Up and coming attorney, Ronnie Sabb recently made the decision to run for House of Representatives, District 101. This should be no surprise for the local residents, as the Greeleyville native will attempt to fill the seat that is being vacated by Kenneth Kennedy. Sabb’s attempt to represent his district was a culmination of his rural upbringing, dedication to purpose, hard work and even a few chance meetings.
After graduating with the C.E. Murray High School Bicentennial class of 1976, Sabb went on to graduate from Voorhees College in 1980, but attaining a degree doesn’t necessarily guarantee a job. Sabb made the move to sunny Miami, Florida to live with his uncle. He also started his first job but it didn’t require a graduate of Academia. “Isn’t that something to have a Bachelor degree and start your working career as a stock boy,” said Sabb “But you can’t sit down and wait for a job to come available in your field. You have to earn an honest dollar and hope and pray that something else comes available.” Sabb would later land a job at Jackson Memorial Hospital as Mental Health Technician. The job was fruitful but his encounters on a basketball court would reshape his goals and his life. While playing ball, friends mentioned that there was a shortage of math teachers and although Sabb hadn’t major in math the hospital offered a program that would allow one to teach while taking educational courses toward certification. Sabb would eventually teach math at a high school and coach basketball during the day while continuing his full time job at the hospital.
It was on that same basketball court that discussions between two men would pique the young man’s curiosity of law. The men, who were law students at the University of Florida, were discussing the details of courtroom situations, which lead Sabb to ask questions about the field. The conversation would turn with one gentleman offering an inside view of what is expected of a potential law student. “He said they are looking for a kind of person that is interested in growth,” said Sabb. “So in your personal statement you have to dissect your life and tell them how law school is going to help you grow in every aspect of life.” His statement was so in-depth that when introduced, the Dean of the University Florida remembered him by name. “Obviously what the guy told me was significant. And that basketball game changed my life forever.”
Sabb kept up with the strenuous schedule because he now had a new goal. “The idea was to live off of one salary and saving the other to pay for law school.” He would graduate with a law degree from the University of Florida but along the way would gain valuable experience working for the former Florida Attorney General Janet Reno, and Judge Clifton Newman, who was at the time an attorney with practices in Kingstree and Manning. Their relationship would eventually turn into a partnership that would last for 13 years. “I wasn’t interested in working any place other than home because I had such a great experience working with him,” he said.
Sabb opened his practice in 2000, while constantly evolving through his commitment to the community. Sabb has held a seat on the Williamsburg County School District Board of Trustees and has been Assistant Solicitor with the Third Judicial Circuit since being appointed in 1990.
Should he win the seat in the House of Representatives, Sabb will have to resign the position but says he will continue his civil practice. The idea of running for the SC House Seat, says Sabb, is a continuation of his service to his community. “I think this is a unique opportunity for me now to have an impact on my community in a different sort of way,” he said. “When it comes to moving in the direction of progressive improvement, my belief is as a representative, we’ve got to build our district, municipality by municipality, through strengthening the organizations that are designed to serve. Through supporting progressive improvement with education and creating an overall atmosphere that’s welcoming to new businesses and encourages current business expansion is how we will do it.” Sabb continued to say his role as representative is to keep the pulse of one district at heart. “My job will be to be in touch and in tune with what’s happening here and all of the areas that I have identified are the areas that will make for a great county.”
Sabb was recently told that there are some who live in Williamsburg County in spite of the conditions. “We want to create an atmosphere where people live here because of, as opposed to, in spite of,” he said. “I believe we can do that. I believe it’s our time and I believe this is our opportunity.”  Sabb will formally file seat in March.