Congratulations to Univ of S.C. & My Fellow Alumni ---Steve Benjamin Elected Columbia S.C. First Black Mayor
The city of Columbia, South Carolina elected its first black mayor Tuesday. And less than 12 hours after polls closed giving him the victory, Steve Benjamin was in an accident en route to an early morning television news appearance.
Benjamin, a lawyer and lobbyist, defeated former Columbia City Councilman Kirkman Finlay III in Tuesday’s runoff election, getting about 55 percent of the vote to Finlay’s 45 percent.
“The people of Columbia spoke, and together we made history,” Benjamin said to a crowd of thousands at nearly 9:30 p.m. at Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. “We made history today, not because of race. We made history because people responded to a message of unity, hope and promise. We are one city. One Columbia.”
An unexpected 2,000 more voters turned out Tuesday than the record-setting 17,137 who voted April 6. Thirty-one percent of registered voters, or 19,427 people, cast ballots...
But Columbia has lagged behind other major Southern cities in electing a black mayor.
“Blacks did not hold a majority and whites wanted to hold on to their dominance,” said Rickey Hill, who formerly headed the Political Science Department at South Carolina State University.
In other Southern cities, black mayors began being elected in the 1970s and 1980s, Hill told BlackAmericaweb.com.
“Blacks organized themselves and worked together,” Hill said.
Benjamin also had significant crossover votes. In most boxes where he did not win, the gap was not as wide as the gap in boxes where his opponent lost, according to unofficial voting results.
While Benjamin, a 40-year-old husband and father of two celebrated his victory on Tuesday,[ April 6th] ...
http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles...
Benjamin, a lawyer and lobbyist, defeated former Columbia City Councilman Kirkman Finlay III in Tuesday’s runoff election, getting about 55 percent of the vote to Finlay’s 45 percent.
“The people of Columbia spoke, and together we made history,” Benjamin said to a crowd of thousands at nearly 9:30 p.m. at Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. “We made history today, not because of race. We made history because people responded to a message of unity, hope and promise. We are one city. One Columbia.”
An unexpected 2,000 more voters turned out Tuesday than the record-setting 17,137 who voted April 6. Thirty-one percent of registered voters, or 19,427 people, cast ballots...
But Columbia has lagged behind other major Southern cities in electing a black mayor.
“Blacks did not hold a majority and whites wanted to hold on to their dominance,” said Rickey Hill, who formerly headed the Political Science Department at South Carolina State University.
In other Southern cities, black mayors began being elected in the 1970s and 1980s, Hill told BlackAmericaweb.com.
“Blacks organized themselves and worked together,” Hill said.
Benjamin also had significant crossover votes. In most boxes where he did not win, the gap was not as wide as the gap in boxes where his opponent lost, according to unofficial voting results.
While Benjamin, a 40-year-old husband and father of two celebrated his victory on Tuesday,[ April 6th] ...
http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles...
Congrats are definitely in order for this guy. There are people in life when you meet them, you just know that they are going to be somebody and do something great in life. Steve Benjamin made that kind of impression on me when he was president of the Student Government at USC.