Greenway punches back on accusations of a “culture of laxity” in purchasing policy

It’s been ten months since his firing and just over a month since Eric Greenway’s reputation was called into question over purchasing practices and he’s had enough.

The March report to county council, presented only in oral form by attorney Boyd Nicholson Jr., criticized the terminated administrator for overseeing a “culture of laxity” in the county’s spending practices.

Last week Mark Moore, Greenway’s attorney, sent an email to Boyd Nicholson Jr., of Haynesworth Sinkler Boyd’s citing several shortcomings with the findings of their investigation into county purchases and contracts.

The email, reviewed by The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette included, “Mr. Greenway and I are seriously concerned with the sufficiency of the investigation requested by the Beaufort County Council,” Moore wrote. “Mr. Greenway did not receive any request to be interviewed nor were we contacted by anyone to offer our views or our input.”

“Because we understand that while some in Beaufort County may not be interested in creating an accurate record, you (Nicholson Jr.) are an honorable man and this correspondence is to provide you with important facts and corrections to the record,” the email continued.

Nicholson declined to comment due to attorney-client privilege.

Greenway raises four points

Moore lists four major points of contention with Nicholson’s report. First, he takes issue with the date range of the audit period, 2019 to 2023.

In his report to the council, Nicholson Jr. stated that there was “laxity within Beaufort County government” that resulted in “flagrant violations” of the procurement code. But, since Greenway didn’t become acting administrator until October 2020, Moore says it’s not fair to label Greenway responsible for the lax culture.

In contrast, Moore says that after taking the administrator position, Greenway’s priority was stability following a string of previous administrators serving for short periods.

“When Mr. Greenway took the helm, his first priority was to attempt to bring stability to the administration, recruit vacant positions, and reassure employees that Beaufort County government would, through caring leadership and strategic initiatives, again become a premiere place of employment. Without question, Mr. Greenway was successful in this endeavor,” Moore wrote.

Second, Moore states that the report has no evidence to support the claim that “the County’s leadership’s failure to adhere to purchasing guides was a result of their willful disobedience of the law or ignorance of it.”

“As you may have learned if you had dug deeper than perhaps the warrant given to you by County Council allowed, Mr. Greenway was not and is not an expert in procurement law or purchasing guidelines,” Moore wrote. “He was hired for his expertise in other areas—and, as we all know, no county administrator, no matter how tenured and experienced, can be an expert in all facets of government.”

Moore notes that when Greenway took the position of acting administrator he noticed audits were consistently late every year and made a successful effort to have them completed by the December deadline.

“Your report has arguably blamed Mr. Greenway for five years’ worth of fiscal wrongdoing—and this conclusion is faulty and unfairly paints Mr. Greenway as a wrongdoer and putative scapegoat,”

Third, in Nicholson’s report, he stated “in 2023 several individuals within Beaufort County Government failed to properly follow – and in certain situations blatantly disregarded – the County’s Procurement Code.”

Moore countered by stating “Greenway is only aware of one such instance in 2023 for which he believed there to be a potential violation of the procurement code — and when Mr. Greenway informed both Mr. Passiment and the County’s legal department of this issue, he was repeatedly told he did not have oversight or accountability for the individual responsible and that his hands were tied.”

Finally, Moore says Nicholson’s report suggests Greenway is responsible for the 85% increase in purchasing card usage from 2019 to 2023.

After reiterating that Greenway was not acting administrator until October 2020, Moore states Greenway did not carry a purchasing card, so none of the improper purchases were his. In addition, Moore adds that Greenway did not authorize any of the alleged payments since policing the use of the cards was “not his direct responsibility,” and the issue was never presented to him.

“In sum, the procurement issues Beaufort County were in place long before Mr. Greenway arrived and unfortunately never highlighted to Mr. Greenway such that he could correct them,” Moore said concluding his email. “The report submitted at the March 25, 2024, County Council meeting has perpetuated the unfair demonization and scapegoating of Mr. Greenway, a dedicated public servant who accomplished notable progress for Beaufort County. We also hope we have demonstrated why your report needs to be supplemented and clarified if it is to be fair, accurate, and balanced.”

Council Chairman Joe Passiment told the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette that he had not seen the email and declined to comment Friday.