said this was her first time running for office but she has enjoyed the campaign trial.

“I worked almost twenty years in the private sector and project management and operations management.
I’m just a fresh perspective, a new person, new eyes and ears. I think we need to keep moving our city forward with new people in council,” said Lathren.

Both Lathren and Rickenmann knew Plaugh and said it would be an honor to fill her seat.

“It’s big shoes to fill. If anybody knows Leona, she dedicated her life to the city from being a city employee then turning into an elected official. She tried to return calls until it got to a point where she couldn’t,”  said Rickenmann.

“She came to my house about seven years ago. She was campaigning, knocking on doors, came in and talked with me and my husband for a while and was really a delightful person. We voted for her then and felt like she would be a good voice on council. I am sort of modeling my campaign after the way she did hers,” said Lathren.