Agnew joins Obama

David Agnew, one of President Obama's earliest supporters in Charleston, has joined his administration as a liaison to the nation's mayors.

Agnew, an Anderson native, moved to Charleston in 1996 to work as one of Mayor Joe Riley's executive assistants.

He recently has worked here as head of the real estate consulting group Civic Square LLC.

Agnew could not be reached for comment Tuesday, but several people, including state Rep. Wendell Gilliard, D-Charleston, confirmed Agnew's new job.

"Every Charlestonian should be proud," Gilliard said. "I think this will help down the line, as far as funding."

Riley, an advocate of Obama's economic stimulus plan, said he expects no favoritism with Agnew in his new role, but that it's "great to have someone in the White House in an important position who knows Charleston."

"When I saw President Obama in Chicago and said I would tell David Agnew that I saw him, a broad smile came across his face," Riley added.

Agnew is no stranger to Washington. Before moving to Charleston he served in the Clinton administration as a special assistant to the Secretary of Labor.

Agnew co-chaired Obama's South Carolina campaign, and he previously worked as a field coordinator in six Upstate counties for the 1992 Clinton-Gore campaign. In 1984, when he was 18, he became one of the youngest delegates ever to a Democratic National Convention.

Agnew was considered a likely Charleston mayoral candidate if Riley decided not to seek another term, and his brother Paul is a Democratic state House member from Anderson and Abbeville counties.

As one of Riley's main confidants for about five years, Agnew became familiar with the inner workings of Charleston City Hall, experience he now can tap in his new role.

Agnew graduated from Erskine College and received a master's degree from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, and also has worked for Price Waterhouse's International Privatization Group.

As the South Carolina advisory chairman for the Trust for Public Land, Agnew also helped arrange the deal in which Florida developer Bobby Ginn bought Morris Island and deeded it to the city for public use.

Reach Robert Behre at 937-5771 or at rbehre@postandcourier.com. Reach David Slade at 937-5552 or dslade@postandcourier.com.