College Park’s city council abruptly voted to fire City Manager Lindell Miller in a 3–1 decision near the end of Monday night’s meeting.
She has become the fourth city manager the city council has fired in the last three years.
Miller quietly gathered her things and left after the surprise vote.
Councilmember Joe Carn made the motion near the end of the meeting.
Councilmember Roderick Gay was the only vote against her termination.
Mayor Pro Tem Jamelle McKenzie said she was not aware of any misconduct that warranted the firing, but voted for Miller’s termination because she should never have been appointed in the first place.
“Ms. Miller, who was a lovely person, had no background in terms of being a city manager,” Mayor Pro Tem Jamelle McKenzie said.
Mayor Bianca Motley-Broom seemed taken aback by the motion, pointing out the item was not on the agenda.
The city attorney said the vote could legally proceed.
Miller joins a long list of former College Park city managers. In May, it was Dr. Emmanuel Adediran who was dismissed.
Last year, the city paid his predecessor $140,000 in severance after ten months on the job.
When reached by text message, Miller said she was not aware of the reasoning behind her termination.
“I am grateful to Mayor, my pro Tem, and the council for the opportunity to serve my wonderful staff and wonderful residence,” Miller wrote. “During my employment, I was able to establish a procurement division implement a procurement process implement a finance tracking system, which provides layers of approvals and checks and balances complete and audit and an automated leave system. [During my employment] the city had a groundbreaking for a dog park the botanical gardens and various business openings. I also collaborate with GDOT and the entire city and different words. I am proud of the work that I implemented with a beautiful staff at the city of College Park.”
The council appointed Chief Information Officer Michael Hicks as interim city manager.
McKenzie said their phones were already “ringing off the hook” with potential city manager applicants.
Mayor Motley-Broom set high standards for their search in a statement.
“I believe the search for our next city manager should be a nationwide effort,” Mayor Motley-Broom said. “We need to be open to new tools and strategies to find the right candidate for our city. Our residents, staff and other stakeholders deserve a meaningful role in the process, and I’m hopeful we will build a search that reflects the full strength and diversity of our community.”
