Copyright Charleston Post and Courier
CAYCE — Challenger Alice Rose held a nearly nine-point lead over incumbent Hunter Sox for the Cayce City Council seat early on election night, while newcomer Tiffany Aull led in former Councilman Tim James’s seat. The results seemed to point to a significant shake-up on council after months of tension in city hall. Cayce City Council District 1 Political newcomer Tiffany Aull led with 62 percent of the vote for Cayce City Council District 1 as of 9 p.m. on election night, with a two-thirds of precincts reporting. She had an early lead over Ron Wright, who was posting 38 percent of the vote at the same time. Aull has been a longtime administrator in Lexington School District 1, currently serving as assistant director of the Lexington School District Two Innovation Center. She hopes to “cultivate a positive workplace culture” and encourage responsible growth in the city, according to her campaign’s Facebook page. Ron Wright is a retired state employee and real estate appraiser who has lived in Cayce for 23 years, according to his campaign’s Facebook page. He hopes to promote more responsible growth in the city, which he said has been at a “standstill.” He has no political background. Aull and Wright are both running for incumbent and Mayor Pro-Tem Tim James’s seat, who announced he would not seek reelection in July. Cayce City Council District 3 Challenger Alice Rose had received 54 percent of the District 3 vote to incumbent Sox’s 45 percent as of 9 p.m., with all precincts reporting. Sox has served in the District 3 seat since 2021 and is running for a second term. He worked in his first stint to promote “responsible growth” and development in the city and build relationships to attract potential business investments. He had previously said he hoped to prioritize investing in local parks, bringing a new police substation to the district and prompting the redevelopment of the Airport Boulevard and Charleston Highway corridors within the city. Alice Rose is a Cayce native and does not have a political background. She had previously said she hoped to encourage “thoughtful growth and development that works hand-in-hand with our existing neighborhoods” and protect the character of city neighborhoods, she said in her campaign announcements. Rose had cited neighborhood backlash towards a hotel under construction along Airport Boulevard within the district as one motivating factor for her campaign. Rose had been a vocal opponent to the hotel’s construction and the lack of notice given to neighbors before building began. Sox had worked to facilitate communication between the hotel developer and neighbors, and had used the issue to pursue infrastructure improvements in the neighborhood. The District 3 race had been marked by much contention in social media groups.
