Photo by Jacqueline Fugatt Photography
Michelle Brandt (right), a commissioner of the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission and Mrs. Charleston America 2020, today announced that she is running for the West Ashley/Dorchester District 114 seat in the South Carolina State Legislature. Brandt, who is a Democrat, is hoping to unseat Republican incumbent Lin Bennett.
Brandt said she will focus her legislative efforts on challenges facing West Ashley (and much of the Greater Charleston area): traffic, flooding, and school buses for public charter schools.
In addition to working on the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission, Brandt has led food distributions at the Pink House Neighborhood Resource Center, is a team leader with the Charleston Area Justice Ministry, and serves on her son's school's board.
Brandt graduated from Towson University with a degree in Environmental Science and a minor in meteorology. Before she and her husband, Justin Brandt, moved to the Lowcountry seven years ago, she worked in the U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center in Maryland as an environmental noise specialist and at MITRE Corp. in Virginia as an environmental health and safety specialist. She and her husband have two children, Theo and Belle.
As the daughter of an Army lieutenant colonel (Ret.), Brandt says she learned the value of organization and discipline – and uses both in her personal and professional life.
“Better decisions are made when there are more points of view at the table,” she said. “As a person of faith and values, a minority woman with a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) background, and a citizen with demonstrated interest in the health and well-being of others, I want to work for all the people in District 114 and our region.”
Brandt said she will officially file to run for office as soon as filing opens in March.
You can learn more about Brandt and her campaign here: https://michelleforsc.com.
