DI attorney Debra Gammons enters race for mayor of Charleston

You may have seen Daniel Island resident and attorney Debra Gammons taking her morning run through the Pierce Park neighborhood. Now you’ll see her running in a more high profile setting. Last week, she entered the race for mayor of Charleston.

 

A South Carolina native, Gammons described herself in a press release as a proud Lowcountry resident who, as mayor, will aim to “ensure that the city has a clear vision, a strong strategic plan, and comprehensive inclusion of all neighbors to create a safe, clean, and walkable place to live, work, and thrive.” 

 

Gammons owns her own private practice and serves as a Distinguished Visiting Professor and the director of the Office of Diversity Initiatives at the Charleston School of Law, where she began in 2009. 

 

According to her professional bio on the Charleston School of Law faculty page, after earning her bachelor’s in English from the College of Charleston in 1992, she earned her juris doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1997. In college and law school, Gammons was active in campus leadership, having served as president of student government at the College of Charleston and president of the student bar association in law school.

 

Gammons started her law career as assistant solicitor in the Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s Office in Charleston. She also served 11 years as assistant city attorney for Greenville, where she prosecuted criminal cases and represented the City of Greenville, in civil actions, according to her faculty bio.

 

Active in professional associations, Gammons served as president of the Greenville County Bar Association and the Charleston County Bar Association. She is a former member of the College of Charleston Board of Trustees, former College of Charleston Friends of the Library Board chairperson, and former commissioner for the

South Carolina Supreme Court Commission on Lawyer Conduct.

 

She is also active in her church and community, as detailed on the law school faculty page. She is a former elder and treasurer of Second Presbyterian Church. Gammons currently serves as the Trinity Montessori School Board of Directors chairperson, a member of The Charleston Forum, College of Charleston African American

Studies Advisory Board, and the College of Charleston Graduate School Advisory Board. 

 

At the Charleston Law School, she is listed as teaching classes in criminal law, constitutional law and trial advocacy. She also works with law students in other ways by serving as faculty advisor for Women in Law, the Latina/Latino Law Students Association, Second Amendment Association, First Generation Law Students

Association, and as co-faculty advisor for the Black Law Students Association, the press release adds.

 

“When I was 8-years-old, I wanted to be President of the United States of America and I wanted to be a lawyer. I wanted to create positive changes in my country,” Gammons said in a press release. “My being a girl and my having brown skin did not hinder my desire to help people and to be a catalyst for change.” 

 

Gammons added: “My mom, my grandmother, my uncles, and my aunts instilled in me strength and tenacity. They had a ‘can do’ spirit. My teachers and professors expected me to do my best.”

 

Although the official filing period for mayor does not open until Aug. 7, with her April 11 announcement, Gammons joins five other candidates who have already announced their candidacy for mayor. Mayor John Tecklenburg is seeking re-election and is joined by attorney and City Councilman Peter Shahid, former state representative and developer William Cogswell, former Democratic Statehouse candidate Clay Middleton and community activist Mika Gadsden.

 

According to financial statements filed with the South Carolina Public Ethics Reporting system, the candidates have already been active with fundraising in this election cycle.As of April 15, Tecklenburg reported $502,396.24 in loans and contributions, Shahid reported $169,840.62, Cogswell reported $275,816.00, Middleton reported $211,163.72, and Gadsden reported $9,399.00. Gammons has not filed a financial statement as of April 15.

 

The election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

 

“I am super grateful to live in the best country in the world and to be able to run for this office and continue to serve people in one of the most beautiful places in the world. As Mayor, I will continue to demand and work for equality, fairness, and inclusion. We can create a better Charleston now and for all,” Gammons said.

 

Gammons lives on Daniel Island with her husband, Brian McQueen. McQueen is a veteran, having served as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division. 

 

Their daughter and son-in-law, and three grandchildren live in North Charleston.