College Park fires second city manager in a year and a half

In an unusual vote, College Park City Council terminated its city manager during a regular meeting Tuesday.

Stanley Hawthorne was fired without public explanation after less than a year on the job. He is the second city manager to be fired since June 2022 after being hired in April.

Former city manager Darnetta Tyus was fired after four months, and filed a lawsuit against the city last year alleging a culture of intimidation and bullying of women throughout the city administration and City Council.

Tuesday, City Councilman Joe Carn initiated Hawthorne’s termination “for cause” following a closed-door executive session. There was no reason given. Public Works Director Dr. Emmanuel Adediran has been named interim city manager.

With only four members on College Park’s City Council, Carn and Councilman Roderick Gay voted in approval of the move with Councilmembers Jamelle McKenzie and Tracie Arnold abstaining.

Mayor Bianca Motley Broom said on her website mayorbianca.com that the abstaining votes allowed the two in approval to carry forward, and thanked Hawthorne for his nine months of work.

McKenzie and Arnold are newly elected, and the other council members and Motley Broom have been in conflict for months. Carn and Gay were absent from meetings in November and December resulting in the lack of a quorum to pass a $4.7 million budget amendment which includes holiday bonuses for city employees.

During that time, Hawthorne said he did not have the authority to act on a request by the councilmen to get a consensus vote of council by phone or video conferencing.

Since Jan. 1, the new city council body has directed the city attorney to draft a charter amendment allowing council to hire and fire city employees including department heads by majority vote, and override city manager decisions.

An ordinance approved on Tuesday limits the mayor’s ability to express opinions or participate in the debate of city council agenda items.

Before the meeting, Motley Broom stated on her website: “The mayor has the duty of running the meetings of the council. This proposed ordinance seeks to strip the office of that responsibility. I am deeply concerned about the precedent the council will set if this is approved.”

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