A majority of the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors voted to hire a replacement for Lowndes County Administrator Ralph Billingsley Wednesday, but the decision sparked protests from two supervisors, one of whom walked out of the meeting, after they questioned the nature of Billingsley’s retirement and the appointment process.
At Wednesday’s board meeting, three supervisors voted to hire Jay Fisher, former vice commander at Columbus Air Force Base, to succeed Billingsley’s seat after he retires Sept. 30, which coincides with the end of the county’s fiscal year. County administrator is one of four county positions directly appointed by the supervisors, said Board President Harry Sanders, who asserted supervisors are not obligated to advertise the position.
The vote was split along party lines, with Republicans Sanders, District 2 Supervisor Trip Hairston and District 3 Supervisor John Holliman voting to hire Fisher, while District 4 Supervisor Jeff Smith and District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks, both Democrats, dissented. Brooks walked out of the meeting before it was over.
But before Brooks left, he criticized Sanders for pressuring Billingsley — who was first hired in 2008 — to either retire or be fired. He previously told The Dispatch that supervisors had handpicked Fisher to take the role before forcing out Billingsley, and the county should instead advertise for the position.
“This will be the third administrator you have forced out,” Brooks said to Sanders. “The road is lined with carnage of people you’ve pushed.”
Fisher will be paid $50,000 as a trainee from May 1 through Sept. 30, supervisors said, so that he can participate in the budgeting process beginning in June and help out with other county business. While Sanders said Fisher’s salary as of Oct. 1 hadn’t been determined, Billingsley’s salary is $125,000 annually.
Fisher told The Dispatch Wednesday night his 25 years of experience in the military, including two years as vice commander who helped manage an annual operating budget of up to $65 million, would help with his new role.
“I’ve had experiences from small organizations (of) 10 to 12 people all the way up to … multi-thousand-people (organizations),” he said. “Being able to manage people and set the right tone of the organization … would help me to be successful in this role.”
‘Legitimate concerns’ or ‘vicious lies’?
Sanders, who previously declined to comment on Billingsley’s retirement, told The Dispatch Wednesday that, out of “legitimate concerns,” he and Hairston approached Billingsley two months ago to ask for his resignation.
He would not specify what the concerns were on the record.
Brooks also questioned the necessity of hiring Fisher as soon as May.
“If this person is so damn qualified, (why has) he got to come in (five) months (early) to be trained?” Brooks said.
Filling the position of county appointees five months in advance is unprecedented, Sanders said. But faced with the coronavirus pandemic, he said he felt the hiring was warranted.
“Hiring now so he can learn how to do the budget … to meet with all the department heads, to know how the county is run,” Sanders said. “At the same time, we’ve got an awful lot of paperwork and bureaucracy … (with) the coronavirus.”
At the meeting, Brooks also accused the three supervisors who voted to hire Fisher — all of whom are white — of ruling out women and minority candidates. Brooks and Smith are black.
“You’ve deprived people in this county of the right of due process that they are entitled to apply for these positions,” Brooks said.
Regarding Brooks’ comments, Sanders said Brooks voted against the hiring of Billingsley to begin with. He said the hiring only needed three votes on the board.
“For 20 years, we’ve never advertised for the positions,” Sanders said. “It’s very plain.”
During the meeting, Smith also expressed his frustration against the board’s process of picking the candidate.
Smith claimed he was left out of the loop when other supervisors discussed the hire and was only informed after the decision was made. Fisher told The Dispatch Wednesday night he never spoke with Smith.
“I was totally disregarded,” Smith said. “That’s totally disrespecting me, totally.
“You’ve got the votes, you do what you choose to do,” he added. “You have that authority, but this process of how you get to where you are going is wrong.”
Sanders told The Dispatch that Fisher was first interviewed by him and Hairston, and then by District 3 Supervisor John Holliman. Brooks, upon hearing about the candidate, promised to vote against Fisher and asked to wait until the end of the year to make the hire, Sanders said.
Smith, Sanders said, was only notified.
“It’s impossible for everyone to know at the same time,” Sanders said.
When reached by phone Wednesday night, Billingsley confirmed Brooks’ and Smith’s comments at the meeting.
“I have no comment at this time other than to say what Leroy and Jeff communicated at the board meeting today was an accurate representation of what’s going on,” he said. “There have been some vicious lies said about me that should have never been said.”
In other business, supervisors also voted to allow child care facilities in the county to open as long as they follow the guidelines listed by the state. The county previously closed those facilities along with other nonessential businesses to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
Yue Stella Yu was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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