Athens-Clarke Commissioners remain tight-lipped after the sudden firing of County Auditor Stephanie Maddox on Friday. In sharp contrast to most meetings of the Mayor and Commission, which can last upwards of two or more hours, the special called session on Friday was barely half an hour long, and most of that time was spent in closed executive session.
When Commissioners returned to the public eye, they dispensed with the meeting’s only item quickly. Commissioner Allison Wright’s motion to fire Maddox was immediately voted upon without any discussion from Commissioners. The motion to fire Maddox passed unanimously, 8 - 0. Commissioners Mike Hamby and Ovita Thornton were not present.
Since then, several lawmakers have declined to comment, citing confidentiality around personnel issues.
Maddox issued a statement saying in part, "My state of mind is not about me directly. I am immensely disappointed with what is not so obvious.”
Maddox’s tenure as a county employee has been rocky in the past few years. She has filed complaints against Mayor Kelly Girtz and County Manager Blaine Williams accusing the two of discrimination and harassment. An independent investigation into Maddox’s allegations is still ongoing. Maddox’s critics have pointed to her performance as auditor, and that her office is significantly behind on producing regular audits of county departments.
