Griffin's Board of Commissioners voted 4-3 Tuesday to fire City Manager Jessica O'Connor without cause, an abrupt move that came after commissioners heard a presentation on a Griffin Police Department policy compliance report and then entered executive session. The vote immediately triggered an emergency leadership plan for Georgia's Spalding County seat, and forced the cancellation of Griffin Municipal Court sessions set for Thursday morning.
The meeting was originally called to hear the police policy presentation before commissioners moved into executive session to discuss personnel, according to 11Alive. Coming out of that closed-door session, the board voted to terminate O'Connor, and as FOX 5 Atlanta reported, two assistant city managers were tapped to handle her responsibilities on a temporary basis.
Emergency Resolution Splits Power Between Two Deputies
Following the firing, commissioners passed an Emergency Resolution temporarily vesting executive charter authority jointly in Assistant City Manager of Utilities Jennifer Freeman and Assistant City Manager of Development Services Kelsey Carden, per the 11Alive report. That joint authority was set to expire at 9 a.m. Thursday, when commissioners scheduled a called meeting to consider naming an interim city manager, according to the same account.
The disruption reached beyond city hall's org chart. The scheduling crunch forced the cancellation of Griffin Municipal Court sessions set for Thursday morning, the outlet noted, underscoring how quickly the leadership vacuum rippled into day-to-day city operations.
A Century-Old System, A Fast-Moving Exit
O'Connor had served as Griffin's city manager since April 2021. She holds a law degree from Samford University's Cumberland School of Law, is a member of the Georgia Bar, and is the current chairperson of the City Attorneys’ Section of the Georgia Municipal Association and a vice-chair of the State Bar of Georgia, according to background published by the City of Griffin. The city has operated under a Commission/City Manager form of government continuously since 1918, when E.P. Bridges was appointed as Griffin's first city manager — a structure that has anchored municipal administration in the city for more than a century, per the city's own account.
Griffin's governing body is made up of seven members: Mayor Doug Hollberg and six district commissioners representing geographically defined voting districts, according to city records.
Open-Records Tensions Preceded The Vote
Because O'Connor was terminated without cause, the specific grievances behind the majority vote have not been made public.
Her ouster also lands amid broader friction over transparency at city hall. Towaliga News reported in September on public controversy involving the City of Griffin's handling of Georgia Open Records Act requests, including allegations of delayed disclosures and omitted public documents.
Police Oversight History Looms Over The Timing
The police compliance presentation that immediately preceded O'Connor's firing follows years of commission involvement in law enforcement oversight. The GRIP reported that commissioners voted in November 2022 to authorize a third-party operational assessment of the Griffin Police Department.
Commissioners were set to meet Thursday to decide on an interim city manager, a decision that will determine who steadies Griffin's administration once the emergency joint authority granted to Freeman and Carden expires.
