NORTH AUGUSTA — North Augusta’s first and only city attorney, Kelly F. Zier, died Oct. 10 after having served the city for 55 years.
Zier’s wife, Bonnie, died two weeks prior, on Sept. 28.
Kelly F. Zier
Kelly Zier was born July 25, 1946, in New Albany, Indiana. He attended Furman University and went on to graduate from University of South Carolina Law School in the spring of 1971.
It was that fall, on Oct. 1, that Zier took up the position of North Augusta city attorney, responding to an ad in the newspaper. Over the decades, he simultaneously built his own practice on West Avenue, one that his son Patrick would later join and continue helping build.
“He knew North Augusta, and he knew the law. He also knew the difference between the ‘book law’ and the reality of the law,” North Augusta Mayor Briton Williams said. “He just did an amazing job; I know he kept me out of trouble at times and has always given our city the right guidance.”
During his tenure with North Augusta, Zier served seven mayors and five city administrators.
“When I get to the point where I don’t enjoy it or can’t do it anymore, I’ll look for something else; but, for right now, I’m enjoying it and planning to continue,” Zier had said when, in 2021, city and South Carolina state officials recognized him for having given North Augusta, at that point, half a century of expertise.
Lark Jones, who was mayor for 20 years, a city councilman for 12 and a fellow attorney just one block from Zier’s office, knew Zier well, both in his capacity as legal adviser to the city and as mentor in life.
“I’m trying to make sense of it; I haven’t been able to grapple with it,” Jones said, also saying, “He did not get cheated. He had a full, full, full and wonderful life.”
