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From a treasurer tied to a $1.8 billion accounting error to school boards weighing tax hikes against classroom cuts, how government handles your money is front and center this election season. Candidates across the Midlands are staking out positions on budgets, taxes and tuition that could reshape household finances.
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Here are key takeaways:
- A former Union building and zoning manager faces a felony charge after allegedly embezzling more than $10,000 in public cash between January 2022 and June 2026, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
- The state treasurer’s race pits four-term incumbent Curtis Loftis against Vincent Coe, a Democrat with 20 years’ banking experience, in a contest shaped by a $1.8 billion accounting error that a forensic audit determined never represented actual cash.
- Lexington 1 school board candidates split on whether raising taxes is justified, with several pointing to Act 388 — a 2006 law that shifts school operating costs off homeowners’ primary residences — as a structural squeeze on local district finances serving 27,000 students.
- Richland 1 candidates largely oppose tax increases following the district’s recent “fiscal watch” designation, with most calling for administrative reviews, reallocation and a hard look at roughly 150 classroom vacancies before asking taxpayers for more money.
- Lexington-Richland 5 candidates eyed non-classroom cuts first — including outside contracts, consultants and even scaling back Chromebooks for K-2 students — while managing a $240 million 2024 bond referendum for a new elementary school and campus upgrades.
- The two major-party nominees for governor both back continuing the in-state college tuition freeze, which has required the General Assembly to send public universities an additional $35.7 million for the 2026-27 fiscal year to offset frozen rates.
- Richland 2 candidates — managing a district of 28,000 students that draws 63% of its funding from the state — offered a range of approaches, from flatly ruling out tax hikes to one candidate calling an increase “most likely warranted” amid rising fixed costs.
- Election Day for school board candidates is Tuesday, Nov. 3, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and early voting running Oct. 19 to Oct. 31 — covering races across Midlands school districts.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.
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