In a stunning move, Athens-Clarke County Manager Blaine Williams resigned at Wednesday’s commission meeting.
Following a closed session to discuss personnel matters, Mayor Kelly Girtz added an item releasing Williams from his contract to the end of the five-hour meeting. His contract had been renewed unanimously for two years in June 2023. He had served as manager—the top appointed position in the local government who oversees day-to-day operations—since 2016.
“My decision to resign is driven by a sincere desire to explore new opportunities for personal and professional growth, and to be with my family,” Williams told the commission.
Williams has also been under pressure from conservatives locally and beyond since the murder of Laken Riley made Athens the epicenter of debate over crime and the border.
“Chaos agents” and conspiracy theorists are trying to undermine democratic institutions and lead the country into fascism, Commissioner Melissa Link said. “Unfortunately, those agents have gotten a hold of forces within this community, even within this government, and I’m sorry to see that you’ve become the target of that, and some of the rest of us have become the target of that.”
Four commissioners from the group’s more progressive faction—Link, Jesse Houle, Carol Myers and Patrick Davenport—wished Williams well and said they regret his departure. Other commissioners—including Ovita Thornton, who moved to accept his resignation, and Dexter Fisher, who seconded—had nothing to say.
“I’m really disappointed that this is where we’ve landed as a community and as a government and as a body. I completely understand Manager Williams’ reasons for being where we are,” Houle said.
“You’ve done a heck of a job. Like, an amazing job,” Houle added, addressing Williams. “I came into this role deeply suspicious of you and staff generally, and really had my mind changed from a consistently fantastic job. And I think there’s a lot of things that this government does, and especially this body does, that puts staff and most especially the manager’s office in a really difficult position. And I’ve seen you navigate that over and over again with grace and humility and integrity. I think it’s a shame that narratives persist in the community that might indicate otherwise.”
Myers said she would support Williams’ resignation only reluctantly because of unnamed causes that led to it. “This is a loss for the government and the community. I only wish you the best, and I just feel so sad that we’re here with this tonight,” she said.
Davenport said he did not always see eye to eye with Williams, but that he appreciated his candor. “I know God is going to bless you, because you deserve it,” he told Williams. “You are a great man, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
Williams declined to comment until a news release is issued Thursday morning. Terms of the separation were not immediately available.
From his perspective, Girtz told Flagpole that Williams’ resignation had been percolating for a couple of weeks. Williams is widely respected among mayors and other local government officials, and will have no shortage of job opportunities, Girtz said.
The mayor said he would recommend an interim manager for commission approval at a called meeting Friday, June 14. The likeliest candidate is Niki Jones, whom Williams recently promoted to deputy manager after the departure of Josh Edwards, who served as assistant manager alongside Jones.
After an interim manager is named, Girtz said he would initiate a nationwide search for a new manager, which he expects to wrap up sometime around the end of the year. The interim manager will be expected to fill at least two vacant assistant manager positions—including one new one in the fiscal 2025 budget the commission also approved Wednesday—on an interim basis, Girtz said.
In a brief speech, Williams said he is proud of navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, withstanding subsequent employee attrition, expanding the county’s trail network and acquiring a rock quarry that will provide the city’s water supply for the next 100 years.
“This all reflects a team that’s genuinely caring about the well being of its residents,” he said. “I’m not sure you [the mayor and commission] get thanked enough for that. I’m not sure our staff does either.”
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