Nearly a year after Eric Greenway was fired from Beaufort County, the string of layoffs and several departures from the county continues to grow. The county’s Director of Capital Improvement Projects is the newest. In a special case of history repeating itself, this is the second time he has resigned during a tumultuous period in provincial government.
Eric Larson had a complicated tenure in Beaufort County. Larson was the county’s director of environmental engineering and land management in 2019 when he resigned and filed a lawsuit against the county and then Administrator Ashley Jacobs. One of the claims Larson made was that he was discriminated against because he was an “older white male.”
Jacobs was later ousted as county executive and the lawsuit was eventually settled, which would normally end one’s relationship with his former employer. But nearly a year after the $40,000 settlement, Larson was back working for Beaufort County. This time in a $123,595 per year position created by and reporting to then County Administrator Eric Greenway.
In April 2023, Greenway told the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette that he considered Larson a friend. So much so that Greenway, who became administrator after Jacobs, had to apologize not to settle the lawsuit and leave it to his deputy administrator, Whitney Richland. Still, Greenway was on the recruiting panel for Larson’s return in September 2022.
Now Larson is leaving his position in the province for the second time. This time, he is resigning after an ethics complaint filed with the South Carolina Ethics Commission. His last day with the county was June 3, county spokesperson Hannah Nichols confirmed. Nichols would not comment on why Larson resigned.
The complaint alleges Larson had a subordinate take measurements and draw up plans for an addition to his home while he was on the clock, according to the person who filed the complaint. The plans were then submitted to the province for construction.
There are now nine ethics complaints filed against Beaufort County employees or former employees. The complaint against Larson includes:
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Three against former Parks and Recreation Director Shannon Loper
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Two against former administrator Eric Greenway
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One against former deputy administrator Whitney Richland
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One against special assistant to county executive Hank Amundson
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One against Assistant County Administrator for Infrastructure Jared Fralix
The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette have filed an S.C. Freedom of Information Act request for documents related to the alleged work on Larson’s home.
The post-Greenway era
Larson is the latest in a series of high-profile positions opened up in the aftermath of Eric Greenway’s departure from Beaufort County.
A series of other questionable actions came to light in the aftermath of the Greenway fire, including a mysterious purchase of nearly $36,000 worth of weighted blankets, allegedly from a company owned by the then-husband of Deputy Administrator Whitney Richland. It was later discovered that the county was in possession of the blankets, all of which were still in a box and on the floor in a county warehouse. Officials had previously denied that the county ever took possession of the order.
Richland resigned on an unknown date following the press coverage of the blankets.
Blankets aside, district leaders eventually discovered that $800,000 worth of playground equipment had been purchased and installed in Port Royal before receiving the required approval from the council. The council retroactively approved the playground despite the significant cost by a vote of 8-2.
Loper was fired from the county, but was eventually hired on an interim basis by the City of Rincon, GA.
Recently, Richland’s interim replacement, Denise Christmas, resigned, leaving the county council with sharp advice on how to get Beaufort County back on track.
