Matt Brown's raise

Following a $51,000 raise, Brown, the Greensboro Coliseum’s managing director, now makes $263,000 a year, $80,000-plus more than his boss, City Manager Denise Turner Roth. And $100,000 more than the governor.

Even before his raise, Brown made more than the High Point city manager and the county manager.

Brown has long been the city’s highest-paid employee, by a long shot, a perch that seems safely assured ... probably forever.

But can and should the city pay that kind of money for one employee?

In fairness to Brown, there is no question that he is very good at what he does. Nor is there any question that his job is not the typical city post; it requires a very specialized skill set and experience level.

Brown manages a 23,500-seat arena, an auditorium, a theater, an amphitheater, a special events center, a college sports museum and an aquatics center. And he knows how to swim with sharks.

He’s familiar with the ins and outs of the cutthroat arena business, where the meek inherit only empty seats, red ink and pink slips. He knows how to put on a show, from a concert to an ACC basketball tournament. He is aggressive, resourceful and creative. And he’ll play a critical role in the imminent launch of a new downtown performing arts center.

While some people point to annual deficits at the coliseum, the facility generates millions in net revenue for hotels, restaurants and other local businesses. Not to mention the important but less-tangible contributions it makes to quality of life here through the wide array of sports, cultural and entertainment events it attracts (including last night’s sold-out Taylor Swift concert).

A 2012 study by the Strom Thurmond Institute at Clemson University estimates that the coliseum complex’s annual economic impact in the city ranges from $26.6 million to $35.5 million a year. “It is almost a given that the Complex generates a positive economic impact on the region,” the study concludes.

City Councilwoman Nancy Hoffmann said last week that she supports Brown’s raise, which she said the city had promised him and delayed over and over for several years. “This dates back to several previous city managers who knew something needed to be done but decided not to do it at the time.”

Hoffmann praised the city manager for dealing with the issue quickly and directly. “She stepped up and said I’m going to get this done.”

Mayor Robbie Perkins was even more insistent. “Matt Brown is still underpaid,” Perkins declared Tuesday. “This is an experienced promoter who is involved in a business that isn’t just city government.”

Roth said Brown had requested a review of his salary and she took “an honest look” based on a detailed study of what comparable jobs pay.

“This is what the performance data showed us.”

But isn’t a quarter of a million (and change) excessive in a mid-sized city with tight budgets and a poverty rate of more than 20 percent?

And what does Brown’s raise say about our community? Is the coliseum director more critical to the local economy than, say, the superintendent of schools (who makes $250,000 a year and has repeatedly turned down raises)?

This is not to disparage Brown. Based on what the market pays for someone like him, an objective study suggested he was due a raise. He does what is expected of him and often more.

But this isn’t a job performance issue. It begs a far bigger question about what matters most to us. Is it OK with Greensboro citizens that, among all city officials, we’ve designated as the most valuable player the one in charge of a sports and entertainment complex?

If the answer is yes, then fine, full speed ahead. But it’s worth an honest discussion.

After all, in the end it’s our community and our priorities. And our money.