Local, Mauldin, Politics

Public Works is Publicly Working

Taft Matney

The city provides a number of services that are essential to its operation and to the quality of life of the folks who live, work, and play here.

Many of those services are under the umbrella of the Public Works Department, which is responsible for trash and recycling collection, yard debris disposal, street maintenance, sewer operation, parks, and upkeep of city government buildings and vehicles.

We have a good team supervising the department’s divisions, but we need a quarterback. We need that person who is the right fit to manage a guide Public Works as the city continues expanding.

It’s not an easy job, and finding the person with the right experience, the right set of skills, and the right temperament is important. Instead of trial and error, we’re going to be very deliberative to find the person who really fits with Mauldin.

As a city, we are actively engaged in recruiting a new Public Works Director – someone to who understands the city’s direction and who can help Public Works adapt and grow with the city. It’s extremely important that we make the right selection, so as we do our due diligence, we now have an interim Public Works director to guide the department until a permanent selection is made.

Kevin Bronson began with the City of Mauldin on February 11, and he’ll be on the job until we select the right candidate for the position. Bronson earned a Bachelor’s degree from Clemson University and his Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Clemson and the University of South Carolina dual program.

Over the past 15 years, Bronson has held similar roles with other municipalities throughout South Carolina, including time as the interim Public Works director for the City of Rock Hill, city administrator for the City of Camden, assistant city administrator for the cities of Rock Hill and Orangeburg, and as the Assistant County Administrator for Richland County.

Over the next several months, Bronson will help the Public Works department refine its provision of services. After we have a permanent department head in place – probably between three and six months from now – Bronson will return to the private sector, overseeing operations for his executive coaching and leadership development consulting firm.

Until then, Mauldin is excited to have Kevin Bronson working with us as the temporary quarterback of our Public Works team while we continue moving forward in recruiting a permanent Public Works director.

The application period is open now, so if you or someone you know has an interest in applying for the position or any of the other open positions within city government, visit Mauldin’s website at cityofmauldin.org/employment.

Taft Matney serves in Seat 1 on Mauldin city Council. He can be reached at tmatney@mauldincitysc.com.♦

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