Mayor Leslie McPherson says she is sending a letter to the city attorney, to be distributed to the City Council, City Manager and Deputy City Manager, demanding that the former mayor (Gil McDougal) resign or be removed as Deputy City Manager.
“I have also notified the Attorney General of our views on this issue,” McPherson said. “I call on former Mayor McDougal to do the right thing and step down. If he refuses to do so, it is my sincere hope that my colleagues on the city council will do the right thing, honor the vote that occurred in December, and promptly remove him.”
She says, if neither of those things occur, “We reserve the right to take legal action to enforce the Charter.”
McPherson issued the following press release and documents on Wednesday:
“I have heard from many voters in Villa Rica who are outraged that our former mayor, who was voted out of office by a 2-1 margin in December, has now been appointed as deputy city manager. Our view is that his appointment to this important city office violates the city charter, which prohibits a former mayor from holding an appointed office in the city for at least a year after leaving the Mayor’s office. Accordingly, today I have sent a letter to the city attorney, to be distributed to the City Council, City Manager and Deputy City Manager, demanding that the former mayor resign or be removed as Deputy City Manager. I have also notified the Attorney General of our views on this issue. I call on former Mayor McDougal to do the right thing and step down. If he refuses to do so, it is my sincere hope that my colleagues on the city council will do the right thing, honor the vote that occurred in December, and promptly remove him. If neither of those things occur, we reserve the right to take legal action to enforce the Charter.”
