WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — More than half a dozen pastors from some of Warner Robins most prominent churches presented a united front at Monday's city council meeting.
They raised questions about the city's handling of Economic Development Director Gary Lee's suspension following his criminal indictment.
They also touched on broader issues of race in the city.
"There is no longer an undercurrents [sic] of racial divide in the city. I think it's really spilling over," said First Baptist Church of Garmon Street Pastor Josh Kirvin. "If we are not careful, we'll end up being as other towns in this country, with a lot of racial strife and nothing being done."
We sat down with Kirvin and 3 of his colleagues this week. Bishop Harvey Bee of Christian Fellowship Church acted as the group's spokesman.
Their concerns include what they call racial bias in hiring for city employment and a lack of diversity in the city's top jobs.
They proposed a possible solution -- hiring a city manager or administrator.
"We need to hire a professional who has already been trained to do this job, and he can really come in and show us the areas that we can make better," said Bee. He said addressing the city's "hiring process is number 1."
According to WMAZ's reporting at the time, Warner Robins city council approved the creation of a city administrator position in 2017, but so far, it has not been filled.
Bee also suggests a forensic audit of the city's finances.
"It's very important because it'll show us where our monies are going and how it's being spent," he said.
Bee says his group started raising these issues to mayor and council several years ago, but the response has been tepid.
"We haven't gotten a response that we really hope to get," said Bee. "But we'll continue to ask these questions until things start happening."
Data obtained in an open records request from the city reveals the approximate racial breakdown of city employees. The U.S. Census provides the breakdown for the city at large.
These figures are approximate:
WR city employees || City population
White: 75% || 51%
Black: 20% || 38.5%
Hispanic: 3% || 7.12%
*note: analysis is limited to three largest racial groups for ease of comparison. The city also employs 3 Asian employees and 2 who identify as "other"*
Further, it must be noted these figures only provide a broad snapshot of the city. They do not provide much meaningful insight into who (and how many) people are applying for each job, applicants' qualifications, salary levels, scope of responsibilities, distribution of leadership positions, or any number of other aspects involved in the hiring and employment process.
In a statement, Warner Robins human resources director Toni Graham said "we strive every day, in every situation, to make sure the City of Warner Robins' hiring procedures are in compliance with all hiring practices including all local state and federal laws."