Ex-SC mayor taking over White House Office of Engagement

By MEG KINNARD
Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — President Joe Biden has appointed a former Columbia, South Carolina, mayor to be a top White House adviser. Steve Benjamin will become director of the White House Office of Engagement, taking over from former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Benjamin has long been considered a rising star in Democratic politics, serving three terms as Columbia’s mayor, and the first Black mayor in the city’s history. The appointment comes at a time when Benjamin’s home state is becoming even more critical to Democrats as they face the 2024 presidential campaign. Biden called Benjamin a “longtime public servant” whose “deep relationships across the country” would well serve the administration.