Whitesboro’s City Administrator, Julie Arrington, has been fired Tuesday night by a unanimous vote from the City Council. The reason given was “lack of confidence.”
Effective immediately, she has been placed on a 30-day administrative leave with pay, pending negotiation with her contract. Alderman Su Welch motioned and Ronnie Fielder seconded despite numerous display of support from a crowded audience..
The City Administrator will be paid nearly $30,000 worth of severance pay due to the council terminating her contract.
At the Oct. 15 meeting, Mayor Dave Blaylock made the motion to enter into executive session to deliberate the employment of the City Administrator. Before entering into executive session, Arrington requested the meeting be made public.
Council was given the opportunity to speak on their reasoning behind their desire to possibly terminate Arrington.
“My view is that I feel like that we don’t have the trust in you,” Welch said.
The rest of the council followed suit. This decision came after a recent issue with the proposed city budget, in which property taxes could have been raised 30%. The decision ultimately ended with a “No New Revenue” tax rate.
“I understand the confidence you feel like you lost in me, but … I did not have this confidence from the get-go from you guys,” Arrington said. “We started the budget in the beginning of 2022 and until late August, early September, not one of y’all start asking questions. Why did you not come to my office when it was open and talk to me about the budget so I could explain it to you?” Arrington asked.
Governance, according to Arrington, was the word of the day. She said governance is a system of rules and structures that govern an organization.
“In this city, the Council is the creator of the end results and the staff members are the means to reach those ends. In other words, the Council tells staff the end result they desire through a series of ordinances, resolutions and policies,” she said. Next, staff creates the procedure, direction and daily operations to achieve the council’s end result. Then, the council meeting is where staff inform the council how they reached the end result and ask the council for approval on the end that was reached.”
Arrington said when the Council hired her a year ago, they understood this concept and adopted a Governance Policy after her arrival. She said they knew a policy was needed to help them and help future council members. She said they saw the value in this policy.
“However, because it was adopted by the previous council, this council ignores it and violates its ethical code routinely,” Arrington said.
Arrington referenced a previous meeting in which Police Chief Alex Coss addressed the council about a serious division in Whitesboro, especially within City Hall.
“The creators of the division in Whitesboro are this council, except Mayor Blaylock, and the staff sitting on the dais (where the Council sits) at this very moment,” Arrington said.
Arrington listed several reasons the division has developed with city staff and the City Council. These included isolating Arrington from others; refusing to speak with, work with or inform her; refusing to make her a part of the team; and allowing the Economic Corporation (EDC) Director, Lynda Anderson, to receive a 6% salary raise while canceling salary increases for every other employee.
“You allow the City Secretary Teresa Nino and the EDC Director Lynda Anderson to spend hours each day gossiping and backbiting all employees, especially me, screaming in the hallway for all the world to hear without any concern for their unprofessionalism or for the morale of City Hall, and without worry of consequences because they know their friend on council will never discipline them,” Arrington said.
The list seemed endless, full of reasons this division has caused conflict, terminations and an Aldermen to have stepped down from her position. Stacey Miles recently gave her letter of resignation from the City Council on October 9. Her reason given was to prioritize her family.
As for the budget, Arrington said, the council held more than 10 meetings with each department head including Arrington.
Although the council was provided options, she said, they ultimately decided to ignore the budget in the packet and go with the lower budget that was not proposed by Arrington. She said this was a direction of Alderman Mike Pack and Alderman Welch in Arrington’s office, just two days before the Sept. 27 meeting.
Many spoke in support of Arrington. Coley Wade, city employee and owner of 56 Deli on Main Street, said, “We feel it would be a major setback to the City and the ongoing plans and projects for the future, possibly pushing some infrastructure projects back over a year.”
Keep Whitesboro Beautiful (KWB) President Michael Ross spoke about two principles that he believes and stands by: service before self always and what you accept is what you teach.
“These issues have been brought forward publicly by directors and I ask, have they been addressed? If staff and council are allowed to act out against each other without fear, who is to blame? Is it just the person acting out, or is it also those that allow it?” Ross said.
Speaking on behalf of public workers, Danny Martin stood before council and said they would hate to lose such a strong work relationship with a City Manager.
“I understand we don’t always have to agree with each other, and that’s okay, I understand that. But we need to all work together for the better of Whitesboro, and keeping Julie would be for the better of Whitesboro,” Martin said.
Police Chief Alex Coss said, “By the nature of my profession I am extremely observant. Julie Arrington is the hardest working individual in this building.”
According to Dalton Fallaw, City Building Inspector, no one on council ever offered to help Arrington or asked questions concerning the budget. He said he is frustrated with nothing being solved after Chief Coss’s call for unity at the Aug. 6 city council meeting. Everything has remained the same in City Hall, he said.
“There’s a matter of fact, a comment made by the EDC Director, ‘Hey, there’s two things to happen for me not to retire, Julie needs to be fired and I need a raise.’ I don’t know how we promote that in City Hall. How do you work with something like that?” Fallaw said.
Arrington said all of this is what has divided City Hall and our town.
Mayor Dave Blaylock was last to speak and agreed with the crowd.
“If there should be any lack of confidence this afternoon, it should fall upon the City Secretary and the city EDC Director. Both are the driving force for Julie’s termination, but most of all, if there’s a wrong decision that is made here today, it’s the lack of confidence that would be in our council,” Blaylock said. “Here this afternoon, you have heard from concerned citizens, employees and businesses regarding your decision on your City Administrator, yet you let those that try to control you have the final say … I have asked myself why would someone go to this extent of trying to destroy something good. Unless there is something bad to hide.”
At that, the Mayor called upon the citizens of Whitesboro to join in signing a petition for a forensic audit into the city’s finances for the last 25 years.
After the Mayor’s speech, Arrington took the floor and addressed her supporters.
“Thank every one of you. You’re wonderful and you’ve treated me well, just like I have tried to treat you. I want to thank everyone here for coming tonight and supporting me. Staff, continue being great. Just because I’m not here, I’m supporting you. Continue to do your jobs and continue to do them well. Thank y’all so much,” Arrington said.
When asked about the allegations made against them, Anderson and Nino had no comments.
The rest of the agenda was tabled for a future meeting. Once scheduled, the meeting will be posted on the city’s website at www.whitesboro.org.
