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Election could tip council- Win by Boyer would give conservative councilmen a stronger voting bloc
August 13, 2007
The upcoming Columbia City Council race between candidates Belinda Gergel and Brian Boyer isn't just about issues.It's about control.
The April election could determine which of two political camps rule the city.
On one side: The Mayor Bob Coble camp, a Democratic-leaning group of senior council members with strong ties to the African-American community.
Anne Sinclair, who currently serves the diverse Five Points-Shandon-Two Notch Road district that Gergel and Boyer are running to represent, is a member of the Coble camp. (Sinclair has said she won't seek re-election.)
The election of Gergel, a retired history and political science chairwoman of Columbia College, would ensure the Coble group maintains a majority of council's seven votes.
On the other side: an emerging group of young, conservative business owners - Kirkman Finlay and Daniel Rickenmann - who are calling for more financial accountability and a greater chunk of the city's money to go for police and other basic services.
Increasingly, they too are working to gain support in African-American communities.
The April re-election of at-large incumbent Rickenmann and the election of Boyer, an intown developer, could give council's Young Turk camp three solid votes. They'd only need to sway one other council member to have a majority.
Another candidate could yet declare for the council seat. But if the race remains between Boyer and Gergel, the winning side will shape the city's future during a pivotal time of newfound interest in city living, including the announcement of dozens of redevelopment projects and USC's efforts to become a world-class research institute.
Both candidates are well funded. Both have allies with deep pockets. Both are prepping for the fight of their lives.
FOLLOW THE MONEY
Moneywise, Gergel appears to be ahead. For now.
- Gergel has raised about twice the amount Boyer has - more than $82,000 vs. about $43,000.
Still, it's early in the election cycle, and both camps seem capable of raising the $100,000-plus needed to win the seat, according to those who follow city politics.
- Gergel is reaching a wider range of voters who are more likely to show up at the polls.
While Gergel's 193 donors include big names - prominent attorney and former state Rep. I.S. Leevy Johnson, former state Superintendent of Education Inez Tenenbaum and former Gov. Jim Hodges - many others are neighborhood leaders and city activists who live in the district.
"If you're able to raise money from a wide selection of the community, it could be better because it shows you have support from lots of people who are willing to work for your campaign," said Lester Duhe, a Columbia-based political consultant. "And they're in more circles, getting your message out there."
In contrast, Boyer's pool of 32 supporters is smaller and made up largely of developers and business people. Not all live in the district, meaning they aren't eligible to vote in the election.
They include home builders Chris Dorsey, Walter Tayler and Bill Theus, and the S.C. Builders Political Action Committee.
But Boyer's approach - having a smaller group of supporters who open their wallets wide - could prove effective, Duhe said.
"Whether you have 1,000 people giving you $1 each or 10 people giving you $100, you still have $1,000," Duhe said. "In that way, it's a level field in terms of billboards and mailers and reaching voters."
Another Boyer contributor is his brother-in-law and employer at Hallmark Homes, Don Tomlin, a media mogul and financier who successfully backed council's other newcomers, Finlay and Rickenmann.
Tomlin also contributed to the campaigns of Coble and council member Tameika Isaac Devine.
Some who follow city politics worry Tomlin is gaining too much behind-the-scenes control and that Boyer would push Tomlin's agenda.
Boyer dismisses the claim.
"I look forward to people getting to know me and realizing I'm my own man," Boyer said, adding he's not attached at the hip to Tomlin or Rickenmann or Finlay. "I can foresee Don pushing an issue and me voting no and Don respecting my decision to do so."
ISSUES TO WATCH
While the candidates still are refining their platforms, a handful of issues is emerging:
- Preservation vs. development
After a 78-year-old farmhouse was torn down by a developer last month, Gergel proposed a six-month moratorium on the demolition of homes 50 years or older, the banning of "McMansions" and a review of the city's other development-related ordinances.
Council will consider the moratorium Wednesday.
Boyer, who has built homes in neighborhoods with special regulations to protect their historic character, said he doesn't support a moratorium. But, Boyer, who is interested in more affordable housing in the city and "smart growth" that limits sprawl, agrees a review of city ordinances is needed because loopholes allow developers to subdivide lots and build multiple homes without a zoning change.
- Budget priorities.
Boyer said more of taxpayers' money should go toward basic services, including police and fire protection.
Meanwhile, Gergel said she too is a strong supporter of basic services, specifically police protection, but that the city must support its arts community.
"Every great city has a great arts community," said Gergel.
The coming months will tell if the candidates' messages are in sync with the district's finicky voters who turn out in greater numbers on election day than those in any of the city's other districts.
The successful candidate will make connections with the district's diverse residents. Black and white. Rich and poor.
"As I recall, those residents in that district are very diverse and expect to have access to their representative frequently and easily," said Hamilton Osborne, a former City Council member. "It's going to be incredibly hard work for whoever wins it."
MEET THE CANDIDATES
The two announced candidates for the Columbia City Council seat being vacated by Anne Sinclair:
Brian Boyer: 30. The single Dreher High and West Point graduate is a veteran of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, and a developer with Hallmark Homes. He completed his master's degree at USC last year. Boyer, who served on a task force to increase the number of affordable homes in the city, is restoring a home in Shandon to live in.
Belinda Gergel: 57. The Rock Hill native is married to well-known local attorney Richard Gergel and the mother of two grown sons. Gergel, the retired history and political science chairwoman of Columbia College and immediate past president of the Historic Columbia Foundation, has been on a variety of city boards. She lives in the University Hill neighborhood.
The State
By GINA SMITH
gnsmith@thestate.com
Reach Smith at (803) 771-8462.