The 2010 race for mayor of Columbia is heating up; the official filing period opened this week. And for the first time in the city's history, some observers are saying, Columbia has a good chance of electing a black mayor.

 

With long-time mayor Bob Coble stepping down, at least seven candidates are running to replace him. Two of those candidates, attorney Steve Benjamin and retired Army Col. Gary Myers, are black.

 

Columbia Urban League president James T. McLawhorn Jr. says there is a real chance Columbia will elect a black mayor.

 

“I think we have serious candidates,” McLawhorn says. “You’ve got candidates now who are very comfortable with all segments of the population.”

 

Benjamin, in particular, who joined the mayor’s race last August, has raised significant money already, reporting $109,475 in the third quarter [online copy corrected]. Fundraising reports for the final quarter of 2009 will be released later this week.

 

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Columbia’s population is about 49 percent white and 46 percent black.

 

The candidates’ race took center stage last week, when graffiti seemingly directed at one or both of the black candidates appeared on City Hall. On the morning of Dec. 30, City Center Partnership employees discovered a spray-painted message reading “No n#!ger mayor die” in large red letters on the side of the building.

 

Many of the mayoral candidates were quick to denounce the graffiti.

 

“There is no room in the progressive South, especially in the City of Columbia, for racist politics,” said environmentalist and postal worker Sparkle Clark.

 

“I deplore the racist spew found desecrating City Hall and condemn this bigoted act,” attorney Steve Morrison said in a written statement.

 

For his part, Upstairs Audio owner and mayoral candidate Joseph Azar said it would be better to not to give the incident any attention.

 

“To older people, it’s very important,” Azar said. “To younger people, it’s not an issue. It’s just words. They’re not fighting the Civil War all over again.”

 

The graffiti was removed soon after it was discovered. But the question remains: Was it an isolated incident, or a symptom of deeper racial tensions that will play a role in the mayoral elections?

 

At-Large City Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine, the first black woman elected to a citywide office, says there will always be some racist attacks on black officeholders.

 

“Eight years ago, when I first ran, I got some nasty notes and people said little things,” Devine says. “You’re going to have some negative stuff.”

 

But, Devine says, she considers those incidents minor — and believes a black mayor wouldn’t face anything worse.

 

“For the most part I feel like our citizens respect the diversity of Columbia,” Devine says.

Mayor Bob Coble says Columbia is ready for a black mayor, despite possible challenges.

“Race certainly is a factor in South Carolina politics and I’m sure in Columbia politics,” Coble says.

 

For their parts, both Benjamin and Myers say the election won’t be about race. And race will only be on the minds of a small number of voters, Myers says.