Charleston District 11 Heading to a Runoff

CHARLESTON - Residents of Charleston City Council District 11 will have to wait another two weeks to see who will represent them on council come January.

No candidate in the race was able to garner more than 50 percent of the vote Tuesday so the top two vote-getters, Bill Moody and Laura Dukes Beck, will face off again on Nov. 22.

With all precincts reporting, unofficial results have Moody in first place with 915 votes for 43.39 percent. Beck got 657 votes for 31.15 percent and Brack got 533 votes for 25.27 percent. Four voters cast write-in ballots.

"I'm really humbled," Moody said Tuesday night. "This is my first foray into politics, so I'm a little blown away by that."

"I'm really excited to be in the runoff," Beck said. "I was happy to see that many voters turn out."

Both candidates see the completion of Interstate 526 as a major dividing line in the election, with Moody fully supporting it and Beck calling for "a more thoughtful approach" that includes considering options other than the planned route to deal the traffic issues in West Ashley, John's Island and James Island.

"On 526 I think it will come down to whether West Ashley and James Island people want to sit in traffic or not," Moody said. "And I don't want to sit in traffic."

Both candidates also say winning over Brack's voters will be key to winning the runoff.

"Andy and I were similar on some issues," Beck said. "We both talked about long-term plans and a vision for the future. Let's see if I can be the voice for the people that wanted Andy to be their voice."

"The people that voted for me and the people that voted for Laura are pretty solid, I think," Moody said. "We'll have to work on those that supported Andy."

Both are also getting ready for the next round.

"I've got two weeks to bring this home, to finish it," Moody said.

"I'm a basketball fan," Beck said. "A lot of times basketball games come down to the last two minutes and that's what this is like, it's like the last whole few months didn't happen and we've got a bit of a clean slate again."