Until a month ago, Clayton County was the lone county in metro Atlanta operating without a manager or administrator.
The appointment of longtime resident and county employee Wade Starr Jr. as county manager changed that, but not without creating strife among county commissioners and prompting ire from residents.
In a controversial 3-1 vote, county commissioners named Starr, a former state representative from Clayton, to the new $150,0000-a-year job. The lone dissenter: chairman Eldrin Bell, who has continually fought against the idea of having such a position. (Commissioner Michael Edmondson, who ironically had proposed creating an administrative job earlier in the year, was absent the night the vote was cast.)
Starr's appointment is a bit of deja vu for Bell, who sued unsuccessfully against the creation of a chief of staff position a few years ago. The commission's chief of staff, Alex Cohilas, retired in December, leaving that job unfilled. In his latest objections, Bell says the new position is a redundancy that usurps his role as head of the county.
"I did not support it," Bell said. "A number of his [Starr's] duties are things I had to perform. If they [commissioners] had allowed me, I could have hired an assistant for half the amount and we could be doing the same thing. But they wouldn't allow me to do so.
"I will continue to work for the best benefit of Clayton and if that is what the manager is doing, we'll get along just fine."
The controversy over the appointment extends beyond the five-member commission. Other critics say Starr's appointment merely formalizes the behind-the-scene influence he has wielded in Clayton for years. A former state legislator, he has held numerous positions with the county, most recently as the director of fleet maintenance.
Starr dismisses such a charge.
"I'm trying to make Clayton a place where everybody feels good about calling it home," he said. "I was born here and raised here and because I care about this county, I'm going to try to make it the best place to live for me and my family and all of the other residents."
Starr insists he is only "the administrative arm of the board" and cannot hire or fire anyone, a function that traditionally comes with a county manager's job.
"My job is to carry out the policies the board sets," he said. "I have a great deal of respect for the chairman and his ability."
Some residents question the need for a county manager at a time when the county is filled with vacant homes and businesses. Clayton is grappling with a budget deficit and a 13-percent unemployment rate while taxpayers are dealing with a 34 percent property tax hike.
"It's just more spending of our tax dollars, " Jonesboro resident Geralyn Daniel said. "We already have a chairman. Why do we need another person? They're already putting a burden on taxpayers by raising our property [tax]. We need to get jobs in here before you start doing something like that. This is really total mismanagement on their part. The whole thing makes me angry. I could just spit nails."
But commissioners who voted for the post said the county can't afford not to have a manager. It will help streamline operations and cut costs. The county eliminated some jobs and didn't fill others to ensure there was "no additional impact on the budget," commissioner vice chair Wole Ralph said.
"It doesn't usurp roles," Ralph said. "His influence will be determined by the job he does."
Commissioner Gail Hambrick, who also voted for Starr's appointment, said he is "the perfect person" of three candidates for the job because he served in a similar role under Bell's predecessor, Crandall Bray, and he's well-versed in how the county and its departments operate.
"I just can't imagine operating efficiently without a chief of staff or county manager," she said. Starr already has delivered on some tasks that have been sitting on the backburner, Hambrick noted.
Statewide, 119 of Georgia's 159 counties have a manager or administrator, according to the Association County Commissioners of Georgia.
"If I don't save more than my salary from the general fund during the course of my (22-month) contract, then I'll quit," Starr vowed.
TALE OF THE TAPE
A tale of two Clayton officials
ELDRIN BELL
Title: Chairman of the Clayton County Board of Commissioners
Current duties: Chairman since January 2006. Reviews and signs all contracts entered into by the county; chairman of the county's waste management authority; represents the county at the Atlanta Regional Commission; works with the Georgia, regional and local chambers of commerce; recently appointed as vice chair of the transit and transportation committee of the National Association of Counties.
Annual salary: $142,733.28
Age: 75
Residence: Jonesboro
Education: Completed undergraduate studies at Morris Brown University and Georgia State University. Continued graduate studies at Harvard University Law School, Northwestern University and Atlanta University. Received training at the FBI Academy, National Executive Institute (NEI), Secret Service Academy and completed the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) certification program; currently enrolled in the Certified Commissioners Advanced Program.
Previous jobs: Has been a public servant for 51 years, 33 of those spent in law enforcement; served as Atlanta police chief and was the first black on the Georgia Chiefs Association; ran a private consulting firm that primarily worked with attorneys.
WADE STARR JR.
Title: Manager of Clayton County
Current duties: Manages the 27 department heads of the county. Works with the commission chairman and finance director to determine the county budget, which will total around $25 million. Reports to the county commissioners. Is studying initiatives in economic development and technology to create greater efficiency and lower the cost of running the county.
Annual salary: $150,000
Age: 58
Residence: Unincorporated southern Clayton County.
Education: Bachelor's in education from Fort Valley State University; master's in social work with a concentration in policy planning and administration from Atlanta University; certified finance officer in local government from the University of Georgia; economic development finance professional through the National Development Council.
Previous jobs: 35 years of experience in state government,, education, business ownership and county government, including administrative assistant to former Clayton County Commission Chair Crandall Bray, 2001-2005; House of Representative, 2006-2007, director of Clayton County fleet maintenance, 2006-September 2011; director of policy and planning for Clayton County, 2009-2010.
About the Author
