There are two open seats for Florence City Council.
The two seats are “at large” — meaning all voters in the city get to choose.
The seats that are open are currently held by incumbents Bobby Holland and Rick Woodard.
In the Republican primary held in June, Holland won the GOP nomination along with Glynn Willis.
In the Democratic primary in June, Steve Powers and Octavia Williams-Blake ran unopposed.
On Tuesday, voters can choose two of the four candidates.
And it’s a tough choice because all bring excellent credentials and different strengths to the table.
The race for city council and for mayor have created a huge amount of interest for the first time in years, which we think is a good thing.
And we also think the four running for city council are committed to our community and are running for all the right reasons.
Holland, the incumbent, has experience as a former city of Florence employee and city councilman, and he brings plenty of knowledge of the issues facing the city.
Willis has served as a member and chairman of the Florence County Planning Commission and is now chairman of the Florence City Planning Commission.
His years of experience on the commission and in living here for years certainly are an asset.
Powers serves on the City of Florence Design Review Board (appointed; currently vice chairman) and has been very active in downtown redevelopment.
His role in bringing downtown business owners together as an effective group shows his leadership abilities and his commitment to downtown.
Williams-Blake is an attorney who grew up in Florence, went off to school, has worked for national companies and has returned home and is currently in administration at McLeod Regional Medical Center.
All four pretty much agree on the challenges and issues facing the city — improving our appearance, fighting crime, development and zoning, and making Florence an attractive place to live, raise a family and bring in new business.
In the end, though, voters have to choose.
We feel that Willis, because of his years of service on the planning commission and experience and contacts is a good choice.
Williams-Blake brings a perspective as a female, a newcomer to “politics,” the youngest candidate and mother of a young child that we think city council needs.
Those are our recommendations.
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