Frank and Rick, this is exactly why you lost.

On Monday, I had a post documenting the gall of certain members of the Florence City Council. Tonight, I am taking the time to single out just two: Rick Woodard and Frank Willis.

Gentlemen, your time is up. You lost. Thank you for your service. Now it is time to leave. But instead of going quietly into that good night, you have chosen to sully yourselves with your attempts to "fix" an election that is already over.

Why do these two deserve a post of their own? Just read their own words, quoted in this SCNow article (which I assume will be in the FloMo on Sunday).

I'll deal with Woodard first. Here is Councilman Woodard's wisdom from the article:

“I had no vote option when I went to the primary for mayor,” said Republican city council member Rick Woodard, who lost in the primary. Woodard said he and fellow council member Bobby Holland — both supporters of Willis — were “disenfranchised” of their mayoral votes because they had to vote for themselves in the Republican primary...

“There is no question that if (elections were non-partisan), Frank Willis would’ve been re-elected by a large number,” Woodard said.

First off Rick, you and Bobby did not "have" to vote for yourselves. You could have very easily chosen a Municipal Democratic Primary ballot and voted for your good friend Frank. Second, you guys wanted that dual ballot, just like you wanted to change the date to align the munis up with the general. Problem is, you guys actually have no political acumen. You all thought these things were going to help you maintain the status quo, when in fact it did not.

Your crocodile tears about being disenfranchised are about as sincere as your motives. You had a "vote option," Rick. You just chose not to take it. Why don't you blame Frank for not running as the Republican he really is?

Now for Frank. Have you no shame?

“I think the result would’ve been significantly different had we had
non-partisan elections,” ... “I think most of the people on this
council see this as not about power,” Frank Willis said, “but as about the
citizens of Florence being able to vote for whoever they want to vote for.”

You know...that is exactly what is wrong with this city and it is exactly why you guys are getting kicked out of office. Do you guys really believe your own bullshit? How about this...maybe you lost because you did not do enough to make people want to vote for you.

Now for Frank Willis:

To publicly go on the record and say the above after losing, is wrong and being a sore loser. To say it after challenging the results all the way to the South Carolina Supreme Court and losing is being a really sore loser. To say it after the man who beat you refused to say anything negative about you continuing that challenge all the way to the Supremes is classless. To say it with the general election still pending and without being man enough to ever publicly congratulate Wukela is simply sad.

Frank, for you to try to say this would have come up regardless of the primary is pure, unadulterated horseshit. Brand started pushing this mere hours after the Circuit Court threw you out. Your sincerity about this being unrelated to you losing is about as believable as it was when you tried to say changing the certification date of the primary results was your attempt to simply comply with the law.

What is even more incredible, is that you all admitted WHY you are doing it, because Frank and Rick lost. Then you have the nerve to think people will believe you would be doing this even if you had won. And your wasting OUR time with this, while we have bodies turning up all over town. Our City Council can't spend their time finding any funding for the police we need, but they have no problem trying to change their own losing history.

Vote Change.