Candidates in Special Election
The Chamber offered candidates an online forum to answer business community related questions.
State House District 98 Special Election
Election Date: Tuesday, January 6, 2026
Polls open: 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Election Day Locations:
- Dorchester Presbyterian Church - Ashborough East/Ashborough East 2
- First Emmanuel Baptist Church - Ashborough West/Ashborough West 2
- Ft. Dorchester Elementary School - Coosaw/Coosaw 2/Coosaw 3
- Grace Lutheran Church - Brandymill/Brandymill 2/Irongate/Irongate 3
- Miles Rd Baptist Church - Family Life Center - Coastal 2
- Oakbrook Elementary - Tranquil/Tranquil 2/Tranquil 3
- Oakbrook Middle - Oakbrook/Oakbrook 2
- Riverbluff Church - King' Grant
- Summerville Church of Christ - Briarwood 3/Trolley
- Windsor Hill Elementary School - Lincoln/Windsor
As part of the upcoming special election, the Chamber invited each candidate to respond to the same set of questions focused on issues impacting the business community. Below are the complete, unedited responses provided by Dr. Ogletree-Satani shared in their entirety for transparency.
Responses provided by Dr. Ogletree-Satani:
- With ongoing material and labor cost escalations, we see increased concern in funding state infrastructure projects. What funding mechanisms do you see as viable solutions to combat this cost escalation?
As state, we have a substantial budget surplus that can be reallocated to fund these critical projects. This year, that surplus was $1.8 billion. Even a fraction of that amount would have a major impact on our infrastructure projects. Additionally, I believe we can do more to secure federal grants and assistance from federal programs.
2. Discuss your proposed solution to the continued congestion experienced on Dorchester Road.
We need to do everything in our power to accelerate the Dorchester Road Improvement Project that will widen the road from Trolley all the way to Charleston County and redo some of the major bottlenecks along that corridor. Anyone who commutes through the Dorchester-Trolley-Ladson Road intersection knows that the current situation is untenable. In the long term, we also need to invest more resources into the development of Lowcountry Rapid Transit to ease the burden on our roads and give folks a faster way to commute to work.
3. How might you affect change in your District to help bolster availability of workforce housing?
The biggest concern residents have about building more housing is the impact on traffic. We need to increase the capacity of our roads quickly so we can build enough housing to accommodate the growth our area is experiencing. As a State Representative, that means working with Dorchester and Charleston County Councils and Summerville Town Council to monitor road improvement projects, identify problems and funding needs, and elevate those needs to the state and federal levels to find solutions.
4. The SC Chamber reports lack of qualified workers and competitive wages as one of the biggest challenges facing local businesses. How can you help business owners build and retain their workforce?
This problem begins and ends with education. As long as our public education system struggles, so too will our workforce. Additionally, integrating more curriculum into our schools that prepares students for careers provided by the major industries in our area, like the PLTW program for STEM, will help create a talent pipeline. Lastly, we need to work with public colleges and universities across our state to make sure they are offering programs that prepare students for careers that companies in our state offer. Too often, children that are raised in South Carolina leave our state when they graduate, because there are better opportunities elsewhere. We need to build those opportunities here and make South Carolina an affordable, attractive option for graduates looking to start a career.
5. Where do you think we could improve collaborative efforts to make a tangible impact for our growing population?
My priority as a State Representative will be to maintain a robust dialogue with local government officials because I believe the issues of development, zoning, housing and infrastructure are existential to our community and will require seamless communication and teamwork from all levels of government and voters.
Greg Ford opted not to respond.
