On September 21, 2015, Incumbent mayor Bob McDavid announced he would not run for re-election to a third term.

"[1] Candidate petition filings for the municipal elections were open beginning October 27, 2015 at 8:00 am and closed on January 12, 2016.

Candidates running for mayor required the valid signatures of at least 100 (but not exceeding 150) registered Columbia voters.

In a press release, Local 773 field representative Regina Guevara attributed the endorsement to Treece's support for workers and organized labor, additionally stating he was "committed to addressing our long neglected infrastructure issues.

[8] In his victory speech, Brian Treece thanked his supporters and characterized the election as a "referendum on whether Columbia is going to be a city that works for all of us.