FORT VALLEY, Ga. — Editors Note: the video attached to this story is from previous coverage.
The City of Fort Valley voted 4-3 to appoint the city's Economic Development Director, Gary Lee, as the next interim city administrator. But like the city's previous interim city administrator, Lee's background has some checkered spots, too.
Lee was charged in 2019 with lying to investigators and falsely reporting a crime while at the helm of Warner Robins' Development Authority. The indictment claims he allegedly denied signing a document in his personnel file, and then claimed someone else did it.
Lee has not been convicted, and the case has not gone to trial.
While some councilmembers said they were moving too quickly, others pointed to Lee's track record working for the city.
But the four councilmembers who voted for Lee — Juanita Bryant, Henry Howard, Sandra Marshall and Laronda Eason — were all accused by Mayor Jeffrey Lundy of attempting to undercut the previous city administrator James Woods to allegedly benefit Lee.
Before Woods was ousted by the council, Lundy accused the four council members of instructing city employees to report to Lee as city administrator, even though Woods was still in that job.
Lundy made the allegations in a January executive order.
"In documents received by Councilman Van Hartesveldt on January 23, 2024, signed by Councilwoman Bryant, Councilwoman Eason, Councilwoman Marshall, and Councilman Howard, advising all employees to report to Gary Lee and not the city administration is [an] abuse of power and authority," Lundy wrote in his executive order.
He said they were overstepping their authority and interfering in the administrator's ability to do his job.
"Gary Lee serves only in the role as the economic development [director] and not as assistant to the City Administration," Lundy wrote. "All employees will continue to follow the chain of command as stated in the City of Fort Valley Personnel Manual."
The council later voted to oust Woods, and since then, the effort to replace Woods has caused controversy.
Interim City Administrator fired
Lee's appointment comes only 14 days after the city's interim city administrator, Jonathan Harris, was fired after residents found a WSB investigation revealing Harris previously had a criminal history.
He served time at Central State Prison for violating the terms of his probation, according to GDOC records and WSB's investigation.
They stem from crimes he allegedly committed in 2016 including impersonating an officer, simple battery and a felony charge of robbery by force. He got first-offender status for the felony charge.
The city council held two meetings.
In one meeting, they voted to fire Harris, but after going into executive session, they opted to approve his hiring, "pending submission of a satisfactory background check and discussion of various contract terms under the review of the city attorney," Councilman Fred Van Hartesveldt motioned at the meeting.
Then, at the next meeting, they opted to part ways with Harris and look for a new city administrator.
Public works fight
But even before the firing of Harris, the four city council members and the mayor clashed over a previously fired — and then rehired — public works director, Vernon Kendrick.
He pleaded guilty to stealing from the City of Americus while he was their public works director.
In court documents, he was required to pay the city just under $240,000 in damages, a federal judge determined.
Then, after coming to the Fort Valley, he was later fired. He appealed, but in December 2023, the council upheld their decision after "following the right of appeal" in the city's personnel manual, Lundy said in the executive order.
Once the new councilmembers came into office, they voted to rehire Kendrick in what Lundy called "a political move that involve special relationship, and conflict of interest," Lundy said in the order, but he did not elaborate on those allegations.
He also said Kendrick had not followed the onboarding requirements.
"Vernon Bernard Kendrick was given the opportunity by Councilwoman Bryant, Eason and Howard to go to work without following rules of the Fort Valley Personnel Manual, which is abusing their authority as an elected official," the order reads.
Lundy then fired Kendrick again, using his executive authority.
But he chastised the councilmembers and said they were "abusing their authority as an elected official, and do not have the authority to involve themselves in the daily operations or override the authority of the City Administrator in carrying out his duties and responsibilities."
13WMAZ's Anthony Montalto spoke to council people on both sides of the dispute. You'll hear from them tonight at 11 p.m.