Michael Brown, Arlington’s incoming county manager, was honored on Friday by the city of Savannah, where he’s spent the past 15 years as city manager. A who’s who of Savannah’s civic and political establishment was on hand to wish Brown well in Arlington.
Brown was presented with two parting gifts: a gift certificate to Bass Pro Shops (Brown is reportedly something of an outdoorsman) and a painting of Savannah, according to TV station WSAV.
It was a remarkably elaborate ceremony for an unelected civil servant, which seems to suggest that Arlington scored a big “get” with the hiring of Brown.
Brown’s last day in Savannah is May 2. His first day in Arlington is May 17.
After all the attention Brown’s departure is getting in Savannah, we hope he lowers his expectations regarding media coverage in Arlington. After all, this is a place where only two members of the media — a lone TV cameraman and a reporter for an upstart local news website — bothered to show up at the scene of a bank robbery that occurred on a weekday morning in the middle of a major commercial district.