Democrat elected to North Augusta city council

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WJBF)- The people of North Augusta have spoken. The city held an election Tuesday to fill several council seats and a mayoral election. One of the candidates who was elected is making history.

It’s the first time, at least in recent history, a Democrat has been elected to office in North Augusta.

NewsChannel 6 spoke with councilman elect Dennis Briatico about his victory and what he plans to accomplish during his first term.

“It meant everything to me. I mean, I want to thank everybody. I can’t thank the Democrats. I can’t thank Republicans. I’ve got to thank the city of North Augusta,” said Briatico.

Some in North Augusta say that if you want to win an election, don’t run as a Democrat. Briatico took on what seemed to be an impossible challenge and came out on top, unseating incumbent and Mayor Pro Tem, Jenafer McCauley.

“I think everybody is surprised that I pulled this off. I think the state party is surprised that I pulled this off. I think when the national party starts looking at it, they’re going to be surprised that I pulled this off,” he said.

For months Briatico worked to drum up support for his campaign and gained a large following.

“I think the community is not happy with the direction things are going and they want to see reinvestment in some of the older neighborhoods. They want to see projects outside of downtown,” said Briatico.

Briatico is well known in North Augusta for his work with the pound and Friends of North Augusta Animals.

He said he plans to make sure the pound has necessary funding going forward. He also wants to make sure all North Augusta citizens have representation.

“It’s important that those neighborhoods also have representation. And if single member districts is, what does that, Okay. So maybe we do a little give and take and we go to single member districts, but if there’s no representative for the district, we have at large for that seat. And that gives–and I think that creates a balance,” he explained.

The other winners of the election are Robert Freitas and long time councilwoman, Pat Carpenter.

John Felak won the special election to fill the seat vacated by Eric Presnell. He said he only has a short time to prove himself to voters and he hopes to continue to help the city grow in a responsible way.

“My background is in Parks and Rec and Tourism, and I’d certainly like to be able to add to that. I think the progress that we’ve made with events in the city are exceptional,” said Felak.

The election will be certified on Friday and the newly elected city leaders will be sworn in on Monday.

Photojournalist: Gary Hipps.