In the scope of one day, Danielsville city employees were reduced from nine to just four.
City clerk Connie Riley, public works superintendent Scott Anglin and police chief Rodney Christian were all fired Friday, May 6. Assistant clerk Becky Delay resigned May 6 after hearing of the firings, and police officer Steve Gary also resigned, though it is unclear when he did so.
Danielsville Mayor Philip Croya said this week that he was responsible for the dismissals.
“It was my decision,” said Croya. “I am over personnel. If I decide to terminate people, that’s my decision. I do get input from the council, but I can’t go solely on that. I’m the one who has to make the tough calls.”
The Danielsville City Council backed Croya’s decision May 9 at its regular council meeting, voting unanimously to ratify the dismissals.
Croya said the dismissals were based on the inability of the employees to adapt to a new council and administration. Croya said that when new elected officials take office, they often get rid of the old staff and bring in new workers. He said that wasn’t done in Danielsville and that the relationship between the employees and their elected supervisors just didn’t work out over time.
“None of the three are bad employees,” said Croya. “The changes we put in place, they’re used to doing things a certain way, and they had a hard time coming around. They’re not bad people.”
The mayor said he’d be glad to offer recommendations to the dismissed employees as they seek employment elsewhere.
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for those people,” said Croya. “But it’s time for us to go our separate ways. They’re mad now, but I think one day they’ll understand that he was pretty fair. We just didn’t click and we all have to click.”
While Croya spoke of a generally strained relationship between employees and a new council, his letters of termination to the three employees cited specific reasons for their termination.
In Riley’s termination letter, Croya said the city clerk purchased a $1,500 cemetery software program in violation of a recently passed spending policy. Croya said Monday that Riley purchased the software, then canceled the order.
Riley denied that she made any such purchase and pointed out that the purchase of the software was on Monday’s business meeting agenda for the council to decide whether or not they wanted to purchase it.
“I did not spend this money,” Riley said. “There was no money spent for this and no contract signed.”
Riley said she was instructed to let the software company know the city was still interested and to “nail down a price” but that no money was spent or promised by her on behalf of the city.
“I will miss working with the citizens of Danielsville,” Riley said this week. “I enjoyed the job and enjoyed the people very much.”
The first thing former police chief Christian said he knew about his termination was Friday morning about 10:30 a.m. when he texted Mayor Croya on his cell phone that he would need to get off by 2 p.m. Friday to do something with his children.
Croya texted back that he needed Christian to be in the office by 4:30 p.m. Friday for a meeting. Christian said he had not been notified of a meeting prior to that time and told Croya, by text, that he would not be able to make it and asked what the meeting was about.
According to Christian, Croya then called him and informed him he was fired and needed to clean out his office and turn in his weapons to the sheriff’s office.
Christian said he asked “why” again and was told he was being terminated due to “solicitation of a vehicle from Brooks Williams” (of Williams Auto Sales) and “not doing what you’re told to do.”
Williams Auto Sales was on Monday night’s agenda asking for a conditional use permit to relocate its car sales lot.
Christian had not received a copy of his termination letter as of Monday but was provided one by the Journal, which made an open records request for the documents after city attorney Dale Perry contacted the paper Friday to notify the public of the dismissals.
“First of all, it is common practice for (law enforcement) to ask for donated materials,” Christian said after reading the letter, adding that he had made the request of Williams for a vehicle to be donated to the police office earlier this year, before any mention of a conditional use request by the car dealer.
“I would like to let the people of Danielsville know how proud I have been to serve as their police chief for the last five years and that I so much appreciate the support of both citizens and visitors,” Christian said. “Since this happened so many people have stopped me or come by to say they can’t believe it and are sorry to see me go – that makes me feel good.”
Croya said that both Christian and Anglin are mad about how they were fired. But the mayor said both Christian and Anglin refused to meet with him in person Friday as he requested. He said city employees prefer to communicate with him via text message, rather than face-to-face or by phone.
“They didn’t want to speak to me directly,” said Croya of the employees. “They wanted to text.”
City waterworks supervisor Anglin said he received a text from Mayor Croya about 2 p.m. Friday which said, “Turn in your keys and anything that belongs to the city.”
“That was the way he told me I was fired,” Anglin said.
Anglin said he had not received his letter of dismissal as of May 9. He was shown a copy by The Journal.
In the letter Mayor Croya stated that Anglin had not obtained “the licenses necessary to operate the water and sewer systems of the city of Danielsville” and that he was told “in no uncertain terms that obtaining these licenses was important, urgent and that your continued employment as department head was conditioned on your obtaining these licenses.”
“I never received anything in writing saying I needed these licenses,” Anglin said after reading the letter. “All that was left was for me to schedule the test.”
Anglin said tests are given by the state every other month.
“I loved the job,” Anglin said. “I enjoyed going out, checking on the elderly and others during ice storms and in other situations.”
Anglin said he often used his personal vehicle on work-related storm calls, even picking up fellow employees during the most recent snowstorm.
Croya said he knows the dismissals will be perceived as “a mess.” But he said he wants citizens to understand that he and the city council are working hard to ensure that citizens get the best services possible.
“I want citizens to know that they elected me to do a job and I’m going to do that job,” said Croya. “It’s a little bit of a mess now, but we’re on top of it and taking care of that. We’re getting people to work for us who will do what needs to be done. We have a good team at the council table and we’re working well together. We’re on the same page.”
A fool who is going to get fired. What's up with people? No wonder some folks can't keep a job.
It disturbs me that an elected official, knowing the state of the economy and the difficulty of finding jobs today, would just fire employees so abruptly. It seems he would spend time working out the problems first. My heart goes out to these who have served in these public offices and now need to find jobs!! I would pursue legal action if I were in their shoes.
I imagine Mayor Croya was attempting to let the terminated employees know of the impending letters of termination, which would be public record on that Monday, as a curtesy warning.
There's a lot of he said/she said in all this and I don't know exactly what the truth is, but it seems clear Mr. Anglin was not certified to do his job and that Mr. Christian created a questionable set of circumstances that hark back to the good 'ole boy days. Also, I don't see how one can accuse Mayor Croya of maintaining a good 'ole boys culture when he noted the conflict of interest between Mr. Christian and Mr. Williams.
"Croya TEXTED back that he needed Christian to be in the office by 4:30 p.m. Friday for a meeting. Christian said he had not been notified of a meeting prior to that time and told Croya, by text, that he would not be able to make it and asked what the meeting was about.
According to Christian, Croya then CALLED him and informed him he was fired and needed to clean out his office and turn in his weapons to the sheriff’s office."
"But the mayor said both Christian and Anglin refused to meet with him in person Friday as he requested. He said city employees prefer to communicate with him VIA TEXT MESSAGE, rather than face-to-face or by phone."
If you are county employee at 2:11 PM on time or on break. I ask this as thought someone somewhere mentioned you county employee. IF they were wrong or if I am wrong than I apologize now.
'Nuff said!