Duvall and Smith go head-to-head in Columbia council runoff

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — Election night was not the end of the road for four Columbia City Council candidates. It was too close to call both the at-large and district two races. That at-large race, with six diverse candidates, was a closely-followed matchup. Howard Duvall and Andy Smith are the candidates left standing. This is Howard Duvall’s sixth political campaign. He served as the mayor of Cheraw for six years and worked for the Municipal Association of South Carolina. He says his experience sets him apart. “I have long experience in municipal government,” Duvall says. “I know finance back and forth.” No political experience is not stopping Andy Smith. He says his role as executive director of the Nickelodeon Theatre measures up. “I’ve spent the last ten years of my life working every day to make the city of columbia a more vibrant place to live,” Smith says. Smith says the endorsement by Mayor Steve Benjamin legitimized his political newcomer status. “It’s meant a lot to me you know, that he has some faith in me and sees me as one of the visionary leaders of our city.” Though, he does not stand with the mayor on all issues. “But I think we’re going to be able to work together,” Smith says. “We share a lot of the same values.” Duvall sees the mayoral endorsement, for both Smith and district two candidate Aaron Bishop, as a plus for both him and the other district two candidate, Ed McDowell. “If the two of us get elected, McDowell and Duvall, then you’ll have two independent thinkers on council that can work with all the people of the council without any strings attached to our votes,” Duvall says. Incumbent Cameron Runyan was endorsed by Mayor Benjamin four years ago. Smith supported him at the start, too. “I think the city and a lot of people like me who supported him in the past are glad that we’re gonna have some change on council,” Smith says. Both candidates envision a more cohesive council. “I think that he has been maybe not as cooperative with the other council members as I would like to be,” Duvall says. Duvall lists balancing the city’s finances, fixing the infrastructure and refocusing on neighborhoods as his top three short-term goals. Smith also names neighborhood safety as a priority, along with responsible flood recovery and creating a cultural plan. The runoff is Tuesday November 17.