Septembr 27, 2009 

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal senior staff writer 

Greenwood, SC - There is perhaps no greater barometer for the respect a person commands than for that person to receive heartfelt praise and recognition.

Right about now, praise and recognition are coming fast and furious for retiring Greenwood city manager Steven Brown. Brown will officially step down Wednesday, making way for new city manager Charlie Barrineau. Brown has been with the city for 28 1/2 years, 24 of those as city manager. Last week, numerous local officials shared their thoughts about Brown as he prepares to leave office after nearly 30 years of service. Barrineau said Brown is one-of-a-kind.

Greenwood City Manager Steve Brown (Staff photo by T.M. James)

“It’s a rarity in today’s society that you would have a public servant as loyal and dedicated as Steve Brown,” Barrineau said. “He is the City of Greenwood’s longest serving city manager. To have served 24 consecutive years and to stay in one community his entire career, pretty much, is amazing. In our field, that just does not happen anymore.

“Typically, a manager has to prepare his family to move multiple times throughout their career. Typically management positions kind of flow with the political environment. It says a lot about Greenwood that our political and community leadership has been stable during his tenure, allowing him to be the leader that he is.”

Greenwood Mayor Welborn Adams said the city has seen positive growth through the years and that Brown had a major role in the city’s current status.

“I think the City of Greenwood and its condition is really a reflection on Steve Brown,” the mayor said. “He has managed it from the top down. His attention to detail and dedication has been shared by everyone involved. When you see someone working as hard and as dedicated as he has, I believe it passes throughout the organization. I think the amount of pride that he had in the city and in his job, I think the other employees share in that.

“Nobody is going to work any harder than Steve is. He is not going to ask anything of an employee that he won’t do himself.

“I’ve seen him at midnight directing traffic on a rainy night. He would do anything for the City of Greenwood.”

S.C. Sen. Floyd Nicholson served for years on Greenwood City Council and as mayor of Greenwood. The senator said his friendship and professional relationship with Brown blossomed throughout the years.

“Steve has been a very valuable asset to the city,” Nicholson said. “It has just been a pleasure to me to have the opportunity to work with Steve, when I was on city council and when I was mayor. One of the most important things to me is the great friendship I developed with Steve. He has been great for this city for so much of the growth we have been able to experience, especially with his fiscal responsibility.

“He has been great with that and that’s why the city has been able to maintain a good financial standing during those years. He also has a real, genuine concern for the employees of the city of Greenwood.”

Greenwood Police Chief Gerald Brooks said that Brown was among the best city managers in the state.

“I’ve often said that regarding city managers, Steve Brown was the best kept secret in South Carolina,” the chief said. “We in Greenwood were fortunate to keep him as long as we did. There were many much larger cities that would have been blessed to have had him. The City of Greenwood is on as sound a financial footing as any city in the state, thanks to him.”

Brooks said Brown expected a lot of city employees, but always made his goals and directions clear.

“Those of us who worked directly for Steve Brown always knew where he stood, and always knew what he expected,” Brooks said. “He stood for what was right, even if it wasn’t popular or politically expedient. And he expected our very best, all the time. I especially appreciated his consistency, his integrity and his work ethic.

“He was truly a public servant and he practiced servant leadership. He was also a gifted problem solver, and a skilled negotiator.

“If you would come to the table, he would work it out.”

Aside from his role in city government, Brown is also noted in the community for his down-to-earth manner and matter-of-fact way of dealing with people.

Nicholson said Brown is solid in his faith and displays a strong moral fiber.

“Steve as a person is a genuine family man with strong Christian values,” the senator said. “He is very supportive of his family and his friends. He’s a devoted individual who is willing to go above and beyond what is needed to assist people. He’s been on numerous mission trips and, honestly, he’s concerned with the welfare of people everywhere.”

Adams echoed Nicholson’s sentiments.

“If you know Steve, you know he has a strong Christian faith,” the mayor said. “I think that is reflected in his work and in the way he manages the city. He never preaches to anybody, but you can see it in the way he carries himself and through his actions. He never does anything that you could question in any way, from a moral standpoint. He is just about as straight-up a guy as you are going to find. This city has been very fortunate to have him.”

Brown is also revered by representatives from other local entities, including Greenwood County. County manager Vic Carpenter shared his opinion on Brown and his retirement.

“I have appreciated the opportunity to work with Steve the last two years,” Carpenter said. “He is a consummate professional who has always had the best interest of the city at heart. I have always respected him and his integrity and his knowledge and his experience.

“I know (Barrineau) will do a great job, but a guy like Steve can never be replaced.”

Greenwood CPW general manager Steve Reeves said Brown was very helpful to him when he first began his work at CPW.

“I came to Greenwood in 1991 and Steve reached out to me then as a mentor for the Greenwood area, for the people of Greenwood,” Reeves said. “He brought me up to speed with past relationships with CPW, which had not always been very positive. I think, over the years, Steve has worked extremely well with CPW, with the board, with staff and with employees to try to bring us closer together. Working together, I feel like we have accomplished that. It certainly wouldn’t have happened without Steve Brown’s cooperation and dedication, both to the city and to CPW.

“I think Steve has always realized that CPW is a vital part of the city of Greenwood.”

As he prepares to take over as the city’s new manager, Barrineau, who went to work for the city nine years ago, said he owes much to Brown.

“Steve is my professional mentor,” Barrineau said. “He took a big risk with me. I was young and energetic and green. I hope that I can balance my creative desire with that ability Steve has to make patient, though out decisions. He does that so well.

“Everything that I am in my career, I owe a lot of that to Steve Brown.”