After a five-month search, Mauldin has its man.
Brandon Madden will be next city administrator for the burgeoning town southeast of Greenville.
Madden, 36, comes from Richland County, where he is assistant to the county administrator, according to his application. He’s been with Richland County since 2013 and has served in his current role since 2016.
Madden nodded in acknowledgment as a group of mostly city employees gave him a standing ovation after the council’s 6-0 vote approving his appointment at a special called meeting Monday night.
“I’m honored,” Madden told the crowd. “I’m excited to step up and I’m excited to get to work.”
A Mauldin native, Madden graduated from Mauldin High School and then earned a political science degree from the University of South Carolina and a master of arts in public administration from North Carolina Central University, according to his application.
“He is a local guy coming home, so he understands our past and he gets our future,” said Councilwoman Carol King.
His parents still live in the city, and they were in attendance Monday night, along with Madden’s wife and three young children.
“I’m proud of him,” said his father, Toney Madden, who’s lived in Mauldin since 1983. “I was hoping that he would come back.”
City staff were all smiles as they enjoyed sandwiches, cake and iced tea to celebrate the new chapter for the city.
