After a chaotic and confusing race, two newcomers have apparently won the at-large seats on the Richland County School District One school board, according to unofficial results.
In a surprising upset, incumbent Jonathan Milling lost his seat, according to the SC Votes results posted at 3 p.m., which showed 99 percent of precincts reported.
In the very competitive at-large seat race, Angela Clyburn, daughter of Congressman Jim Clyburn, won 31 percent of the vote, while Tamika Myers won 20 percent of the vote. Both will likely fill the two at-large seats of the Midlands district which includes the Palmetto State’s capital of Columbia.
We say likely because this race has been chaotic and confusing from the beginning. This morning, The State Newspaper reported Richland County was still processing more than 10,000 military and absentee ballots on Wednesday. It is unclear how many of those votes are in the Richland One district.
More than 116,000 votes were cast in the Richland One at-large election, where each voter could vote twice.
Milling took third in the at-large seat race with 17 percent of the vote. He issued a statement Wednesday afternoon thanking his supporters and congratulating the newcomers.
“I tried my best to uphold my campaign promises from the Special Election by promoting transparency, fiscal responsibility, and putting all of our students first,” Milling said.
Richland One parents who have fought all year for fiscal responsibility and accountability told FITSNews they were disappointed in the election results, but still hopeful for change.
According to the unofficial results, school board chairman Jamie Devine was ahead in his election against Jacquelyn Hurston by roughly 10 percentage points.
Incumbent Cheryl Harris, who typically votes alongside Devine, was defeating her opponent Shannon Williams by 33 percentage points.
The 2020 Richland One election was very crowded with 10 candidates vying for four positions, and very dramatic — with bullying and fraud accusations.
The scandal-scarred Richland County school board has been rocked by controversy and allegations of misusing taxpayer funds this year, beginning with “JacketGate” in January.
Here are some links to previous coverage of the Richland One school district:
- Richland One Special Needs Student Assaulted, Harassed And Bullied, Lawsuit Says
- 5-Year-Old Richland One Student Frequently Sexually Assaulted On School Bus, Lawsuit Says
- Richland One Teacher Accused Of Snorting Drugs In Front Of Class Gets License Revoked
- Teen Who Was Stabbed Multiple Times At School Sues Richland One
- Richland One parents outraged Over ‘Choose To Be A Slave Or Slave Owner’ E-Learning Assignment
- Richland County SC Corruption: Calls For Investigation Ramp Up
- Richland One Chairman On Social Justice: Some Will Get ‘Caught In The Crossfire’
- Richland One Chairman Fined For Voting On $550,000 Contract Connected To Wife
- SC School District Accused Of Lavish Spending Recorded $20K Loss On Tax-Funded Black-Tie Event
This story will be updated.
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