Former councilmember is back after winning special election
by Lorne Chambers | Editor
Thank God it’s over. It was a long campaign season, glad we pulled through it as an island,” said a relieved DJ Rich following the Tuesday, Feb. 17 special election, which saw him defeat John McFarland in a special election for the Folly Beach City Council seat that was vacated by Chris Bizzell when he was elected mayor back in November.
Rich, who had previously served four terms on council, had initially not sought reelection last year because he threw his hat in the ring for mayor. He came in third in that election, missing out on a runoff between fellow councilmember Chris Bizzell and local realtor Elton Culpepper. Bizzell ultimately prevailed, which left his seat on council open.
After a short breather, Rich decided that he had more to offer serving on council and decided to run in the special election. His challenger, John McFarland, ran unsuccessfully for one of the three seats in the November general election, decided to take a shot at the empty seat.
Of the island’s 2,003 registered voters, less than half (42.69%) turned out to vote in the Feb. 17 special election. Rich ended up with 499 votes (58%) to McFarland’s 355 votes (41.6%).
Rich will hold the seat for at least the remainder of the seat’s term, which is November 2027.
“I’m excited to be back and able to help the island progress forward responsibly,” said Rich.
