New Benton alderman has financial experience, servant mentality

Steve Brown is the chief executive officer for Alcoa Federal Credit Union and was recently appointed to the open position for the Benton City Council. Brown is a former member of the Benton Parks Commission where he served as chair for three of his five years on the commission.
Steve Brown is the chief executive officer for Alcoa Federal Credit Union and was recently appointed to the open position for the Benton City Council. Brown is a former member of the Benton Parks Commission where he served as chair for three of his five years on the commission.

Steve Brown of Benton, who is the youngest of nine children, said growing up poor helped shape his core values.

Brown was appointed Aug. 29 to the vacant Ward 1 Benton City Council position. He replaces Kerry Murphy, who resigned in June after he moved to Paron.

When he growing up in Augusta, his family was “very poor and weren’t afforded a lot of the luxuries that others were,” Brown said. “But [giving back] was still a value system that was instilled in us by our parents. Even though we weren’t as fortunate as others, we were still more fortunate than some.”

He said there was such a wide gap between his oldest sibling and himself — 23 years — that he grew up more with his nieces and nephews than he did his brothers and sisters.

“It is just something that we have, a set of values that we believe strongly in — that public service is a good thing, being involved in your community is a good thing and giving back to others that may not have as much as you is a very good thing,” Brown said.

Brown is CEO for Alcoa Federal Credit Union in Benton.

Benton Mayor Tom Farmer said Brown’s experience is an asset.

“Steve’s background as a servant in the community on different committees demonstrates that his heart is for the citizens of Benton. His financial background will also be an asset for the city,” Farmer said.

“Steve comes to the Council with the citizens’ best interest at heart. Steve will be a great addition to the Council, because he cares about Benton just as each of the candidates did.”

Farmer said the Benton City Council took several applications for the position and then interviewed each candidate. He said the Council voted unanimously to have Brown serve. Other applicants considered for the position included Carl West and Jonathan Long.

“The other candidates were very qualified and would have made good members of the Council, because each candidate wants the absolute best for the citizens of Benton,” Farmer said. “Each of them wanted to serve the people.”

Brown said he actually ran for a spot on the Council in 2018 against Frank Baptist. He said he wanted to serve because he is at that point in his life where he “has a lot of professional experience in a lot of different areas that will be beneficial to our city and our citizens.”

“I have been in the financial services industry for a long time, and I think my financial knowledge, intelligence and the ability to interpret numbers and trends is a skill not everyone possess and something that will definitely benefit the city,” Brown said. “Prior to joining the credit union, I ran a sales division at Acxiom in Little Rock for 15 years, and the abilities I developed there were related to critical thinking, contract negotiating and other skills that will pay great dividends for our community.”

“I’ve always been community minded wherever we have lived,” Brown said. “I’ve always wanted to be involved. My family has a history of service. One of my sisters has been on city council in Augusta and my nephew [Jeff Collins] is the mayor for Augusta.

“… It is just something I feel strongly about. We should give back and share those skills that we have developed for the benefit of others.”

Brown is originally from Augusta, having graduated from Augusta High School in 1980. He went to Arkansas State University in Jonesboro for three years, but didn’t graduate. He said he dropped out to begin working. Dropping out is not something that he is especially proud of, he said, adding that it’s something he wishes he could change.

“After having kids, raising kids, changing jobs and getting promotions, it just didn’t work out,” Brown said. “It is one of my bigger regrets that I have. I know it is not too late, but I’ve got a lot of other fish frying right now.”

He moved to Benton in 1983, where he met his wife, and got married in 1984. They lived in Benton until 1990, when they moved to Norman, Oklahoma, for two years and then Fayetteville for five. He said they moved back to Benton in 1997.

“So although I grew up in Augusta, I have lived in Benton, far longer than I lived anywhere else,” Brown said. “I truly consider Benton to be my home town.”

David Hendrix, the president of Big Red Stores, has known Brown for 15 years and the two play golf together regularly.

“He’s a great guy,” Hendrix said. “He is a family man and a Christian guy. He is very caring for the community and wants to make Benton a better place to live. He has a business-mind approach to things and I think he will do a great job.”

Brown said he doesn’t have a specific agenda for serving on the council, but instead, knows there are areas in which the city is struggling.

“Specifically related to the budget and the debt associated with a lot of the new construction that the city undertook during the previous administration,” Brown said. “So the budget is tight the next few years. I feel like with my background, I can help manage that process and help build a more prosperous way to our future.

“My main goal is to make sure we the city are taking care of infrastructure and can continue to grow at the pace that we have been growing the last couple of years.”

Brown said the city of Benton has grown significantly the last 10 years, and that hasn’t been without its challenges.

“It’s been rapid growth,” he said. “And I’d like to see us position ourselves to continue to grow and provide new services to our citizens that we may not have today.”

He said he did not want to be critical of the previous administration, because he wasn’t part of it.

“But there were a couple of projects, specifically the River Center project — which is a great facility, a fantastic facility that our citizens are taking advantage of — but there were some challenges to getting it built and the budget associated with it that has really strapped the city for the next couple of years,” Brown said.

Tim Treadway, owner of TNT Contracting & Erecting, grew up in Augusta with Brown.

“Steve is a very honest and forth right person and a good family man,” Treadway said. “His thing is being a servant to the people. He likes the political rounds and being involved and active in the community. He is the opposite of me. He likes to do things for the public.”

Treadway, who lives in Hot Springs, said Brown will be one of those people who is honest and trustworthy and because of his business background, “he will be able to really add some value where its needed.”

“When I talked to him about [joining the Council], he was very ecstatic that he got appointed to the position,” Treadway said. “That’s his cup of tea. That’s what he likes.

“He has been in the business long enough to look at the financial side of things and see what is the best interest for the city, that’s for sure,” Treadway said.

Brown’s term on the Council will be about 1 1/2 years.

“When we started looking to come back [after living in Fayetteville], Benton was a natural place for us to land,” Brown said. “It was a good place for my wife to grow up and a great place for my children to grow up and receive their education.

“Benton was a natural place for us to come back, and we have been very happy with our decision.”

Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkanasonline.com.

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