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Council hears public calls to fire city manager; motion to terminate fails, council moves to continue search for replacement
Summary
A special-call meeting and subsequent work session in Lewisburg included public comments accusing the city manager of misconduct, a failed motion to terminate him, and council direction to pursue a professional search of candidates and extend interim management for the near term.
A special-call meeting of the mayor and council of Lewisburg on Oct. 7 drew multiple citizens urging swift action on allegations involving the city manager and prompted a motion to terminate the city manager that did not carry.
Citizens pressed the council during a public-comment period. Mary Sedeno of 1625 Fox Lane said the matter had produced unplanned legal and hiring costs and urged the council to follow any formal investigation: “If TBI’s got something to say, then let them say it,” she said. Joe Bradford of 1208 Glen Avenue told the council the city was “in crisis mode” and urged officials to “restore stability” by removing the manager, saying the manager had admitted to “a physical relationship with an individual doing work for the city.” Michelle Head (1525 New Columbia Highway) said she had stood “on the side of the victim” and said a victim should not be asked to see an alleged abuser daily.
During the meeting’s business, Councilman Thomas moved to terminate the city manager effective at the end of the manager’s current 30-day suspension; Councilman Burns seconded the motion for discussion. Council members debated whether to wait for court proceedings and TBI outcomes, and whether personnel policies had been violated. One council member said additional delay could avoid wrongful termination if the manager were later found innocent; another said reading the personnel handbook had revealed policy breaches warranting termination.
A roll-call vote was taken on Thomas’s motion. The transcript records multiple “No” responses during the roll call and the body moved on to other business; the motion therefore did not carry (transcript does not provide a complete roll-call tally).
The council instructed staff to place on the upcoming regular meeting agenda (Tuesday, Oct. 14) a proposal to extend the manager’s suspension period for 30 days and to consider a formal extension of interim management. Council members also discussed engaging MTAS (the Municipal Technical Advisory Service) to conduct a professional search for a new city manager. Council members made and seconded a motion to engage MTAS; the motion to retain MTAS for the city-manager search was approved for action to commence as soon as possible and will appear on the Tuesday agenda for formal confirmation.
Interim management and next steps: The council indicated it will ask for a job description and candidate qualifications to be circulated to MTAS and to place those qualifications on the Tuesday agenda for final approval. Council members discussed an advertising and screening period that could last two to three months; one council member said it might take longer. Gina (council staff) was asked to locate prior questionnaires and job-specification materials to begin that work.
The meeting record shows the council intended to authorize the mayor to sign any documents needed to extend interim management, and to notify MTAS and other recruitment partners promptly. The transcript does not record final contractual terms, timetable firm dates, or a completed vote tally on the termination motion; those items were deferred to the regular meeting.
