UPDATE: Michael Trapp wins Columbia City Council second ward seat
UPDATE 9:10 pm: Michael Trapp has won the seat on city council.
“There was a great sense of vindication,” Trapp told ABC 17 News regarding the victory. “I’ve taken a lot of attacks, and it was nice that it was rejected by the voters and I’ve been returned for a third term. It’s validating for the approach that I’ve taken of thoughtful decision-making and being an independent voice, and we’re going to keep moving Columbia forward.”
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1,966 people cast votes in the Second Ward race. That’s a 295 vote increase over the 2015 race, when Trapp and Love ran against each other for the first time.
At his campaign party, Love criticized Trapp for not holding his event in the Second Ward, which makes up most of north Columbia.
“I’m here in my Second Ward, and Mike is surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, at the top of the hotel downtown on Broadway,” Love said. “It is what it is.”
Love said his arrest for DWI last week may have played a part in the loss, but said just one person he spoke to out of around 360 asked him about it outside of a polling place on Tuesday.
ORIGINAL POST: Tuesday’s election in Columbia features two people who ran against each other three years ago for the same seat on the city council.
Incumbent councilman Michael Trapp will seek to hold onto his seat from challenger Paul Love. Trapp defeated Love in 2015 by 83 votes.
Love has run on a public safety-focused platform, garnering the endorsements of the Columbia Police Officers’ Association and Columbia Professional Firefighters.
Love ran into controversy last week when police arrested Love last week on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. He explained that he was experiencing a diabetic episode at the time, which may have boosted his blood alcohol content beyond the legal limit.
Trapp is seeking his third term to the council. He cited his years of experience and “centrist” viewpoint on the city council as reason for re-election.
