Stephen K. Benjamin

Steve Benjamin
Benjamin in August 2023
Senior Advisor to the President
for Public Engagement
Incumbent
Assumed office
April 1, 2023
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byKeisha Lance Bottoms
Director of the
Office of Public Engagement
Incumbent
Assumed office
April 1, 2023
PresidentJoe Biden
Principal DeputyJamie Citron
Preceded byKeisha Lance Bottoms
70th Mayor of Columbia
In office
July 1, 2010 – January 4, 2022
Preceded byBob Coble
Succeeded byDaniel Rickenmann
76th President of the United States Conference of Mayors
In office
May 7, 2018 – July 1, 2019
Preceded byMitch Landrieu
Succeeded byBryan Barnett
Director of the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services
In office
January 13, 1999 – January 15, 2003
GovernorJim Hodges
Preceded byStephen Bernie
Succeeded byJoan Meacham
Personal details
Born
Stephen Keith Benjamin

(1969-12-01) December 1, 1969 (age 55)
New York City, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseDeAndrea Gist
EducationUniversity of South Carolina (BA, JD)

Stephen Keith Benjamin (born December 1, 1969) is an American politician and businessman currently serving as the director of the White House Office of Public Engagement for the Biden administration, and also as one of the senior advisors to President Biden since April 1, 2023. He previously served as the 70th mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, from July 2010 to January 2022. He was the first African American mayor in the city's history. Before serving as mayor, he worked in the Columbia metropolitan area as an attorney and served on various charitable organizations.

On November 8, 2017, Benjamin won re-election for a third term as mayor with no votes as no other candidate filed. Benjamin was declared re-elected.[1] Benjamin served as the 76th president of the United States Conference of Mayors from 2018 to 2019.[2]

Early life and education

Benjamin's parents are from Orangeburg, South Carolina, but relocated to Queens during the Great Migration in the 1960s. Benjamin moved to Columbia to attend college. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of South Carolina in 1991 and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1994.[3]

As a student at the University of South Carolina, Benjamin was actively involved in the student chapter of NAACP, eventually becoming president. He was elected as student body president during his undergraduate career and served as president of the student bar association during his third year of law school. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi and Sigma Pi Phi fraternities.[4]

Career

In 1999, Benjamin was appointed by Democratic Governor Jim Hodges to lead the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services, a position which he held until 2003.[5] In 2002, Benjamin led an unsuccessful campaign for attorney general of South Carolina as a Democratic candidate, losing to Republican Henry McMaster by a margin of 11%.[6]

During the 2000 presidential election, Benjamin was a South Carolina state co-chair of GoreNet.[7] GoreNet was a group that supported the Al Gore campaign with a focus on grassroots and online organizing as well as hosting small dollar donor events.[8]

Benjamin is the principal of the Benjamin Law Firm, LLC, in Columbia, where his practice emphasized governmental strategic planning, administrative and regulatory work, municipal finance and general business matters.[9]

Mayor of Columbia

In 2010, Benjamin won a special election to become the mayor of Columbia, besting Kirkman Finlay III in a runoff to succeed Bob Coble. In November 2017, Benjamin was the only candidate to file for mayoral election. Benjamin, therefore, did not appear on the ballot and was automatically declared to be re-elected without any votes.[1] On February 4, 2021, Benjamin announced that he would not seek re-election in 2021.[10]

Later career

Benjamin with US Secretary of Labor Julie Su in 2024

Benjamin served as the Board Chair of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority),[11] an appointment by the Biden Administration.[12] He taught a leadership class at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health as a senior leadership fellow.[13] He is co-chair of the Center for US Global Leadership with the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition.[14] He was a member of the Advisory Board of the BGR Group.[15] He serves as chairman of the Board of the Flex Association, a group representing gig worker companies like Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart.[16]

In February 2023, Benjamin was appointed to serve as a senior advisor to President Joe Biden and director of the Office of Public Engagement, succeeding former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.[17][18]

Personal life

Benjamin is married to DeAndrea G. Benjamin, a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. They have two daughters.[19]

Electoral history

Mayor of Columbia, 2017
Candidate Votes %
Steve Benjamin 0
  • Benjamin was the only candidate to file; he was automatically declared re-elected with no votes.[1]
Mayor of Columbia, 2013 [20]
Candidate Votes %
Steve Benjamin 10,401 64.1
Moe Baddourah 5,594 34.4
Other 224 1.5
Mayor of Columbia, 2010 (Special Runoff)[21]
Candidate Votes %
Steve Benjamin 10,894 55.2
Kirkman Finlay III 8,845 44.8
Mayor of Columbia, 2010 (Special)[22]
Candidate Votes %
Steve Benjamin 6,067 35.5
Kirkman Finlay III 5,485 32.1
Steve Morrison 5,053 29.5
Other 472 2.9
South Carolina Attorney General Election, 2002
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Henry McMaster 601,931 55.48
Democratic Steve Benjamin 482,560 44.48
Write-ins Write-ins 498 0.05

Recognition and awards

  • The Root's 100 Influential Black Americans (2011 & 2013)[23]
  • The Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery by a Public Official (2017) [24]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Dubious new distinction for Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin". Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  2. ^ United States Conference of Mayors. "Congratulations to @SteveBenjaminSC, the 76th President of the United States Conference of Mayors!". Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  3. ^ "South Carolina Legislature Online - Search". www.scstatehouse.gov. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  4. ^ ":: Welcome to the City of Columbia ::". www.columbiasc.net. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  5. ^ "Our History – SCDPPPS". www.dppps.sc.gov. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  6. ^ "Our Campaigns – SC Attorney General Race – Nov 05, 2002". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  7. ^ "GoreNet State Co-Chairs". Gore 2000. August 15, 2000. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  8. ^ "GoreNet: A Network of Young Americans Dedicated to Al Gore President". Gore 2000. August 15, 2000. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  9. ^ "The Honorable Stephen K. Benjamin's Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  10. ^ "Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin won't run again, will focus on family, law firm". wltx.com. February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  11. ^ Greene, Alexia (April 28, 2022). ""Former Columbia Mayor, Steve Benjamin, on the future of public safety in South Carolina"". Cola Daily. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  12. ^ McConchie, Brian (October 26, 2021). ""Benjamin appointed to federal board"". WACH-TV. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  13. ^ Fastenau, Stephen (April 3, 2022). ""Steve Benjamin's life after being Columbia's mayor: Harvard, new jobs and buying a mansion"". Post and Courier. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  14. ^ Kinnard, Meg (December 1, 2020). ""South Carolina capital city mayor to head US diplomacy group"". WLTX-TV. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  15. ^ Kurtz, Josh (June 3, 2022). ""Political Notes: Keiffer Mitchell Headed to K Street, Take a Dem Straw Poll, Green Group Anoints 'Climate Champions,' and More"". Maryland Matters. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  16. ^ Bade, Rachael (March 8, 2022). ""POLITICO Playbook PM: Biden's warning to Americans: 'It's going to cost us as well'"". Politico. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  17. ^ "President Biden Announces Former Mayor Stephen Benjamin as Senior Advisor and Director of the Office of Public Engagement". The White House. February 27, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  18. ^ "Former South Carolina mayor replaces Bottoms at White House Office of Public Engagement". MSN. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  19. ^ "Mayor Steve Benjamin // About Steve". Archived from the original on June 10, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
  20. ^ "Richland County: Official Results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 4, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  21. ^ "City of Columbia Run-off: Official Results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 4, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  22. ^ "Richland County: Unofficial Results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 4, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  23. ^ "Steve Benjamin - the Root". Archived from the original on May 18, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  24. ^ "Mayor Benjamin Awarded for Leadership During Thousand Year Flood". Retrieved September 5, 2018.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stephen K. Benjamin.
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Attorney General of South Carolina
2002 		Vacant
Title next held by
Matthew Richardson
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Columbia
2010–2022 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Director of the Office of Public Engagement
2023–present 		Incumbent