Search delayed: Dougherty County Commission ties on vote to proceed with administrator search

ALBANY – With the absence of one of its members, the Dougherty County Commission was left deadlocked this week in a tie on whether to try to move forward with a search for a new county administrator to replace former Administrator Michael McCoy.

Commissioners Gloria Gaines and Clinton Johnson joined Chairman Lorenzo Heard in voting to approve a $38,000 contract with Colin Baenziger & Associates of Daytona, Fla., to oversee the search process.

Opposing the move were Commissioners Anthony Jones, Ed Newsome and Russell Gray. Commissioner Victor Edwards was not at the meeting.

“It’s the power we’ve used before,” Gaines said during a telephone interview on Wednesday. “We engage a professional firm to help us look nationally for a suitable administrator. There’s nothing unusual.”

McCoy was fired on a 4-3 vote, and has filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as well as a lawsuit in Dougherty County Superior Court naming those four commissioners – Edwards, Gaines, Heard and Johnson, who voted to remove him — as plaintiffs as individuals and as members of the commission.

The EEOC has agreed to consider McCoy’s case, indicating it sees potential merit in the case and raising the possibility that McCoy could be reinstated in the future, according to Gray.

Gaines said she would not speculate on that action.

“We are following our county attorney, taking his advice as we go forward,” she said.

Rushing ahead before McCoy’s EEOC case is adjudicated could raise the possibility of another lawsuit, Gray said.

“There’s a very plausible scenario where Mike sues and gets his job back, then we’re in a conundrum,” he said. “If we’ve just hired another administrator, what do we do? They (the new administrator) would have a very good case for suing the county. We’re trying not to throw good money after bad.”

Finding qualified applicants to apply while that legal cloud is overhead would also be difficult, Gray said.

“It just doesn’t make any sense with them not knowing what’s going to happen with the legal proceedings that are underway,” Gray said.

He also said that prior to Colin Baenziger & Associates being placed on the agenda, the commission did not discuss the merits of that firm and the two others who were interviewed by commissioners.

In other action during its Monday meeting the commission:

— Approved the purchase of a Ford F-350 ambulance chassis for the Dougherty County Medical Services at a cost of $243,603;

— Approved applying for a $495,000 grant for Dougherty County Superior Court. The grant would provide services for part-time employees and other program-related expenses and require a 15% match of county funds that would total about $74,250.

Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]