A segment of Avondale Estates residents plan to protest the Dec. 6 resignation of City Manager Clai Brown during the city commission’s last regular meeting of the year. The session begins at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 11 at Avondale Estates City Hall, 21 North Avondale Plaza.
“I put out a notice of the meeting time,” said longtime resident Bruce Johnston Friday. “I think you’ll see a large turnout. I think it will be respectful [towards the commission] at first. I hope it stays respectful. But people are upset about this.”
On Monday the commission will take a final vote on the 2018 budget, likely at the heart of Brown’s decision. In nearly 10 years as manager Brown has always, along with Finance Director Ken Turner, prepared the budget. Both have reputations as conservative spenders.
This has not been the stance taken by current commissioners, particularly Mayor Jonathan Elmore, Brian Fisher and Adela Yelton. Indeed, in a very unusual move (though not unethical) it was Fisher who prepared a final revision of the budget that has gone through at least five iterations since July. Fisher also gave an hour long power point presentation during a Nov. 28 work session.
Consistently at odds with his fellow commissioners for at least the past year, Mayor Pro Tem Terry Giager was first elected in Nov. 2009. Giager has frequently stated that he believes his colleagues are over spending and calls the Fisher budget, “highly speculative at best.”
Nevertheless, although the one commissioner more in line with the Brown/Turner philosophy, Giager was roundly defeated in the Nov. 7 election, finishing sixth out of eight candidates with only 8.2 percent of the vote. He rolls off the board Dec. 31.
A number of residents had planned to stand outside city hall on Dec. 8 to oppose both Brown’s resignation and an executive session on personnel scheduled for that afternoon (and not open to the public). When that session was cancelled due to weather, protest organizer Kathryn Kelly said she hopes the same people and more show up to the regular meeting.
“I’m recovering from knee replacement surgery,” she said Friday. “I haven’t gotten out much, but I might just limp in there Monday.”
About the Author
