Public outrage grows after new city manager selected by mayor

Public outrage is growing after news spread that Mayor Skip Henderson will present a candidate for the city manager’s position at the next city council meeting. The city manager’s position has been vacant for nearly a year after council voted to fire Isaiah Hugley last May. Now the timing and transparency of the new appointment has come into question. The mayor’s recommendation for a new city manager will take place one week before the May 19th election when several council members and the mayor’s seat is up for grabs.

Councilor Toyia Tucker said in a video posted Tuesday night that as one of the six councilors who were not on the selection committee for the new city manager she was left out of the loop and as of this moment has still not been briefed by the mayor on his selection.

“I was not on the search committee, so I had no clue of what was transpiring next. So, I’d love to get all the facts. Yes, the date has changed so far from the first of October to here we are in May and I think the initial conversation about bringing a name up we had said like the end of the month. It’s just been hypotheticals. It’s been no guarantee date so you know the mayor’s gonna do his job and the council is gonna do their job and guess what? Columbus Georgia is gonna keep on moving. We’re gonna keep on moving on,” Tucker said in part.

Mayoral candidate Steve Kelly questioned the timing of the appointment in a separate video posted to Facebook. “There is a difference between doing a job and doing a job well. So, the way the charter’s written the mayor recommends, city council approves. If the mayor never recommends, we never get a new city manager. I mean look we’ve hit almost a year already and it’s very funny that now it’s happening exactly one week before the election? C’mon now,” Kelly said.

Wane Hailes, editor of the Courier-Eco Latino published a report Wednesday questioning the mayor’s plan to present a candidate for city manager to council. “This is not simply about process—it is about public trust,” Hailes wrote.

“We are in the final stretch of an election cycle where voters are actively deciding the future direction of this city. To introduce a long-term administrative appointment—arguably one of the most consequential decisions a council can make—just days before ballots are cast raises legitimate concerns. It creates the perception that a decision of lasting impact is being rushed through before the will of the people is fully expressed.”

Hailes notes that city council will have a dramatic new look after the election and that a newly elected city council should vote on who becomes the next city manager not short timers in public office.