Businessman Peter Brown enters Columbia Council race with mayor’s endorsement

Columbia businessman Peter Brown has announced his candidacy for City Council, and he already has Mayor Daniel Rickenmann’s endorsement.

Brown runs Colite, a professional signage company based in Columbia that has worked with the likes of Amazon, Visa, Microsoft and more. Brown is also a former chairman of the S.C. Jobs and Economic Development Authority.

In a statement released Friday afternoon, Brown shared that he is excited to run in the March special election for the District 4 seat previously held by Joe Taylor. Taylor died unexpectedly in late December.

“I would like to continue the progress of my great friend, Joe Taylor, and our Mayor, Daniel Rickenmann,” Brown said.

He named public safety, tax reform and economic development as top priorities, saying his business experience would help run the city more like a business.

“The City of Columbia has such great promise, but has lagged behind other cities in the state for too long,” Brown said.

One of Brown’s goals is to make Columbia “a place where future generations will aspire to put down roots.”

In the same statement, Rickenmann declared he was endorsing Brown.

“His experience as chairman of South Carolina’s Jobs and Economic Development Authority and his career running an internationally-known manufacturing business will benefit Columbia tremendously,” Rickenmann said. “Peter will help us accomplish our goals as a city and keep us moving forward.”

Brown has been outspoken on city issues in the past. In 2020, he co-authored an editorial in The State with Taylor, decrying the city’s then-leadership for its indoor face mask policy in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He’s also written about giving mental health resources to residents experiencing homelessness, as well as more severely penalizing panhandling in the city.

Brown was not alone Friday in announcing his District 4 candidacy. Former Richland 1 school board member Beatrice King also announced she is running for the seat.

The special election for the District 4 Columbia City Council seat will be held March 28. Candidates can file to run for the seat until 12 p.m. Jan. 23.