Filing opened this week for City of Columbia seats -- and there are some new names on the rolls.

Local business owner Grant Robertson is running for the At-Large City Council seat currently held by Tameika Isaac Devine. Councilwoman Devine has also filed for re-election. Robertson owns The F-Stop, a camera store and studio in Five Points, and co-hosts the online program Drinking in the Morning with Aaron and Grant, which has developed a local cult following over its 12 episodes.

Robertson's business partner Aaron Johnson is running for mayor. There's likely to be some confusion here: Johnson and Robertson initially announced themselves as co-candidates for mayor before they decided to run for separate seats.

Robertson and Johnson have a shared platform that emphasizes community activism, transparency and accountability; they favor shifting to a strong-mayor system and holding council meetings at more accessible times of day. They also emphasize treating city employees more fairly and focusing on basic city infrastructure before funding other projects.

Walter Powell Jr. is running for City Council District 4. The seat is being vacated by Kirkman Finlay Jr., who is running for mayor. The 45-year-old Powell is a commercial realtor and volunteer firefighter -- and has a lot to say about better funding for emergency services and public safety. For his campaign manager, Powell has hired political consultant Tige Watts, former head of the Columbia Council of Neighborhoods. Watts had briefly considered running for the seat himself.

Environmental activist and postal worker Sparkle Clark, who announced her candidacy last year, has also officially filed for the mayoral race.

City Clerk Erika Salley has set up a city election web page where she will post future candidate filings.

Meanwhile, Richland County Assistant Prosecutor Seth Rose has formally announced his candidacy for the Richland County Council District 5 seat that longtime councilwoman Kit Smith is giving up. The 29-year-old Rose says he'd planned to run against Smith even before her decision not to seek re-election. Filing for Richland County seats doesn't begin for another few months, but Rose says he's been knocking on doors.