Columbus City Planner Patricia Southerland resigned Thursday evening after five months on the job.
Chief Operations Officer David Armstrong confirmed Southerland resigned in person to he and Mayor Robert Smith and several other city employees.
“She no longer works for the city,” said Armstrong.
Smith did not return calls seeking comment.
Sources confirm officers from the Columbus Police Department were dispatched to the Building Department for a “personnel issue” Thursday evening. The nature of the incident is unclear but Chief Joseph St. John specified the officers were on hand as a precaution.
“They (city officials) felt they needed the police to stand by,” said St. John.
Southerland has a history of problems at the office. She was suspended for two days by the city council in December following an outburst at the Building Department.
“(Southerland”s resignation) is not surprising considering the rocky road she”s been on. Not many people get suspended in their first few months,” said City Engineer Kevin Stafford.
Southerland, who had worked as a ciy planner in Atlanta, Miami and most recently in Chattanooga, Tenn., was tasked with developing the city”s comprehensive plan.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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