Summerville mayoral race one of the most expensive in town’s history

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - Former Fire Chief, Ricky Waring is the new Mayor-Elect of Summerville. It was a close race but it was also an expensive campaign season.

According to the latest filings reported to the South Carolina Election Commission before Election Day, the four mayoral candidates had campaign contributions that collectively totaled nearly $200,000.

In the 2015 mayoral race, the two candidates had a total of $59,370 in total campaign contributions.

For the 2019 race, Bill Hearn took the top spot for total campaign contributions at $90,514.

Mayor-elect Ricky Waring came in second with $90,367.

Both candidates raised nearly three times more than the winner in 2015.

Fleming Moore’s self-funded campaign totaled about $1,500.

Reports for Brandon King’s spending weren’t available. He says it’s due to a technical error with the Ethics website. He says he did make the filings and they should be available later this week.

Many people are left asking where the leftover money will go?

The Elections Commission has strict rules on where that money can go. Candidates can’t spend campaign funds for personal use but they can use the money to pay off campaign debts and ongoing expenses.

They’re also allowed to donate to other candidates, political causes and charity. Fleming Moore says his money was mostly spent on 12 campaign signs and Facebook ads. Moore says he doesn’t have any leftover funds.

Brandon King says he plans to keep his campaign account open in the event that he decides to run again.

At the end of the campaign, Bill Hearn was left with $272. It is unclear what that money will be used for.

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