Clinton City Manager Tom Brooks confirmed over the weekend that he has resigned as manager.
He has submitted a 90-day notice, per his contract.
The City Council had “discussion of contractual matters regarding the administration department” as an executive session matter for its meeting tonight (Dec. 2).
In open session, its agenda lists “possible action taken on business items discussed in executive session.”
Brooks, pictured speaking to the Laurens County Development Corporation board, said in a Facebook post, “I would like to set the record straight. I am resigning, but it is not immediate. I am giving the City a 90-day notice, per my contract.
“The only reason I am resigning is that I have been offered an incredible opportunity for myself and my family. This is nothing wrong at the City, we have a great team and the future is bright for Clinton. We have incredible economic development projects on the horizon that will bring more jobs and investment to the Downtown & our future industrial park.
“It has been my honor to work for the Citizens and the Council.”
The future industrial park will be on land on the opposite side of I-26, at the Hwy 72 gateway, deeded to the City by the State as surplus Whitten Center property. The land is behind a SC Department of Transportation maintenance shed, and across the highway from two City spec buildings, both of which have been sold to tenants.
The Laurens County Development Corporation committed $250,000 toward road development in the new industrial park, which would be the largest uptapped land designated for development between Greenville-Spartanburg and Columbia on I-26/385. (Whitten Center property on this side of I-26 is being studied for forest management and large-acre residential development.)
Last month, City Council approved a special tax rate for investments in the Uptown Clinton area. The City still has to clear away debris from an Aug. 27 fire that destroyed 4 Uptown buildings and re-open Musgrove Street. That action is pending resolutions by insurance companies and completion of a SLED investigation into the fire’s cause.
Clinton also is in the process of building back its finances after revelations that most of the Rate Stabilization Fund, designed to keep electric rates stable, had been spent in previous years to pay bills and keep the budget balanced. The City Council has taken steps to ensure more of its control over this money.
This is the manager’s biography on the City’s website:
“Tom Brooks was born in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1972. He received a Bachelor’s degree in biology from the College of Charleston with a focus in environmental studies. Mr. Brooks has been a public servant for over 20 years, working in State, County, and municipal government.
“Upon graduation, he was employed by the South Carolina Department of Environmental Control, Bureau of Water, where he conducted GIS work for three years and reviewed wetlands permits. He later worked for Newberry County, becoming a certified Floodplain Manager and creating the County’s Floodplain and Stormwater programs. While employed with Saluda County, Tom served as the Planning Director and carried out economic development initiatives. He was later employed by the South Carolina Housing Authority, where he reviewed all Housing Developments for State and Federal environmental compliance.
“Following his State employment, Tom returned to Saluda, where he served as the Town Administrator for over ten years bringing in investment and economic growth to the community. In addition to his governmental experience, Tom created Green Wing Consulting. His consulting services have helped grow manufacturing in South Carolina by representing corporations that have created several hundred jobs and have invested millions of dollars into our State. Tom’s former consulting services also included renewable energy development.
“Tom has been a professional upland wing shooting guide for over twenty years, entertaining corporations and private hunters. He served on the South Carolina Hazard Mitigation Board, the Upper Savannah Land Trust, and the Saluda County Chamber of Commerce.
“Tom and his wife Margot have four children and came to Clinton from Saluda County.”
Margot Brooks worked for Presbyterian College as manager of the Freshens restaurant in Uptown Clinton and The Capitol Theater in Downtown Laurens. After the Musgrove Street fire, PC sold the Freshen’s building to a business that was destroyed, House of Pizza Clinton, and decided to move Freshens back on campus, and earlier this year deeded The Capitol Theater to the City of Laurens.
