AVONDALE ESTATES, Ga., Oct. 23, 2019 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — 2019 Candidate for Mayor and former City Manager Clai Brown (https://claibrownformayor.com/) has issued the following statement to ensure Avondale Estates citizens have access to facts on matters that may determine their November 5 election-day decisions about the future of their unique city and community.
“As anyone who has known me during my decade-long tenure as Avondale Estates city manager will tell you, I am not a hothead. I do not seek out confrontation, and I do not relish pointing out the mistakes of others. It’s just not how I was raised, so I’ve remained quiet when confronted with disinformation and personal attacks about my decision to resign in 2017 and an employment contract over which I had zero influence. Perhaps too quiet for my own good. My faith that truth ultimately triumphs comes from the values I learned as a child. Plus, I’ve always enjoyed the old adage that ‘No good comes from wrestling with a pig. You’ll both get dirty, but the pig enjoys it.’
However, last weekend I changed my mind, because I realized that the absence of a factual account does not begin with the events leading up to and culminating in my resignation, but hails all the way back to my initial employment agreement with the City and through the annual employee review cycle during which my tenure was brought before the board, praised explicitly and extended. My conviction that truth prevails is unwavering, but my commitment to transparency and to the loyalty of my family, friends, supporters and neighbors demands that I speak out now.
My 2017 decision to resign was based primarily on my concern that elected officials, whether by ignorance or naivete, were not adhering to the City Charter and in particular to Section 2.30 related to Commission interference with administration. The official with authority to correct the situation failed to do so. My decision was painful, but ethically unavoidable, as I felt I had explored every alternative for resolving the issues. Frankly, I no longer had the conviction that I could do what was best for my hometown in the role of City Manager.
Not only was it time for me to go, it was also time for me to seek another role from which I could lead effectively. From my perspective, Avondale Estates may be growing and modernizing, but that does not mean it must shed long-standing traditions of transparency, integrity, trust or adherence to documented governing principles.
I think we can agree that we need them now more than ever.
In the aftermath of my resignation and the unintended conflict that arose as our residents struggled to understand decisions made out of public view, claims emerged that my employment agreement, including terms related to resignation and early retirement, were secretive, murky and probably unethical on my part. As common sense would dictate, city employees cannot approve the terms of their own employment. My only involvement in the terms of my hiring was possessing a valuable skillset and loyalty to a budget-conscious municipality poised for unprecedented change. The city of Avondale Estates made its offer, and I accepted the job as a career decision in line with my experience and skills.
It is that simple. The spurious assertion that I manipulated or conspired to influence my employment contract with Avondale Estates either at the time of my hiring or at any juncture prior to my resignation offends my family’s reputation and can easily be disproven by reading public record.
I encourage every resident of our unique community who has questions or concerns about my record as City Manager of Avondale Estates and my vision for the future of our city to visit https://claibrownformayor.com/.
Further, I urge our residents to RSVP to one or more of the remaining hosted community events where you can learn more about why I believe I am the most qualified candidate to become the next mayor of Avondale Estates – the city I am proud to call my hometown.”
Visit the Clai Brown for Mayor website to RSVP for one of these Meet & Greet opportunities to discuss these issues with Clai one-to-one:
- 10/27: 4-5:30 p.m.
- 10/29: 7-8:30 p.m.
- 11/1: 7-8:30 p.m.
If you have any questions, please contact Clai at claibrownformayor@gmail.com or by telephone at 404-963-6108.
Paid for by Clai Brown for Mayor.
News Source: Clai Brown for Mayor