A reshuffling of management in Fulton County government continued Thursday with the appointment of a new interim county manager.

The Board of Commissioners announced interim County Manager Patrick O’Connor is on a leave of absence, effective immediately. Commissioners named interim Finance Director Sharon Whitmore to be interim county manager.

Commission Chairman John Eaves declined to comment on O’Connor’s removal, saying it is a personnel matter. But he downplayed the decision, saying “the county is not imploding.”

O’Connor has managed day-to-day operations at the county since October, when commissioners fired County Manager Dwight Ferrell. Eaves said commissioners expect to name a permanent replacement in March.

“We had to take some action,” Eaves said. “More importantly, we need a permanent manager in place.”

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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