Frankly, we’re more than a little bit shocked to discover that people care who the mayor of Columbia, S.C. is … or who it might be in the future.
Presiding over the excessively-concreted, sweaty armpit of the South – a city which just so happens to be running its second consecutive multi-million deficit – seems like a pretty crappy job to us.
Mayor of Greenville, S.C.? Or the Holy City of Charleston, S.C.? That’s a gig we’d take in a heartbeat. Heck, we’d even take our “benevolent dictatorship” to the Redneck Riviera if they’d have us.
But Columbia? Not so much, people …
Amazingly, though, it turns out there are people who actually do want to become (or remain) Mayor of South Carolina’s Capital City – a.k.a. the “Face of the Recession.”
In fact, we wrote about one of those people last week – Columbia attorney Steve Benjamin, who based on everything we’ve seen would have to be the current front-runner in the contest.
In an effort to knock Benjamin off his game, somebody played a little trick on him by claiming that he was “returning checks” to campaign contributors (i.e. not running).
Benjamin, who is absolutely running, assured everyone that this was just “wishful thinking” on the part of his opponents … but which opponents, exactly, was he talking about?
Since this rumor first surfaced on a website with ties to city councilman Kirkman Finley III, fingers immediately pointed in that direction.
Since then, multiple independent sources have confirmed to FITS that the leak originated from the campaign of Mayor Bob Coble, the affable, fifth-term incumbent who is perhaps most famous for looking like Sic Willie’s dear old dad … oh, and having his own Bobblehead doll.
This is the second time in a month that Mayor Bob has been linked to some pretty Machiavellian stuff … which has us wondering, does Mr. Bobblehead have some “plumbers” we don’t know about?
Stay tuned …
By Zack July 20, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Jean Toal is one of Bob Coble’s best friends. His daughter was Toal’s law clerk. That ought to tell you something about him.
By Matt July 20, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Agree with your less-than-ringing endorsement of the city of Columbia and amazement that anyone would actually want to be mayor there. As we say in the rest of the state: if you are not somehow connected to state government or the university, then you really have no reason to be in Columbia…
By Jaded in S.C. July 20, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Move the capitol to Charleston or Greenville and be done with it. And while doing so, leave Sanfraud, Graham, and the rest of the good ole boy assholes behind. Enough already. Come on Sanford, be that southern gentleman you claim to be and bow out gracefully from where you’re not wanted. Your god complex is sickening. Anyone see Graham’s actions concerning Sotomayor? What an embarassment to S.C. How long are we going to let these politicos make us look like asses?
By Fred July 20, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Coble, Finley, etc, are what is called “scum”. They do and say one thing in public, and another in private.
This lilly white conservatives is hoping Steve runs, and wins. And kicks the Coble legacy to the curb.
By justsaynotojoe July 21, 2009 at 12:01 am
Sic, I gotta say, Mayor of Columbia ? Who effing cares?