Interim administrator: Steve who?
Last Updated on 12/1/2008
Published on 9/30/2008
By Tommy Howard
thoward@gtowntimes.com
Just days before Steve Thomas is due to depart from his job as administrator for the City of Georgetown, he's put his own name forward as a possible interim administrator.
Thomas survived an attempt to fire him earlier in the year, and then managed to work a deal with City Council to let him resign rather than be fired. His last day is to be Friday, and he is to get a $40,000 lump-sum payment as severance pay.
Today at noon, City Council will have a special meeting in City Hall to discuss hiring an interim administrator.
Names being circulated among members of Council include recently-retired Georgetown County Administrator Tommy Edwards, Miles Hadley of Columbia and Al Harvey, formerly of Newberry.
Along with those others, in a document obtained by the Georgetown Times, Thomas offered his services to the city.
He listed four options:
* Function without an interim and allow Mayor Lynn Wood Wilson and key staff members to oversee operations.
* Appoint a current staff member as an interim administrator.
* Call on the Municipal Association of South Carolina (MASC) to assign someone to the city as interim administrator.
* "Allow me [Thomas] to serve as interim (again) after October 3rd until Council has either selected another interim, selected the full time replacement, or I have accepted another position."
While no vote can be taken outside a meeting, at least three members of Council indicated their preference would be to use MASC to help find a replacement administrator on an interim basis.
Wilson will not be at the special meeting today, as he will be out of the country on a missions trip for two weeks. In his absence, Mayor Pro Tem Brendon Barber will conduct the meeting.
An ad for the vacancy has been posted on the city's Web site, http://cogsc.com. It gives the salary range for the administrator's job as $97,733 to $141,713. Deadline for applications is Nov. 1.
So far, city personnel have received several online applications and at least one hand-carried application for the permanent job as city administrator.
Wednesday's meeting begins at 12 p.m. in Council Chambers in City Hall. All City Council meetings are open to the public.
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Today is the deadline for Thomas. All that I can say is good-bye and good riddance, but I am sad that you can't take Lynn Wood, all of City Council, with the exception of Peggy Wayne, Sabrina Morris and Jessica Miller with you. Posted by Citizen on 10/3/2008
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Amen to Citizen! Of course, Barber has plenty of time on his hands. He works in the department of curriculum and instruction with the school district and doesn't even have a degree in education! I guess the school district could continue paying him while he cleans up the city. Maybe he would hire me as finance director. I'm pretty good at ciphering... Posted by Obama 08 on 10/2/2008
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AS A NEW COMER TO GEORGETOWN, THIS IS NOT LOOKING LIKE CITY COUNCIL KNOWS WHAT IT IS DOING....WHO IS THIS STEVE PERSON? SO FAR, I THINK EVERYONE THAT IS INVOLVED WITH THIS SHOULD BE FIRED. THIS KIND OF BICKERING LOOKS BAD FOR THE WHOLE CITY! Posted by NEW COMER on 10/2/2008
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To Xuhong: I have had personal dealings with Brendan Barber and know that he is not to be trusted. I fear for our City that when Lynn Wood's "tour of duty" is over, for whatever reasons, Brendan may be our next Mayor and we need to nip this in the bud before that happens. Posted by citizen on 10/2/2008
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citizen-I have agreed with that sentiment for years now, but I wonder why you bring it up now. What occurred that makes you say that? Posted by xuhong gaio on 10/2/2008
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You get exactly what you voted for. Why is everyone so upset? Posted by Highmarket and Cannon on 10/1/2008
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He has got to playing with a deck of 51. I bet he has never won a game of solitare. Posted by Crawfish on 10/1/2008
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Everyone needs to be leary of Brendan Barber!! He needs to be stopped before he gets started. Posted by citizen on 10/1/2008
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When is all this madness coming to an end? Will it be when re-election time rolls around again and the Mayor and most of City Council will not be re-elected? What is wrong with YOU people: Mayor and ALL City Council members?? Steve Thomas has either been guaranteed the position by Lynn Wood, the same as he and Lynn Wood told the Pin Oaks developer not to worry about being able to obtain certain permits, or does he think the Mayor and ALL City Council members are STUPID?? What is Jessica Miller-the current unqualified CITY FINANCE DIRECTOR, trying to hide? Do these people need to be investigated?? Posted by g'town resident on 10/1/2008
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I agree with these posts. What are they hiding at City Hall? As a government employee it is standard operating procedure to do an audit when an administrator leaves. This is for the city's protection. One was done when Tommy Edwards left. The fact that the finance director does not want one should be a big red flag for Council. This is the same finance director that Lynwood put into position(not Qualified) and the same one that had the city credit card stolen from her vehicle. You haven't seen that in the Georgetown Times. Council is stupid and Steve Thomas knows it. They have no backbone. Wake up Council. Posted by Fed up on 10/1/2008
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If this man is this out of it ,he should have been fired long ago. How disfunctional or disoriented can one person be.How impossible that he does not understand what being fired means. Council was very weak in allowing him to resign as apparently this man does not comprehend that the citizens and council had lost confidence in him and staff. Council should have suppported Peggy Wayne when she first made the motion to fire him rather than let this comedy continue. Posted by registered voter/char on 10/1/2008
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Steve Thomas just admit to your faults!!! Then get out of Georgetown for good!!! Posted by rAw on 10/1/2008
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Mr. Thomas should not even be present during this discussion but since its public I suppose he can. The council should not solicit his opinion on this. He is just not getting it , that his sour grapes towards MASC is obvious. As a retiree, I have heard he is trying to change the city's insurance plan and that scares me! the Mayor and others who are on the health plan should be frightened as well. Posted by old timer on 10/1/2008
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How brazen of Mr thomas. Does he not get it? If I was asked to resign why would I think they would want me to be the interim!!!!!!!! Skeletons???? The Mayor and some city staff must need time to really hide what they have been doing, yes check the credit card statements,DUH no audit needed it would all be right there. Posted by long time resident on 9/30/2008
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