The State from Columbia, South Carolina • 4

Brady edges Brill in House 78 runoff By SHELLEY HILL Staff Writer Arledge Spivey Recount to decide GOP candidate Spivey Arledge locked in tight race Northeast Richland are included Brady carried the majority of the precincts Brill carried her home precinct of WildeWood which had the highest turnout but it was not enough Brady got a boost eariy after business leader Don Purcell who came in a close third in the June 8 primary endorsed her saying she had Republican Brady and Brill often had backed each other on County Council especially on growth issues but the relationship grew more strained during the race Key issues were education and taxes Stan Freeman a 57-year-old law professor at the University of South Carolina said it was a close call but he voted for Brady because he thinks she is more fiscally conservative and more attuned to public schools is always well he said Still Freeman said he was disappointed Brady signed foe Americans For Tax Reform pledge which says she will oppose any and all efforts to increase taxes Brill had not signed it think you should go Joan Brady cm Tuesday edged out Susan Brill in the battle between 0k Richland County Council Republicans to represent House District 78 The general election will pit Brady the former mayor of Arcadia Lakes against Democrat Todd Specter a real estate investor from Forest Acres in November This is a very diverse district and I tried to reach out to all of those communities and that made a said Brady 52 who has served on County Council since 2000 The voters understood the message the message of restructuring the government and how that is going to keep taxes she added Brill 57 who has represented Northeast Richland on County Council since 1998 will leave public office Valerie Hutchinson was elected Tuesday to fill hpr seat the best person Brill said good people go home But they continue to try to stay active in foe The House district falls mostly County Council district Forest Acres Arcadia Lakes and the Decker Boulevard corridor though parts of CHRISTOPHER MJUKA BERRVSPECML TO THE STATE Joan Brady returns a thumbs up to voter friend and neighbor Jack Bowen at the North Trenholm Baptist Church precinct Brady edged out Susan Brill in runoff WHAFS NEXT Republican Joan Brady willface Democrat Todd Specter in the November general election far House District 78 based group contributes to candidates that foe group says support school choice programs such as charter schools vouchers and tax credits for parents who send their children to private schools or homechool their children Some school officials say such programs would take money from public schools Brady said she would be open-minded but she would have to have assurances that such a program would not drain money in with a closed he said should leave your options But other voters said they liked that Brady signed the notax pledge knows what we said Lynette Farnsworth who lives in Arcadia Lakes Last week school officials who had publicly supported Brady had expressed concern after an advocacy group called All Children Matter began running ads and sending mailings supporting Brady The Michigan- from public schools Reach Hill at (803) 771-8462 or sehiUthestatecom DISTRICT 87 SC House of Representatives By KRISTY EPPLEY RUPON and PAUL SAND Staff Writer With less than 1 percent separating the election results Dennis Arledge and Don Spivey are headed for a recount to determine which GOP candidate will compete for the seat in November Spivey got 1303 votes in the Republican primary runoff Arledge received 1298 votes "This clearly shows you every vote counts Arledge said If Spivey comes out on top in foe Thursday recount it will set up a reprisal in November of last special election for foe seat in which Democrat Laurie Slade Funderburk beat Spivey 1564 to 1207 like that they put another mile on the marathon Spivey said of results and the recount Regardless of outcome both men said they will support the other this fall against Funderburk recount will end a long and complicated election process for the seat until November House Seat 52 became vacant when Democrat Vincent Sheheen was elected to the Senate in a special election in February after the death last fall of longtime Democratic Sen Donald Holland A special election to fill the House seat was set for June 15 after the legislature was out of session Normally a special election so late in the year would have been canceled But filing and the primaries for the special election already would have taken place by the time foe legislature got clearance to cancel foe election That meant voters had to go to foe polls to make a decision on one House seat four times in eight weeks: for the special election primaries in April and then three times in June for the Republican primary the special election and the Republican primary runoff Funderburk will fill unexpired term through the November general election If she is defeated in November she will not have had foe chance to serve while foe legislature was in session However the seat has been held by a Democrat for decades Before Sheheen was elected to the seat in 2000 his uncle former House Speaker Bob Sheheen had held the seat for nearly a quarter century BRETT FIASHNOVSPECIM TO THE STATE Republican Larry Koon of Lexington South longest serving House member takes time to vote in the runoff election Tuesday at the Lake Murray precinct in Lexington County By Haley overcomes Koon in GOP runoff Randhawa and pointing out she is of Indian descent and has voted mainly in Democratic primary elections She would not comment on those attacks ran their race and I ran she said focused on running a strong positive campaign -That's what saw us Koon said he was not aware of the specifics his campaign staff did Some community leaders suggested Koon was out of shape for the vigorous challenge mounted by Haley She spent nearly a year campaigning -sometimes knocking on neighborhood doors with coffee and doughnuts That effort enabled her to finish a dose second to Koon in a three-person primary election two weeks ago creating the runoff decided Tuesday TIM FLACH Staff Writer rookie Nikki Haley ousted longest-serving member in a Republican runoff shoes to fill Haley said the election results come County administration is to make him (Koon) tantamount to the election Democrat is seeking foe lawmaker for 30 years mainly to an spurred by resentment at taxes respects the race in House old Lexington County It stretches south from Lake Murray through foe west side of the town of Lexington into Red Bank and then west to Gilbert' Haley ran strong in all the high-growth areas Koon was leaning toward retirement but opted to seek re-election Haley at the request of top law makers and community leaders comfortable with his style He relied on a network of friendships and political IOUs built during 30 years as a state representative hoping a fret finish would overcome a slow start in foe campaign Friends touted his experience in state budget-making as a bonus in allocation of past decade who were not familiar with him Haley an executive at a family-owned dofofog store near West Columbia fits the profile of those newcomers She lives in a relatively new neighborhood north of Lexington And she favors extra state aid for roads school and police in high-growth areas such as Lexington But she reached out to longtime residents by talking of state government as a business in need of repair and trying to find a way to lower property taxes Haley described herself as a but one who will go to the Republican-controlled Legislature make a She hopes to rely on Koon for advice but he called that unlikely got very little reason to offer anything Reach Rupon at (803) 771-8622 or kruponthestatecom Reach Sand at (803) 771-8328 or psandthestatecom 1 state aid for local projects But Koon recognized that status might not have been enough to withstand the steady influx of newcomers during the to her" Koon said really think they (voters) know what they His campaign staff in recent days had been running ads using her maiden name Political Larry Koon the of the SC House election Tuesday got big after watching in at the Lexington annex goal The win is Nov 2 since no post Koon a attributed the defeat anti-incumbency mood rising property In some District 87 pitted against raw Lexington County The district in central Lexington County is one of foe fastest-growing areas in the Midlands WHArS NEXT A recount will be held Thursday The winner will face Democrat Laurie Slade Funderburk in the November elections She beat Don Spivey in a special election for the seat last week Reach Flach at (803) 771-8483 or tflach thestatecom Voters elect Hutchinson for Richland County Council seat ner of Clemson and Rhame roads a grandmother who cares about the world we leave our grandchildren It made me more fearless not just fighting for yourself you're fighting for other generations to Letts said he plans to spend more time with family but stop being involved in the community This was first campaign for public office and she said she relied on many people for help do it by she said becomes obvious right Members of her book club helped out waving flags and signs on the cor teaches composting and wildlife gardening at Sandhill Research Center Hutchinson 58 said she will also get up to speed on other council issues such as zoning regulations and the budget know what the overall budget is but like to see how it is broken Hutchinson said a big-picture There is no Democratic opposition in the fall Issues involving land use and growth were at the forefront of the campaign Hutchinson said she will focus on land development codes and environmental issues such as protecting watersheds She will take office in January She is a master gardener and By MAURICE THOMAS Stuff Writer Valerie Hutchinson is the newest Richland County Council member representing District 9 in Northeast Richland Hutchinson won the seat in a landslide victory over Michael Letts in Republican runoff election Hutchinson Reach Thomas at (803) 771-8570 or mltfv'mas'i thestatecom.