Press release from the city of Asheville:
The Asheville City Council has unanimously decided to replace City Manager Gary Jackson effective at the close of business today. We appreciate the many successes Gary has brought Asheville in his 13 years here; however, we believe that making this change now is in the City and his best interests.
Assistant City Manager Cathy Ball will serve as Interim City Manager until a new city manager is selected.
Additionally, Councilwoman Gwen Wisler will lead transition planning pro bono to assist with the eventual transition to a new city manager.
We wish Gary well and thank him for the good work that he has done for Asheville and the region.
(Note: Under his 2005 employment agreement, the City is obligated to provide Mr. Jackson with his salary and regular benefits for six months unless he starts working for another employer.)
Please tell me Manheimer is next.
I sure hope so.
She was elected. Only way she can be removed is if she resigns or she’s removed by some statutory device such as impeachment or recall.
That was an interesting suggestion on your part, though. I’d like to see her removed too. Maybe the voters will throw her out next election, or she’ll see the handwriting on the wall and resign. There’s no way you can tell me that she really believes in transparency, or that she didn’t know about the brutal beating of Johnnie Jermaine Rush back in August… before the election.
Putting her in charge of watching City Hall is like putting a goat out to watch the cabbage patch. And now it’s time for the city to come clean with the dirt on Gary Jackson, particularly after that painfully mushy encomium read aloud by Esther Manheimer at a recent council meeting. It reminded me of Mark Twain’s hilarious writing about etiquette for mourners at a funeral when the taffy for the deceased is served.
Excellent (and funny!) post, Mr. Smith.
I called Jackson out to his email weeks ago about his total management ineptness! Sorry if you cannot compel council and mayor to act in the best interest of the TAXPAYERS then you do NOT need
to be the city manager!
We are going to have more questions for the new applicants!
Read about how BROKE the city is over at ashevilleunreported
You’ll be applying for the job, then?
Well, your buddy Carl Mumpower begs to differ. From today’s ACT:
Jackson was not without supporters despite the controversy.
“Managing city operations in Asheville is like herding sheep, cats and driverless Ubers in the same pack,” said Carl Mumpower, who was on the council at the time it hired Jackson and is now chairman of the Buncombe County Republican Party.
“That Mr. Jackson was able to successfully do so for so long under such a unique parade of elected officials is testimony to his competence and skills,” he said.
Typical political smoke and mirrors; Someone’s head has to roll for the leaked video beating… of course it won’t be Manheimer or HOOPER… sure fire the Guy with full pay and benefits; who was gonna retire in a few months anyway….. we see thru ASHEVILLE BRASS
Nothing’s going to change. In fact, City Council probably just made things worse. Cathy Ball has more relatives and cronies in place than even Wanda Green had. Her husband, niece, banker, and barber all landed City jobs for them and/or their friends and family. She hired many of her nephew’s supervisors and potential competitors at DOT until he got his management position there. She even gifted a cushy job for the Mayor’s neighbor. All this is easy enough to find out, except the City seems to lose an HR official every time somebody starts to ask around or complain. Nobody even blinked when the last HR Director was suddenly “relieved of her duties”. I hope the new Interim Assistant Manager/HR Director knows that she’s merely the sacrificial lamb in waiting. Don’t believe me though, ask the last couple of Assistant Managers, and the last couple of HR Directors about it.
While Gary Jackson may be Teflon that nothing stuck to (until now). Cathy Ball is a gracious giver of favors and jobs to those she could control and influence. and vicious and ruthless to those she can’t.