Emmett Pepper Appointed to Fill the Late John Kennedy Bailey's At-Large City Council Seat

During tonight’s Charleston City Council meeting, Charleston native Emmett Pepper was appointed to fill the late Councilman John Kennedy Bailey’s At-Large City Council seat. Pepper was nominated and approved to serve immediately.

“Emmett Pepper is a community advocate who is passionate about conservation, government efficiency, and sustainability—much like the late Councilman John Kennedy Bailey,” said Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin. “After speaking with John’s wife Holly, we feel Emmett will be the perfect fit to help lead our City forward.”

Pepper grew up in the East End, West Side, and South Hills neighborhoods, and frequently visited his grandmother in Kanawha City. After graduating from George Washington High School in 1995, he obtained his bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech, and thereafter graduated from the American University Washington College of Law in Washington, DC. After clerking as a writ clerk with the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, Pepper began splitting his time between Pepper and Nason and the non-profit Energy Efficient West Virginia.

Pepper is active in the community.  He serves as a board member for the West Virginia International Film Festival where we worked closely with the team that founded the Floralee Hark Cohen Cinema in 2017. He was also instrumental in establishing the citizen-led Green Team for the City of Charleston and served as the first Chair.  

Pepper lives on Charleston’s East End with his wife Emma and son Adlai.