Hugley's attorney says former city manager will fight termination by Columbus council
COLUMBUS, Ga. () — The attorney for former Columbus City Manager Isaiah Hugley tells WRBL that his client plans to fight his termination.
Scott Grubman pulled no punches this afternoon in the first public comments since seven city councilors voted to fire Isaiah Hugley late Tuesday night.
According to his attorney, Hugley is weighing his options in the wake of his termination on a 7-3 vote of the city council on Tuesday.
Since April, Hugley has been threatening legal action against six of the seven city councilors who voted to fire him. Grubman focused on the role of Councilor Charmaine Crabb.
'Look at the termination letter. Guess whose first signature is right there?' Grubman said. 'It's Councilwoman Crabb. I think it is obvious that this was motivated by racial bias.'
Grubman claims Councilor Crabb made racial statements to Sheriff's Office investigators during an investigation of the city's Finance Department.
Crabb and other councilors did not respond to a WRBL request for comment. They have not spoken publicly about Hugley's firing.
'Again, you had a councilwoman saying racist things,' Grubman said. 'Apologizing for it. But then a week later firing the long-term city manager based on nothing more than a pretext. That's racism. That's discrimination. That's actionable under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. So, I think a federal lawsuit is highly likely.'
Hugley was planning to retire at the end of the year after two decades as city manager. The termination notice says he will paid salary and benefits through Dec. 31st.
'What did I say in every single letter?' Grubman said. 'Please just let Mr. Hugley serve out the remainder of his term without harassment or discrimination. And what did they do in response? They fired him after accusing him of being in the Mafia for going to black churches. That is the legal definition of discrimination. So is it going to get messier? It's going to get a lot messier?'
Grubman says Hugley wants to pursue an appeal of his firing. Though his office is conflicted out of the case involving Hugley and council, City Attorney Clifton Fay says Hugley does not have any appeal rights through the city. Grubman understands it differently.
'In addition to any sort of litigation that might be filed under the city code Mr. Huguely is entitled to a public hearing, and we will be requesting that public hearing,' Grubman said. 'But we are going to avail ourselves of the hearing because we think it's very important for the public, for the people of Columbus, to see what's going on here.'
All of this comes amid speculation that Hugley, the city's first black city manager, is considering a 2026 run for mayor.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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