Athens-Clarke County’s Auditor, Stephanie Maddox, is out of a job. The decision came at a last-minute special session of the ACC Mayor and Commission on Friday evening.
After a closed session to debate the move, Commissioners returned to a public session and voted unanimously to terminate Maddox’s employment with the county. The motion to fire Maddox came from District 4 Commissioner Allison Wright, with District 8's Carol Myers providing a second. Seven commissioners were present in the chamber at City Hall, with District 1's Patrick Davenport joining remotely. Commissioners Mike Hamby and Ovita Thornton were not present.
Maddox's firing is the latest installment in a three-year saga that involved allegations of harassment and discrimination from Maddox against both ACC Mayor Kelly Girtz and County Manager Blaine Williams. Critics of Maddox have pointed to the anemic number of audits coming from her office in recent years.
In recent weeks, a report from the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing by Williams, but hinted at the existence of a hostile work environment in Maddox’s office. A second investigation looking deeper into Maddox’s charges is expected to wrap up soon.
Video from the public portion of last night’s Commission meeting is available on the county’s YouTube page.
