Lowcountry native and retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Andrew Vega has announced his candidacy for Isle of Palms City Council. A 2003 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, Vega served on active duty from 2003 to 2012 and in the Air Force Reserve from 2012 to 2023. He currently works as an international airline pilot flying the Airbus 350.
Vega’s military experience as a C-17 pilot—3,913 flying hours, including more than 1,250 combat hours, as well as serving as an airdrop aircraft commander, evaluator and flight safety officer—placed him in challenging environments where planning, execution and assessment were expected to be accomplished with precision and integrity.
“My aviation career has always centered on working with a team, and those teams are diverse in their makeup because of each person’s area of expertise, life experiences and priorities,” Vega said. “Fostering an environment where decisions are data-driven, risks are appropriately assessed, and concerns or critiques can be honestly expressed is critical every time I step foot in the cockpit, and I believe that type of approach to public service is needed on our council.”
Vega said his top priority is preserving freedom by using a common-sense approach to addressing the unique realities the city faces as a South Carolina barrier island. He would like to see an emphasis on ensuring policies provide meaningful and balanced benefits to the entire community. In addition, Vega supports continuing efforts to partner with other municipalities and government agencies to address challenges brought about by explosive regional growth.
“Traffic, flooding and beach erosion are decades-old challenges on Isle of Palms,” Vega said. “These are the realities of choosing to be island residents, and while we’ll never be fully in control, there are new technologies and approaches to addressing these issues that could provide us all a bit of relief.”
He also wants to make sure residential areas feel protected and safe for families, which he said means recruiting and retaining the best police and fire department employees to serve the community.
“We have people commuting an hour or more to work their shift on behalf of our community, and spending 50% or more of their salary on housing,” Vega said. “We’re lucky to have such dedicated public servants, but at some point, this won’t be sustainable for them, and then our community will suffer. We truly need to start addressing compensation differently, either through new tactics within our own budget or through advocacy for policy change at the regional and state level.”
Vega is a lifetime member of VFW Post 3137 on Isle of Palms. He was appointed by City Council to serve on the Beach Preservation Ad Hoc Committee and has done so since February 2024. He and his wife, Sarah, have been married for 20 years, and their two children attend Charleston County School District schools. Together, they have called Isle of Palms home since 2018.
Vega said he will not accept campaign donations or seek the endorsement of any special interest groups or business organizations.
“I’m putting myself forward as an independent candidate focused on providing leadership for our community, not management or agendas influenced by the priorities of organized groups,” he said. “That means I’m here to listen to you, to engage in conversation and to make decisions based on comprehensive data and what’s best for the community.”