Beaufort County appoints new interim administrator. It will cost taxpayers $380K
Beaufort County Council decided Monday night to appoint Eric Greenway as the county’s interim administrator, avoiding interviewing other candidates and bypassing the county’s chain of command.
Greenway, who previously served as the county’s planning director, was already named acting administrator last month after Beaufort County Council forced Administrator Ashley Jacobs to resign.
Since Jacobs’ departure, the council has refused to publicly discuss why it chose Greenway — who was not next in the line of succession — to fill Jacobs’ shoes temporarily.
With Monday’s appointment, county taxpayers will be paying at least $380,000 for the coming year — for two administrators due to the council’s handling of Jacobs’ resignation.
On top of Greenway’s new salary of $190,000, the county is also paying Jacobs, the county’s first female administrator, her full $190,000 salary through Oct. 19, 2021 — and her full benefits until she is reemployed — as part of her separation agreement.
Greenway will serve in the temporary position through June 30 or until council finds a permanent administrator, according to his contract with the county. Greenway’s contract states that his pay will be “retroactive” to Oct. 26.
Council members approved the contract 10-0-1. Chris Hervochon abstained.
Before the contract was approved, Council member Brian Flewelling asked Greenway to abide by two recommendations that he said were “problematic” with previous interim administrators — alluding to the county’s controversial $24,000 contract with former interim Administrator Josh Gruber:
▪ Provide council with a weekly list of all purchases over $5,000
▪ Update council about any hiring or firing of important county positions
Council member York Glover previously told The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette that Greenway was among three potential candidates considered for the acting administrator position while the county looked for an interim. The other two were Phil Foot, assistant administrator for public safety, and Dave Wilhelm, the county’s special projects director, Glover said.
Last week, the governing body was scheduled to interview several unnamed candidates for the interim position. However, after meeting in executive session for more than a half-hour last Monday, Council Chair Joe Passiment said the council did not complete the interviews “due to technical difficulties.”
Though Passiment said the interviews would be rescheduled, they have not been publicly discussed since.
Greenway’s history
Greenway has worked as Beaufort County’s planning/community development director since January 2018, according to his Linkedin profile.
Before that, he served as planning director for three different governments: Berkeley County, Bryan County in Georgia and, most recently, a four-month stint in the city of Kings Mountain in North Carolina.
Greenway stepped down as Berkeley County’s chief planner in August 2015, according to an article in The Berkeley Independent. The article does not say why.
In 2017, The Savannah Morning News reported that Greenway resigned from his job in Bryan County after the county’s commission held an executive session “on a personnel matter.”
According to the article, Bryan County Administrator Ben Taylor said Greenway resigned “to accept a position closer to home and his family.”
As Beaufort County’s planning director, Greenway has been heavily involved in discussions related to the proposed resort on Bay Point Island.
In September, the county’s zoning board rejected the developer’s plans. The decision was pushed back multiple times as after Greenway vowed to allow the public to comment in person. The developer is appealing the decision.
This story was originally published November 10, 2020 at 4:50 AM.
