GEORGE JEBAILY ANNOUNCES CAMPAIGN

Florence attorney George Jebaily announced on April 2 his candidacy for Florence City Council as approximately 75 supporters were on hand to hear his remarks and offer support. Terry Alexander and Former Florence Mayor Frank Willis both spoke, lending their endorsement to his campaign.

Jebaily, along with his parents and brothers, moved to Florence in 1963. After attending Southside Jr. High School and graduating from West Florence High in 1974, where he served as student body president, Jebaily pursued higher education at the University of South Carolina for both his undergraduate degree and his law degree. He then practiced law in Columbia for two years before choosing to return to Florence in 1984 and join with his brother, Ronald, at Jebaily Law Firm.

He resides in Florence with Debbie, his wife of 21 years, and their two children: Kayla, a freshman at the College of Charleston, and Kirk, a freshman at South Florence High School.

Since 1995, Jebaily has been a leader in the efforts to redevelop Downtown Florence. He served as Chairman of the “Florence 2010” committee, which was responsible for the oversight of creating a community vision and Master Plan for Downtown Florence. He also helped found the Florence Downtown Development Corporation (FDDC), which is responsible for working with the City of Florence and overseeing the implementation of the downtown redevelopment Master Plan, and served as chairman of the board of the FDDC from its’ inception until 2009. Most recently, Jebaily served as chairman of the FDDC’s Downtown Master Plan Update Committee, which oversaw the development of the revised Downtown Master Plan that was adopted by Florence City Council in 2011.

In addition to his work with Downtown Redevelopment, Jebaily has spent the greater part of his adult life serving on many different community boards and commissions. He currently serves on the statewide board of the South Carolina Arts Alliance and serves as chairman of the South Carolina Pecan Festival Committee, a position he has held throughout its first eight years of existence. He previously served as a two-term president of the Florence Little Theatre Board of Directors and on the Arts Alive Committee for over 15 years. Jebaily has also worked with the youth, serving as a coach on various local sports teams, working with the Cub Scouts and the Boy Scouts, serving as a middle school and high school Mock Trial Attorney-Coach, and serving on the school board for St. Anthony Catholic School. He also served on the board of Carolina Regional Legal Services Corp., helping the indigent gain access to legal services. These experiences brought him in contact with Florentines from all walks of life.

Jebaily referred to some of the key points in his campaign, which he said will focus on “progress, not politics.” He discussed the need to continue implementation of the Downtown Redevelopment Master Plan. He also cited neighborhood redevelopment as another critical area of need for the city. Referring to his past experience and leadership, Jebaily stated that in order for Downtown Florence to reach its’ full potential, the neighborhoods surrounding downtown must be revitalized and stabilized.

Additionally, Jebaily talked about the need to move forward with annexation in order to continue the growth of Florence, and referred to the East Florence Airport Corridor as one underdeveloped area of Florence in need of future development.

Jebaily concluded by thanking those who attended and inviting anyone interested in assisting his campaign to contact him at his office at 843-667-0400.