Columbia council candidate Brown stresses his experience as a business co-owner | Opinion

Columbia is a great place to live, raise a family, and run a business, but we can do better. That has been my main campaign theme since I entered the race for the City of Columbia District 4 special election. For too many years Columbia has simply lagged behind other cities in South Carolina and fostered too many excuses about why we can’t be as successful as other places. Columbia has come a long way for sure since I was a kid. Columbia had three restaurants, and my family went to Quincy’s Family Steakhouse on Friday night.

Today, Columbia is a thriving community made up of a diverse group of people. I am proud to call Columbia my home. But during this time, other communities have been on a much healthier rise toward success. Charleston, Greenville, Rock Hill, and even Lexington have seen tremendous growth while Columbia has been left to muddle through life and count on the University of South Carolina and South Carolina state government to drive growth in the Midlands.

Columbia has a lot of positives to be sure: The flagship university in the state, other local universities, state government, great hospital systems and health care. But real growth has been hard to come by.

One of the main reasons is a commercial tax system that stifles non-owner occupied commercial growth in our city. Yes, we have a lot of non-tax paying government and nonprofits in the area, but that may be the “egg” and not the “chicken” when it comes to economic development. Because of this outdated and uneven playing field on commercial property taxes, many developments that happen in other cities are simply not financially viable here. On top of the tax structure, unusual and often onerous permitting, regulation, red tape and other non-business friendly compliance from the city prevent sustainable economic growth. We can do better.

We also need to make public safety a priority. A real priority that is funded before everything else. As I have campaigned, it is loud and clear that Columbians do not feel safe. Yes, we have an institutionalized homeless situation in Columbia. Some would call it a crisis. Yes, we have many openings on the police force, and yes, we need to upgrade our equipment for fire and rescue. We can do better.

I have campaigned on running Columbia like a business. As a business founder and owner of Colite with my brother, Marty, for the last 31 years, the most important assets of our business are our customers and our employees. I want Columbia to have the same mentality and treat you, the citizen of Columbia, as a customer, while establishing a better structure for its employees. We can do better.

And finally, I want to protect and develop your quality of life. Maybe that is a pothole or a water leak that needs to be fixed. Maybe it is a new light on your street so that your kids feel safe in their neighborhood or a safe and clean park to play in. We need to be proud of our city and quit making excuses. We can do better.

We need to work together. If elected, I will be a uniter and not a divider. I will work with Richland County and the universities to develop a better Columbia for all of us. We can do better.

We are headed in the right direction and we can thank Mayor Daniel Rickenmann for creating a better vibe, and now is the time for Columbia to prosper like never before. The choice is clear. Do you want Columbia to be run like a global business or like a local school board?

Mr. Brown is a candidate in the special election on Tuesday, March 28, for Columbia City Council.