Snellville city officials exchanged several barbs Monday night but made no progress in finding someone to run the city until a new city manager can be found.

A few frustrated residents, including Dennis Lawton, urged Mayor Jerry Oberholtz and the five City Council members to try and get along for the sake of the city.

"We don't need entertainment," Lawton told his elected officials. "We need action, common sense."

The controversy stems from State Attorney General Thurbert Baker's written opinion, released this month, concluding that the mayor should not also act as the city manager.

The part-time mayor, who has been attending department head meetings, insists he has just been offering suggestions and hasn't been running the city.

City officials said they're four to eight weeks off from hiring a full-time city manager. But the city is in the midst of the budget season.

Mayor Pro Tem Warren Auld previously has urged the mayor to find a temporary replacement to oversee city employees. The mayor surprised some council members Monday night by publicly nominating his predecessor, former Mayor Brett Harrell, as some residents loudly jeered. The mayor said Harrell was willing to work for just $1 a day.

"I heard some snickers and some laughs," Councilman Tod Warner said after lobbying for Harrell.

Auld, a civil attorney, said there would be an inherent conflict of interest for Harrell, who is now the executive director of the Evermore Community Improvement District, a formation of businesses that lobby for road changes and other improvements. The council voted 3-3 on the measure to hire Harrell, which failed to pass.

Resident Wayne Blackburn said the mayor should have found a more suitable choice.

"It's embarrassing to say we're from Snellville," he told the mayor and council. "We're a joke, and I thought Clayton County and Lithonia were."