Latest news with #ColumbusCouncil
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Isaiah Hugley's lawyer sends Columbus city attorney letter escalating lawsuit threat
Scott Grubman, attorney for former Columbus City Manager Isaiah Hugley, sent a letter Friday afternoon demanding that the city reinstate Hugley by June 6; otherwise, he will proceed with filing a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regarding Hugley's termination. The Columbus Council voted 7-3 to fire Hugley on May 27, following the release of a Muscogee County Sheriff's Office administrative report about the investigation into the Columbus Consolidated Government's finance department and associated arrests. Grubman sent the letter with his demands to Columbus City Attorney Clifton Fay and Deputy City Attorney Lucy Seftall. The letter was also addressed to attorney Leslie Harnett, who has been serving as personal counsel for Columbus Councilors Glenn Davis, Charmaine Crabb, Toyia Tucker, Joanne Cogle, Byron Hickey and John Anker after they received a cease-and-desist letter from Grubman in April. The cease-and-desist was sent after Hickey questioned whether Hugley violated the city's code of ethics by not disclosing an almost $30,000 small business grant that his wife, state Rep. Carolyn Hugley (D-Columbus) received to the council. Hugley did disclose the grant application to Mayor Skip Henderson and Fay, who advised him to pass the application to his deputy city manager rather than handle it himself. After Hugley was terminated, Grubman told the Ledger-Enquirer that he planned to file for Hugley to have a public hearing before the council by next Friday. In the most recent letter sent to Fay, Sheftall and Hartnett, Grubman argues that Hugley's termination violated federal and state laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Leading up to the termination, Grubman argues that 'various racist, false, defamatory and down-right offensive remarks' about Hugley surfaced in the sheriff's administrative report, according to the letter. He cites Crabb describing African American church leaders who spoke during the public agenda portion of previous council meetings as Hugley's 'little mafiosos' and alleging that Hugley engaged in discriminatory practices benefiting Black individuals who are members of historically Black sororities and fraternities. 'Less than two weeks after this interview report was released, and after Councilwoman Crabb was called out for this improper, racist behavior, including by Mr. Hugley through counsel, she introduced her unscheduled motion to terminate Mr. Hugley's employment after 40 years of employment with the City of Columbus, and 20 years as Columbus' first African American city manager,' Grubman said in the letter. Grubman argued that Hickey was also biased against Hugley, repeating the allegation that Hickey was retaliating after the councilor attempted to intervene in a pending decision about a pay raise for his wife, who works for the Columbus Police Department. 'Based on these facts alone, it is clear that the stated reasons for Mr. Hugley's termination were nothing more than pretext for unlawful discrimination and retaliation,' Grubman said. Along with demanding Hugley be reinstated as city manager, Grubman also argued that members of the council could be held personally liable for damages if their actions were done 'oppressively, maliciously, corruptly or without authority of law.' He demanded Hugley be paid around $213,000 along with his reinstatement. 'If we do not hear from you by the close of business on Friday, June 6, 2025, we will assume you are not interested in resolving this matter and will proceed with filing a Charge of Discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC),' Grubman said in the letter. The city attorney and Hartnett have not responded to a request for comment before publishing.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City Council votes 7-3 to terminate City Manager Isaiah Hugley seven months before his retirement
COLUMBUS, Ga. () — After a closed session late Tuesday night to discuss a personnel matter, the Columbus Council came out and voted to terminate City Manager Isaiah Hugley. Hugley has served as the City Manager of Columbus for two decades. He is the longest-serving city manager in the city's history and the first black executive to hold the position. Hugley announced earlier this year that he planned to step down from his post at the end of the year. The council did not wait. If the mayor does not recommend the city manager be terminated, it takes seven votes to remove him from office, according to the city charter. Mayor Skip Henderson did not make the recommendation. Councilors Byron Hickey, Charmaine Crabb, JoAnne Cogle, Toyia Tucker, John Anker, Glenn Davis, and Walker Garrett voted to remove him from the job. Two of the seven votes came from city councilors who are serving unexpired terms. Hickey is filling the spot vacated by Pops Barnes. Anker is filling the seat vacated by the resignation and subsequent death of Judy Thomas. Hugley has been embroiled in a highly publicized legal dispute with six city councilors. He has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Councilors Hickey, Crabb, Cogle, Tucker, and Anker. Those councilors had been critical of a 2022 American Rescue Plan federal grant awarded to Hugley's wife, Carolyn Hugley, a State Farm Insurance agent and Georgia House Minority Leader. In April, Hugley threatened legal action if the six councilors did not retract their statements and issue a public apology. The councilors have not done either. Two city departments have been the subject of criminal investigations in recent years. The Finance Department has been under scrutiny and the subject of audits and investigations into mismanagement. There were multiple arrests last year after a Columbus Police investigation into Animal Control. Hugley has been in the city manager's office since 1998, when he was one of two deputies under former City Manager Carmen Cavezza. He was elevated by the council and then-Mayor Bob Poydasheff in 2005. Hugley started with the city in 1984 as an assistant director of Metra, the city's transportation arm. Hugley is a 1975 graduate of Spencer High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in history/pre-law from Talladega College in 1979 and a Master's degree in public policy and public administration from Mississippi State University. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Columbus Council takes first step toward development of South Commons property next to Synovus Park
COLUMBUS, Ga. () — The Columbus Council took the first step this week to develop the parking lot around Synovus Park. The council unanimously gave the Development Authority of Columbus money to investigate whether the site could be developed as an entertainment complex to complement pro baseball. Pro baseball's return to Columbus and the potential redevelopment of the South Commons has not come without a political fight. This week, the tune changed, and the council spoke with one voice. After months of questioning and delaying the first step in the redevelopment of the South Commons, the council voted unanimously on Tuesday without discussion to begin the due diligence that could lead to a private developer developing the public land. Selvin Hollingsworth is the chairman of the Development Authority of Columbus, and he has been working behind the scenes to gain support for exploring the possibility of private development. The next step would be to put out a Request for Proposal to see if a developer or developers were interested in putting restaurants, a hotel and housing on the site. 'This is simply all of the things we need to do to get our ducks in a row to generate an RFP,' Hollingsworth told the council on Tuesday. 'The big thing we will get out of this is, what are the city's responsibilities? I don't want to do anything, have a grandiose plan, and not come back and say we need more utilities here, we need access to something here.' The land in question is a parking lot that serves Synovus Park, the Civic Center, and Memorial Stadium. Henderson and the council successfully lured the Atlanta Braves Double-A team to the South Commons by upgrading the former Golden Park with $50 million. Restaurants, hotels, and housing in that space have been part of the mayor's plan. The Columbus Clingstones have been an early hit, drawing an average of nearly 4,000 fans a night through the first 17 games. 'I think without question, it has had a little bit to do with it. But I also think once baseball passed, anybody who did not vote for it recognized that the expense piece is in play,' Mayor Skip Henderson said. 'We now have to work on maximizing the yield on our investment.' That would involve attracting private investors to create a smaller version of The Battery, the entertainment complex next to Truist Park where the Braves play. 'I had the opportunity to talk to the people who did the development for Truist Park in Atlanta,' Hollingsworth said, 'They liked the venue and everything we have here. But one of the things we will be able to do is leverage their knowledge. Councilor Davis knows all of the people in that arena. I am looking forward to the possibility of studying all of this. But more than anything coming back to you all with a plan. A good plan that we can invest in and look at with no surprises.' Hollingsworth told the council that the due diligence period on the best ways to redevelop this property could take six months to a year. The Development Authority is funded by the city government tasked with creating jobs and bringing new businesses and industry to Columbus. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Columbus is working on $1.2 billion in construction. See the project updates
City officials provided an update on $1.2 billion infrastructure projects, ranging from transportation to the Judicial Center, at the Columbus Council work session Tuesday. Funding for these projects has come from various sources, including: 2012 and 2022 Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) TSPLOST Discretionary Funds Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) 2021 Other Local Option Sales Tax (OLOST) Infrastructure Fund Stormwater Fund Paving Fund Georgia Department of Transportation Private donations and public-private partnerships Columbus Building Authority bonds The projects already were budgeted between 2010-2024 or will be budgeted, according to the presentation by deputy city manager Pam Hodge, inspections and code director Ryan Pruett, engineering director Vance Beck and planning director Will Johnson. 'I don't care where you go in this city, there's construction,' said city manager Isaiah Hugley. 'And when people drive into a city where they see construction work like that, they know there's growth and opportunity coming.' Some of the construction may be inconvenient and disruptive, but 'progress is on the way,' he said. Hugley and other city officials visited businesses impacted by road closures and detours related to the Spiderweb project after a resident complained about the negative impacts on his business. Here's an update on infrastructure and quality-of-life projects ongoing throughout Columbus. Williams Road/Fortson Road roundabout: A detour is in place and crews are working on grading, drainage and earthwork. The project began in April 2024 and is expected to be completed in September 2025. It has a budget of about $5 million and is about 31% complete. Mott's Green Plaza enhancement: The project included a Chattahoochee Riverwalk realignment and re-use of existing donor brick and began in May. It is about 96% complete and expected to be finished by June. This project has a budget of over $1.4 million. Flood abatement: This projects will install a new box culvert and flood basin to reduce flooding issues. It will run on the west side of Veterans Parkway from Apex Road to the flood basin near 29th Street. Earthwork and culvert installation is in progress, and it's expected to be completed in November. The project has a budget of over $13.5 million. I-185/Buena Vista Road interchange: This GDOT-managed project, with a budget of $47.7 million, is about 75% complete and has funding from the 2012 TSPLOST. The decks on the north side of the bridge are complete, Beck said. Crews previously shut down the interstate to demolish the old bridge and build half of the new one. Although the perception is that the project has been dragging, Beck said, crews have been working. It is estimated to be completed this fall. I-185/Cusseta Road interchange: GDOT also is managing this project, which is 56% complete. It has a budget of $58 million and also has funds from the 2012 TSPLOST. The project is expected to be completed by Spring 2026. SR1/US27 widening: With a $40 million budget, GDOT also is managing this $40 million project funded by the 2012 TSPLOST. The project is 31% complete and expected to be finished by Summer 2026. Spiderweb Phase II: This project began in April and is estimated to be completed in 2027 with a 24-month intersection closure. The closure will save about $5 million in the $45.8 million project Bradley Park at J.R. Allen diverging diamond: This another GDOT project. It's about 59% complete. Infantry Road and Follow-Me Trail: This will add a new road from South Lumpkin Road to Fort Benning Road and a new trail along Fort Benning Road. Officials are waiting on GDOT to provide a revised construction agreement. It is anticipated to begin this summer and end next summer. Steam Mill Road: This will include road improvements from Buena Vista Road to Pinecrest Drive with a pedestrian bridge over I-185 and roundabouts at Dogwood Drive, McCartha Drive and Northstar Drive. Design for this project is expected to be completed by August with an estimated cost of $22.5 million to $26 million. It's funded by the 2022 TSPLOST. Whitesville Road: The road will be widened starting on the north side of the bridge over J.R. Allen Parkway and ending at the intersection of Williams Road. This design will change the road from two lanes to three lanes with intersection improvements or roundabouts, a sidewalk and a multiuse trail. The project has an estimated cost of $14.3 million. South Lumpkin Road: This project will provide road improvements from Victory Drive to the proposed Infantry Road. Officials are collecting public opinions for a three-lane option with an estimated cost of $9.6 million and a five-lane option with an estimated cost of $11.9 million. 13th Avenue, 17th Street and Linwood Boulevard roundabout: This creates a new roundabout at 13th Avenue, 17th Street and Linwood Boulevard. Design is expected to be completed in December with an estimated cost of $6.65 million. It will be funded by the 2022 TSPLOST. Construction continues on the $207.5 million Columbus Judicial Center. The cast is in place and concrete activities are ongoing. Interior and exterior framing for the eight-story building has started as the structure is to be completed this summer. Construction workers have begun working on the sixth floor, and the project is on schedule to be completed by next summer. Other upcoming infrastructure projects include Chattahoochee Riverwalk repaving and maintenance, Buena Vista Road corridor improvements, Liberty Theatre block enhancement, Morris Road improvements and Columbus Airport improvements.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Columbus civic organizations detail plans for 2026 local election strategy
Columbus civic organizations gathered last week for a town hall meeting to discuss plans for the coalitions to unite and consolidate Black voters behind candidates ahead of the 2026 local elections in Muscogee County. Leaders from organizations, including the Columbus branch of the NAACP and the Columbus Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, led the meeting April 17 in the Page-Doleman Complex at Holsey Chapel CME Church. The meeting followed multiple news conferences condemning the Columbus Council's appointment of Councilor John Anker to the citywide District 9 seat the same day former Councilor Judy Thomas resigned. But the town hall was meant to focus on the coalition's plans for the next election rather than expressing opinions about elected officials, national NAACP board member and the Georgia state administrator Ed DuBose told the Ledger-Enquirer. During the town hall meeting, leaders from multiple organizations laid out plans for their movement, named Columbus, GA, United, to vet, prepare and campaign for a single 'unity' candidate for each seat up for election. 'We are really looking at shifting paradigms,' the Rev. Johnny Flakes III of Fourth Street Missionary Baptist Church said during the meeting. 'We're looking at shifting the process and establishing clear-cut paths to providing the best candidates that Columbus deserves to serve residents of this city.' Elections for mayor and Columbus Council seats for Districts 1, 5, 7 and 9 are in May 2026. Members of the coalition who were involved in the recent news conferences understood that they had to create an organization that would include everybody, Flakes said. These conversations led to the creation of Columbus, GA, United. 'The goal is to prevent vote splitting, preserve and protect our political power,' Flakes said. 'Black power that does not exclude anybody else.' Their plan is to consolidate community support behind a single viable candidate in races where multiple Black candidates will split the vote, he said. The first step in achieving this is to create a vetting committee consisting of 7-10 members representing faith leaders, youth organizers, elders, advocates, political strategists and neighborhood representatives. This committee would review candidate credentials, records and community support. They would interview prospective candidates and analyze their viability using data and strategy. The committee also would host public forums where candidates would answer key issue-based questions, demonstrate their policy knowledge and public speaking ability and share their campaign vision. 'Someone in the room might be like, 'Who's controlling the show?'' DuBose said. 'The people. The power always belongs to the people.' As part of this process, the coalition also will develop candidate scorecards, DuBose said. This is important for more than just vetting candidates, he said. The community has allowed people to step into a role, DuBose said, and then they don't grade them. This has created a situation where candidates can vote against key issues multiple times without it being 'graded.' 'When the election time came around, you came to our church, picked up a baby and sang 'Lift Every Voice and Sing,'' DuBose said. 'And then you got a free ride because we didn't follow your campaign. We didn't follow what you said you would do for us. We were fooled by your appearance at our church anniversary.' Candidates who go through this process will be asked to pledge to step down and not continue to run as a 'spoiler candidate' if they are not selected, DuBose said. As part of the process, Columbus, GA, United will have potential candidates attend workshops preparing them to run for office. The coalition hopes to complete outreach to potential candidates and orientation by June and have the vetting committee formed by July. Then candidate interviews and public forums will take place from August through September. By October, the committee is expected to be ready to make its recommendations, and the 2026 campaign will be launched between November and December. Centralizing messaging and voter information is a key component of Columbus, GA, United's strategy. The Urban League of the River Valley will be in charge of messaging for the coalition, Dorothy 'Dot' Bass said during the meeting. 'Clarity and consistency are key,' she said. 'A single trusted source for voter information helps eliminate confusion, prevents misinformation and builds collective confidence in the electoral process.' Centralizing voter education will help streamline communication across the partners, Bass said, and will help support a rapid response if a polling location changes or a runoff is announced. Organizations in the coalition would send their information to the Urban League, which then would disseminate the information. Another large part of Columbus, GA, United's strategy is to focus on voter mobilization. The coalition knows there are voter turnout disparities among African Americans, community organizer Marquese Averett said during the meeting. 'We know that our opposition is strategic, they are coordinated, and they are well-funded,' Averett said. 'We must be just as intentional. We also know, when all people vote in full force, we change who gets to make decisions on housing, policing, schools and economic development.' The coalition will go to places that have 'mattered the most' in the community, like churches, barber shops and salons, he said. They also will reach out to communities of all demographics, Averett said, because every group cares about issues like affordable housing, jobs and safer communities. They also will focus on mobilizing young people early. 'It's not good enough to wait until two or three weeks before the election and say we need to go find some young folks,' Averett said. 'We have to make sure that they are included from the very beginning because their issues matter.' Columbus, GA, United could represent what civil rights leader Jesse Jackson referred to as a 'rainbow coalition,' he said. 'I often say that doing nothing isn't a revolutionary act,' Averett said. 'Sitting on the sideline doesn't take any courage. In order for us to make this happen, we have to mobilize voters and get people out to vote.'
