PICKENS — Debbie Gravely, a 25-plus-year resident of Pickens with a long record of volunteerism, community service and collaboration with local leadership, has filed to run for Pickens County Council District 3.

Gravely is offering herself up for elected office as a way to serve more people and promote Pickens as a great place to live and do business.

A native of South Carolina, Gravely has spent nearly 20 years working at Clemson University, where she now serves on the internal operations team of Clemson’s Department of Computing and Information Technology (CCIT). She attended Winthrop College before transferring to the University of South Carolina, where she earned her business degree in 1986.

“As Pickens County grows and changes, there has been an increasing need to advocate on behalf of our people, our businesses and our beautiful places,” Gravely said. “Pickens’ voices deserve to be heard and taken seriously at the county level. This is a critical time for our community, and the decisions that stand to be made should reflect the will of the people. They should reflect the will of Pickens.”

Gravely’s platform has been built with broad input from Pickens constituents. It includes tax reform, support for the Hagood Mill Historic Site, focus on public safety officers and first responders, reliable live webcasting of county council meetings, repairing our rural roads, improving jobs, the economy and small business opportunities

Gravely is a past board member of the South Carolina Junior Chamber of Commerce (20 years) and a strong advocate for economic development and small, locally owned businesses. She is active in the Pickens Women’s Association and is a member of Grace United Methodist Church of Pickens.

Gravely is married to Tommy Gravely, a native of Pickens. She has one son, Zak Johnson, who is a graduate of Clemson University’s civil engineering program. He lives in the Upstate and works in the construction industry.

“In work, life, and service, it’s the energy I bring to the table that I feel most differentiates me,” Gravely said. “One of my greatest strengths is my ability to seek out new challenges and then my willingness to dig into solutions. But first and foremost, I’m a relationship builder. If elected to office, it would be my great honor and privilege to build a better partnership between the people of Pickens and the elected and appointed leaders of Pickens County.”

For more information about Gravely, visit her campaign site at facebook.com/Gravely4PickensCountyDist3 or email gravely4pickenscounty@gmail.com.