Preacher, plumber, businessman and firefighter, Steve Brandon will add city leader to his resume in January.

Brandon claimed the Fort Oglethorpe Ward 5 seat Nov. 8 when he defeated outspoken incumbent Councilman Ronnie Cobb.

Brandon, 56, originally grew up in Boynton. He and his wife of 38 years lived there until they bought a house in Fort Oglethorpe in 1977.

Brandon, owner of Chattanooga Plumbing, and its sister company Battlefield Plumbing, started plumbing in 1966.

He is a volunteer chaplain for Fort Oglethorpe’s fire and police departments, a volunteer firefighter and a pastor at the Faith Baptist Tabernacle in Flintstone, Ga.

Brandon is also a member of the Fort Oglethorpe Planning and Zoning Commission, but he will resign from that position at the end of the year once he is officially sworn in as a council member.

Brandon joined Fort Oglethorpe Fire & Rescue last year.

“It is a stress reliever for me,” he said.

“Other than my plumbing companies, everything that I do (relates) to volunteering and (helping) somebody in the church, the planning and zoning, the chaplain service and the fire department,” he said. “I have just tried to belong to the community and give to the community.”

Brandon said he could bring something good to City Council.

“…I just began to get a little involved in politics; I just kind of laid low, listened and observed, and I knew that this was going to be the time to run.”

He said the city is on a good path, and he wants to help guide it.

“The city is growing well,” he said. “We have just about used up all of Battlefield Parkway, and I think that we are going to have to look at other areas to grow in.

“There will be a lot of issues forthcoming that will have to be addressed, (the council will have to) buckle up and hang on and try to make those right decisions that will benefit Fort Oglethorpe,” Brandon said.

Brandon said he believes he has the ability to help lead Fort Oglethorpe.

“I have ran a very successful business for years,” he said. being involved and I have knowledge in some areas that really need to be addressed here in Fort Oglethorpe.”

Brandon said he is competent to handle pending issues like sewer needs and growth.

He said that he would like to see Fort Oglethorpe reach to Boynton Ridge, but the city should look to Cloud Springs Road for further expansion. He said this will help Fort Oglethorpe grow commercially creating extra revenue for the city.

The city of Fort Oglethorpe needs to build better relationships with surrounding cities in order to work more effectively, he added.

“I think that we have to learn to get along well with Ringgold, Catoosa County, and Rossville, which hasn’t been mentioned much,” he said. ”I think we need to see that all of us grow and prosper.”

Brandon said he was at a loss of words to describe the support that he received from the citizens.

“When you stand and you say ‘thank you’, in the magnitude that those two words are, they seem so small to how I feel,” he said. “I owe so much to so many who supported, backed and encouraged me.”



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