Politics & Government
Strong Mayor Referendum Proposal Fails
A referendum on a new form of government in the city will not appear on the ballot in November unless citizens are successful with a petition drive.
A proposal to put a strong mayor referendum before voters in November failed to get a majority vote by Columbia City Council Tuesday night.
After four hours of an oftentimes heated discussion held in a standing-room only council chamber at the Eau Claire print building, council voted 4-3 against a motion to proceed with the November referendum.
Voting "no" were Leona Plaugh, Tameika Isaac Devine, Moe Baddourah and Sam Davis. Mayor Steve Benjamin, Cameron Runyan and Brian DeQuincey Newman voted in favor of referendum. Baddourah is running against Benjamin for mayor.
Benjamin reignited the push for a strong mayor form of government after recent incidents involving the Columbia Police Department, which he said in statement last week "demonstrate that the present system of governance in Columbia is outdated and structurally flawed."
"This (strong mayor government) is a preferred form of government in most South Carolina cities," Benjamin said during the meeting. "The people of Columbia deserve a mayor who is full time."
Benjamin said those voting against putting the referendum on the ballot stood as a wall — which he compared to the Berlin Wall — preventing the public from voting.
Dozens of people, those who supported the change in government and those who thought a strong mayor form would impact the council's 4-2-1 structure, spoke before council Tuesday.
One speaker, Howard Duvall, said the council-manager system of government is "perfect for the City of Columbia although it has been imperfectly implemented."
"It is not the form that needs to change," Duvall said. "Our leadership needs to change to work harder and properly execute this form of government."
The petition method requires the signatures of at least 15 percent of the city’s qualified voters, according to the Municipal Association of South Carolina.
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If the referendum fails, it would be at least four years before another referendum could be placed on the ballot.
Several speakers and a few council members suggested the push for the change in government was a campaign move.Members of Benjamin's campaign were present at the meeting, standing outside the building with signs that read "Let us Vote." One person handed out stickers to members in the audience before the meeting.
Devine said everybody has a right to put the issue out there but "we do know there was a significant campaign to bring this issue here."
"I don’t feel like this was significantly driven by the citizens saying they want it," Devine said. "I think certain people raised this and made it an issue to campaign for it."
Both Davis and Plaugh agreed saying they haven't heard from constituents about wanting a strong mayor form of government instead of a council-manager form of government.
Newman said he thinks council can be efficient under both methods of government but it wasn't his decision to dictate which form the city has.
"I will not to silence a group of folks when I believe there is a significant percentage of folks who may be interested in this issue," Newman said. "I will be supporting a referendum but I can’t tell you if I can vote in favor of a strong mayor."
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Citizens also questioned how much the mayor would be paid and what exactly would the mayor have control over.
Under the strong mayor or mayor-council form, which the Municipal Association of South Carolina said is the most popular form of government in South Carolina, the mayor is "granted by state law the right to exercise legislative as well as executive and administrative authority," according to a presentation made by Scott Slatton, Legislative & Public Policy Advocate for the association.
Read the Municipal Association of South Carolina's full presentation on the Forms of Municipal Government here.
According to the presentation, the mayor serves as chief administrative officer and is responsible for:
•Preparation, administration and reporting of the budget and financials to council
•Oversight of city departments and all day to day operations
•Responsible for all personnel decisions except as otherwise provided by law and council
Slatton said the "legislative function remains with the council under all forms of municipal government."
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