Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 1, 1990 TAG: 9006280009
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: E1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOSEPH COCCARO LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Long
Though his face may be unfamiliar, Brown's signature will be written across some 230,000 professional licenses hanging on office walls around the state. As director of the obscure but busy Virginia Department of Commerce, 25 types of businesses and occupations fall under his domain.
Brown was appointed to the four-year, $55,000-a-year post by Gov. Douglas Wilder. He only started about two months ago but already has big plans.
First off, Brown needs a change of desk. The horseshoe-shaped table in the director's office is handsome but impractical. There are no drawers. Having a place to stuff files and other materials is important to a man who plans to be busy.
"There is a lot of paper, a lot of paper," Brown said, removing his glasses for a moment to rub his eyes. "When you have 230,000 licensees, there is always someone who needs something. Five o'clock comes so soon."
Paper work flows to Brown through an array of Commerce Department pipelines. Sometimes it comes from the regulatory boards governing the various professions and businesses. Other times, lawmakers, administrators and the public need his attention.
Though the regulatory boards are designed to act with autonomy, Brown is technically in charge of them. He oversees much of the boards' support staff and must make sure they stick to their legislative mandates.
There is also the matter of processing, issuing and renewing licenses. Brown has to make sure that his paper-shuffling bureaucracy purrs. If it misfires, he and his supervisors have to do some fine-tuning.
On that score, Brown says he is open to suggestions. He also prefers to delegate authority.
"If anybody has any input on how we can improve things, tell them to call me," Brown said. "I believe in letting managers manage. Why should I make all of the decisions when I have people on staff with good minds and experience?"
As political appointments go, commerce director is an obscure post. The department is among the smallest, with 110 staffers. Rarely is it in the limelight.
Brown laughed when asked whether serving in the position will catapult him to new political heights.
If he can improve the way the department functions and enhance economic development in Virginia, Brown said he figures he will have done his job.
"I would like to leave with 127 board members saying `I didn't always agree with this guy, but he was open and honest, and I could work with him.' "
Brown started the job April 16. Being tapped by the governor was something he said he neither expected nor hoped for.
He said he didn't work on Wilder's campaign.
When asked how it came about, Brown shrugged, held his hands up and said, "I really don't know."
Staffers say Brown was recommended for the post through the office of state Attorney General Mary Sue Terry. Brown began working for that office in March 1987 as an assistant attorney general in Richmond.
While in that post, his primary duty was prosecuting and investigating cases on behalf of the Commerce Department. Most of the work was for the state Real Estate Board.
That entailed traveling the state, evaluating claims of wrongdoing by sales agents or brokers and then either informally resolving problems or recommending that the board bring the accused before a hearing officer.
"The attorney general knew that I didn't mind disciplining people in the real estate industry," Brown said.
Brown, 43, received his grounding in real estate law while attending the Marshall Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary. He studied at Tufts University as an undergraduate.
After law school he joined the firm of Scott, Brown and Downing in Newport News, where he worked with state Sen. Robert Scott, a Democrat. During his nine years with the firm, Brown taught real estate law and other classes at Hampton University and served as a labor-relations hearing officer for the city of Hampton.
Brown, in his official capacity, is an administrator working as part of the Department of Economic Development. As much as he might want to resolve consumer complaints, his role is to make sure that commerce isn't obstructed by state bureaucracy.
"Our mandate is to have the minimum amount of regulation needed to protect the property and welfare of the public," he said.
If Brown were to leave a legacy, it might be that he dealt with issues and people fairly and that he had an open door. What might be most telling about Brown, however, is what he does behind closed doors.
When the day's work is nearly done, when his eyes are sore and his mind weary, when the phones stop ringing and the memos quit flowing, Brown says he likes to sit quietly with the radio on and sign as many professional licenses as his writing hand can stand.
"As I travel around, people know who I am, if for no other reason than my name is on their license," Brown said. "When I go to get a haircut, my name is going to be on that license on the wall."
by CNB