COLLEGE PARK, Ga. — A College Park city executive says he was forced to resign after uncovering taxpayer dollars being improperly spent.
Former Procurement Manager Jerrel Jones shared a copy of the letter he sent demanding answers to Channel 2’s Tyisha Fernandes.
He told her that ever since his first day on the job nine months ago, he’s felt uneasy at city hall because some council members and other managers didn’t follow the rules for spending money.
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“One of the reasons it was rocky in the beginning, because I’m dealing with a city now that did not abide by policies at all,” Jones said.
He said when he started working for the City of College Park, he assumed his job duties would be the same as other cities he’s worked for.
“Procurement is basically the department who makes sure the city stays in compliance. We handle all the contracts, solicitations, Procurement purchase orders,” he explained.
About six months in, the city manager who hired him, Lindell Miller, was forced to resign during a city council meeting because she says she refused to violate city policy.
“If they did it to the city manager on live TV, then the chief quits, your finance director walks up out of here, those are like your four, these are your positions of power,” he said. “I was waiting my turn.”
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He says that day came about two weeks ago when he says Interim City Manager Michael Hicks forced him to resign.
Jones says he refused to break the rules by allowing Hicks to approve big contracts without the council’s permission.
According to College Park’s purchasing policies and procedures, “the mayor and council shall approve all contracts when the sum is greater than or equal to $10,000.”
Fernandes reached out to Mayor Bianca Motley Broom, Hicks and other council members, but only received a statement from Mayor Broom.
“His allegations are deeply troubling. This is the second grievance brought by a former employee in recent weeks, and it comes on top of the concerns raised by former City Manager Lindell Miller. Given the pattern and seriousness of all of these allegations, I again stress the need for an independent agency to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation…,” she wrote in a statement.
There is no word on whether an independent investigation will be completed.
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