Union County Supervisor Tommy Sinclair — in an effort to be even more transparent in the decisions the county is making — is announcing the hiring of two people who will be seen out and about the county on a regular basis.

Jerry Brannon has been hired as the county’s new part-time public works director for a salary of $14,000 per year — compared to the $51,000 annual salary of the former public works director. Sinclair also announced Shannon Gault has been hired as a new appraiser for the county assessor’s office. Gault will be paid on a climbing scale based on his experience and training.

“I want these people to be known and seen,” Sinclair said.

Brannon and Gault agreed with the supervisor. Both will be seen face-to-face with the public on a regular basis and represent the county in their positions. They agreed Sinclair’s announcement of their hiring will help people know them before they show up at their front doors.

Each of them also will wear name tags so they can be easily identified by county residents and Sinclair will also have those county employees who work directly for him begin wearing name tags.

He’s spoken with two of the other elected county department heads — the treasurer and auditor — who also agreed to begin having their department employees wear name tags and Sinclair has no reason to believe the other departments won’t do the same.

The supervisor said these measures are being taken not only in an effort for the county to be more transparent to taxpayers but also to make county employees more visible while working directly with the public.

The county also recently advertised for another position — a floating clerk in the supervisor’s office; however, Sinclair said it will not be filled due to anticipated budget concerns.

Jerry Brannon

Brannon is a registered engineer and licensed real estate agent. He previously worked for Bell South and most recently as the resident maintenance engineer for Union County for the South Carolina Department of Transportation.

He retired in April 2009.

At age 64, the Union County native is coming out of retirement to help the county. His first official day on the job was yesterday (Monday, March 1) but he’s been helping out in various ways for the last month and a half. Sinclair said the first time the county asked for his assistance was right after the wall collapsed at Union County Stadium during a football game last fall.

Brannon’s experience and certifications equal a typical fee of $100 an hour or more, but he is taking on the part-time public works director position for less money because he simply wants to help the county — much the same way Sinclair agreed to work for his annual salary of $1.

“Jerry comes to us with a lot of bang with a little buck,” Sinclair said, adding it was Brannon who approached him about helping the county in whatever way he could.

“I feel like, essentially, I’ve been led back here to help,” Brannon said. “I don’t know how to say it — it took me 40 years to get back to Union, this is my home.”

He said he’s working to help Union County more than he’s working for his salary and wants to make sure the county does things right. In his letter of interest in the position to Sinclair, he spoke of his willingness to come out of retirement to do just that.

“Therefore, I’m willing to interrupt my retirement, come to work for you and assist you in carrying Union County forward in a positive and professional manner,” Brannon wrote.

His job as part-time public works director entails several duties, including but not limited to looking at road easements, county roads, driveway aprons, bridges, etc. and assisting in looking after county buildings and equipment. Sinclair said the county has some leaking roofs right now that need to be fixed.

Brannon might not be seen as much in the public as the new appraiser, but his job requires some interaction with county residents from time to time.

He’s committed to seeing Union County succeed and while his job is only part-time, Sinclair said Brannon works a full day everyday.

The supervisor added the new part-time public works director’s 42 years of management experience — in the private and government sectors — will be an asset to the county and Brannon is ready for any challenge.

“I’m not afraid of any challenges that come up,” he said. “We’ll just have to work through them.”

Shannon Gault

Jonesville native Shannon Gault, 39, has come home and began his tenure with the Union County Assessor’s Office on Monday, Feb. 22.

He previously was working for QORE Property Sciences in Greenville as a building inspector and comes from a construction background. The 1989 graduate of Jonesville High School said the commute back and forth from Pacolet — where he currently resides — to Greenville for work was getting to him so when the job in the assessor’s office came open, the opportunity to work closer to home was appealing.

Gault’s position as an appraiser requires he go to homes and gather information the assessor’s office needs to assess those properties.

Much of his time since beginning his position has been spent measuring new homes finished within the last year that will be added to the county’s tax base. However, his job also requires him to appraise additions and other changes to properties so the assessor’s office can assess them correctly.

“There’s no magic number,” Gault said when it comes to how many homes he visits on a weekly basis. “It’s just as needed — it’s what’s going on in the county.”

Gault was one of more than 20 people who applied for the appraiser’s position. He said the position was appealing because it brought him back home to work and fit in with his work background.

He already is a certified building inspector and will begin the appraiser certification process this month. That training takes six months and — as a condition of his hiring — he must become certified to remain in the position.

Gault said, however, being employed by the county holds more meaning than just being closer to home. It gives him the opportunity to help his home county.

“I was born and raised here,” he said.

Union County Assessor Susan Hanvey said Gault will be an asset to her office.

She said his commercial building inspector certification will be a benefit to her office and his steady work history — which includes supervisory experience in residential construction — also will be an asset. Hanvey added in her recommendation on Gault’s hire to Sinclair that Gault is self motivated and wants to learn and his experience and education fit the bill for the position.

Perhaps most importantly, however, is her assessment of Gault’s personality — something that also will be a benefit in his position.

“He was well spoken and polite, which is a great asset when dealing with the public,” Hanvey said.