Brill seeks SC Senate seat held by Lourie

Susan Brill, a Richland 2 school board member and former Richland County Council member, said Monday she will seek the Republican nomination for the Columbia-area state Senate seat held by Democrat Joel Lourie.

Lourie has said he will not seek a fourth term in the state Senate next year. Democratic state Rep. Mia McLeod also is running for the seat.

Brill, 69, is vice chairwoman of the Richland 2 School District, where she has been a member since 2006.

The Columbia native also was a member of Richland County Council from 1997 to 2004, where she said she was proud of her work on conservation issues.

While the district — mostly in northeast Richland — has been held by a Democrat, Brill’s Senate campaign committee includes Neal Lourie, Joel Lourie’s brother.

Brill cited her 18 years of public service in announcing her candidacy. She said she has a reputation as a peacemaker, which is needed while the state deals with controversies over race, including the Charleston church shooting and a deputy sheriff’s confrontation with a student at Columbia-area high school.

“I’m a good listener,” Brill said. “I’m not opinionated. I don’t bring my own bias into things.”

This story was originally published November 9, 2015 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Brill seeks SC Senate seat held by Lourie."