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Quitman council terminates City Manager Willie Burns and appoints James Lawrence at emergency meeting
Summary
At an emergency meeting on Jan. 8, 2025, the Quitman City Council voted to terminate City Manager Willie Burns and unanimously appointed James Lawrence as city manager; the council also tabled a mayor pro-tem appointment pending a charter review.
The Quitman City Council voted to terminate City Manager Willie Burns and appointed James Lawrence as the new city manager during an emergency meeting on Jan. 8, 2025, according to the council’s minutes.
Council Member Kechia Harrison moved to adopt the meeting agenda, and Council Member Robby Christian seconded the motion, which passed. Harrison then moved to table the re-election or appointment of the mayor pro-tem until the city attorneys clarify a discrepancy in the city charter; Christian seconded and the motion passed.
The council entered an executive session. The minutes record the executive session began at 6:04 p.m. and ended at 6:29 p.m.; elsewhere the minutes state the meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m., an inconsistency noted in the record.
After the executive session, Council Member Robby Christian moved to terminate City Manager Willie Burns; Council Member Kechia Harrison seconded, and the minutes state the motion carried "all in favor." The council then voted to appoint James Lawrence as City Manager; Christian moved the appointment and Harrison seconded, and the minutes record the motion carried "all in favor." The minutes list Council Members Kechia Harrison, Robby Christian and Christopher Cole as present for the meeting.
Mayor Zinda McDaniel and Interim City Clerk Heidi Gardner are listed in the minutes and signed the document; the minutes also note that they were approved on Feb. 4, 2026. The minutes contain multiple formatting and date inconsistencies (see clarifying details) that the council may need to correct in the official record.
The minutes do not state reasons for the termination or provide additional details about the council’s deliberations in executive session. The record shows only the motions, seconding members and the council’s unanimous votes as "all in favor." The meeting was then adjourned.
The council did not record any additional action items or a next meeting date in the provided minutes.
