On the Trail With Columbia Mayoral Candidate Moe Baddourah

Moe Baddourah began his Friday just as he has most of the other days since he decided to challenge incumbent Steve Benjamin and run for Mayor of Columbia — by going door-to-door introducing himself to voters.

Baddourah is under no illusions. Benjamin is better known and better financed. In the second quarter fundraising period, the mayor outraised Baddourah by a factor of six.

Though time-consuming, the practice of going door-to-door helped him win a seat to City Council last year. As the underdog, Baddourah believe it’s his best strategy.

“Sure, I could send out mail, but meeting voters like this beats having the money,” Baddourah insists. “This is my biggest advantage. I listen to people and they know that. When I voice my opinion it’s based on what I’ve heard from my constituents. I’m pretty proud of that.”

It’s from talking to people that got Baddourah, the owner of Moe’s Grapevine on Rosewood Avenue, into politics in the first place.

“I was talking to a neighbor and she poured me a glass of water from her sink. The water was brown. She said she couldn’t give the water to children…that’s unacceptable,” Baddourah said. “She eventually moved and I can’t say I blame her.”

Baddourah was spurred by that experience to run for office. He’s still frustrated by problems with the city’s infrastructure, including flooding and unusable water. When a reporter tells him about his absence of electricity some three days after a storm, he offers to call the utility company saying, “We can’t have that if we want people to come (to Columbia).”

When asked why he decided to run for mayor after being on city council for only a year, Baddourah takes a deep breath. “I hate to sound like a cliché, but I feel like I needed to do more.”

In the Shadow of Greenville and Charleston

It’s inevitable that Columbia will be compared to Greenville and Charleston. Greenville has appeared on one top 10 list after another and been featured on NPR and in The New York Times. Charleston, of course, has been a tourist destination for decades.

Conversely, Columbia, as South Carolina’s largest city, state capital and home to the state’s largest university, has not always been viewed as favorably as its Palmetto State neighbors. However, in the years after the Great Recession and under Benjamin’s leadership, the downtown has experienced a rebirth and construction projects fill the city’s streets. Statistically speaking, crime is down. The riverfront area seems to get more popular by the day.

But the problems of previous years still linger. Cynics refer to Columbia as “famously hot and famously corrupt.” Recent incidents in the police department have done little to dispel that perception.

A captain accused the acting police chief of planting evidence and now is being sued for defamation. The head of the NAACP was arrested, then had the charges mysteriously dropped. A year ago, the investigation of the death of a high-profile lobbyist was botched in a most embarrassing fashion.

“The issues with the police department aren’t new,” Baddourah said. “We have great police officers who work hard to keep the city safe and they deserve better leadership.”

Baddourah was also critical of the appointment of Teresa Wilson as the City Manager in January. In the Council-Manager form of government which Columbia uses, the City Manager has the most influence of any full-time employee, responsible for hiring, among other positions, the police chief.

Baddourah chooses his words carefully when talking about Wilson’s arrival as City Manager.

“There were more qualified people available. I’m a businessman and I know how important it is to hire the most qualified person for the job…that’s all I’m going to say about that.”

The Bull Street project where the city will spend millions to redevelop the former Department of Social Services site has also drawn criticism from Baddourah.

“The process wasn’t transparent and what was negotiated is not in the city’s best interest. I’m still not sure how we’re going to pay for it,” he said.

One of the centerpieces of the Bull Street project is the possibility of a park for a minor league baseball team. Given the popularity of USC’s baseball team, Baddourah isn’t sure Columbia, with 135,000, people can support a second baseball team.

Some research shows there are a few other cities in the nation are the state capital, home to a major public university and home to a minor league baseball team. Lansing, Mich., is the one most similar to Columbia in size (Lincoln, Neb., Austin, Texas, and Columbus, Ohio, also match the criteria, but they are much larger than Columbia).

Lansing’s minor league team does well in terms of attendance, but it doesn’t have to compete against a popular college team. Putting the viability of another baseball team aside, Baddourah isn't convinced the city should be getting involved in something as risky as real estate development.

On the Trail

When Baddourah knocks on doors he says about half the people answer and that percentage held true on Friday as he walked the Forest Hills section of town. Since he’s out during the day, most of the people he talks to are retirees or people who work part time.

Forest Hills is a tree-lined neighborhood and decidedly upper middle class. Most of the residents have lived here for a long time and a few houses he visits are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Still, Baddourah says he knows people are moving into the city all the time. He again stressed how important he thinks it is to be accessible.

“The young people who move here aren’t exactly sure how the city functions, but they know how to use technology to communicate. The older people know how the city works but they don’t really know how to use the technology,” he explains.

It’s warm but not “famously hot” as Baddourah makes his way through a list of likely voters tacked to his clipboard. He says he likes local politics because “it’s really about problem-solving.”

He rarely gets asked about social issues or questions stemming from a particular ideology.

“City services and crime. That’s what people care about,” he said.

Most everyone Baddourah talks to, even if they don’t commit to supporting him, are glad to talk to him. 

“It means a lot that you’re out here door-to-door,” said one woman.

The voters Baddourah talks to are engaged, aware of the city’s strengths and weaknesses. Baddourah had a lengthy conversation about crime with one man who recounted an incident where one of his neighbors was assaulted and the perpetrators were given a light sentence.

The residents are also aware of the political process and of Baddourah’s status as an underdog. At least two ask him point blank if he thinks he can win. Said one, “Y’all are against a pretty powerful machine.”

The walk back to Baddourah’s white SUV is uphill. After two hours of knocking on doors, the perspiration had soaked through the back of his white oxford. The sweat he flicks from his brow made a small splash onto the asphalt. Far from fatigued, he looked liked a man just getting started.

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