The bulk of Tuesday’s city council meeting at the Municipal Complex played out behind closed doors, with little action to show for the hour-plus executive session when it finally adjourned.
But the discussion was heated enough, at times, the mayor’s and council members’ voices could often be heard, if not understood, outside the courtroom.
After City Attorney Jeff Turnage and Chief Operations Officer Jammie Garrett, two officials who usually participate in executive sessions, were removed from the courtroom Tuesday evening, Ward 6 Councilman Jason Spears announced the executive session would address the job performances of several departments, as well as positions at City Hall.
When the council reconvened in open session, Spears announced the council had specifically discussed the job performances of Turnage, Garrett, Police Chief Joseph Daughtry, Chief Financial Officer Jim Brigham, Grant Administrator Susan Wilder and Public Works Director Casey Bush, though they took no action related to any of those discussions.
Spears would not comment to The Dispatch after the meeting on the nature of those discussions, citing they were held in executive session, nor did he shed much light on the impetus for them.
“The council and mayor take very seriously the role we’re entrusted to do (and) we felt like we needed to have some discussions regarding different matters,” Spears said. “… All the individuals we discussed were related to job performance.”
CLW board appointment
During open session, Mayor Stephen Jones broke a 3-3 tie to appoint Barbara Brandon to the Columbus Light and Water Board.
Brandon, a retired nurse and past president for the Lowndes County Democratic Party, was selected over Donald Pope, who ran unsuccessfully in 2025 for Ward 6 councilman; and former Ward 6 Councilwoman Jacqueline DiCicco.
She will replace Sherry Ellis on the CLW board and serve a five-year term. CLW board service comes with a $3,600 per year stipend, Garrett confirmed to The Dispatch.
Spears moved to place Pope on the board, drawing a second from Ward 4 Councilwoman Lavonne Harris. But Vice Mayor Ethel Stewart, who serves Ward 1, offered a substitute motion to appoint Brandon.
The vote split 3-3, with Ward 2’s Roderick Smith voting for Brandon and Ward 3’s Rusty Greene opposing. That forced Jones to break the tie, and he supported Brandon.
“That’s who I thought would be the best person for the job,” he told The Dispatch after the meeting.
Brandon did not return a call or message from The Dispatch by press time.
Other business
In other business, the council:
■ awarded a $259,264 contract to Miller and Sons Construction for Phase 2 of an automated weather observing system at Columbus-Lowndes Airport, a project funded by a Federal Aviation Administration grant, along with city and county matching money;
■ awarded a $528,103 contract to T&M Steel for an open hangar at the airport, a project funded by a pair of grants, along with city and county matching money;
■ hired two entry-level police officers contingent on preliminary testing; and
■ selected an applicant to offer the position of municipal court clerk and authorized the mayor to negotiate the salary.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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