PDF: Curtis Adams' memo to other commissioners
When Hamilton County Commissioner Curtis Adams takes over as Crossville, Tenn.'s new city manager, he will be one of the highest paid managers in city history, records show.
And one Crossville City Councilman now says he questions how Mr. Adams was hired.
Mr. Adams, who is scheduled to leave the County Commission on May 14, will make $105,000 in Crossville, a salary higher than the $103,854 retiring City Manager Ted Meadows earned.
It's also a higher salary than Mr. Meadows' predecessor, Jack Miller, who held the post for eight years. The Crossville City Clerk's office said Mr. Miller held a Ph.D. in public administration.
Mr. Adams, who does not have a college degree, has not returned calls seeking comment.
Councilman Jesse Kerley said he did not know why Mr. Adams' pay was higher than previous city managers. He feels Mr. Adams' hiring was a foregone conclusion.
"I feel it was a done deal," Mr. Kerley said. "I questioned in the work session (where) we interviewed Curtis Adams why we weren't interviewing other people."
Councilman Earl Dean said he did not know how Mr. Adams' salary was determined. He said he wanted to seek other applicants, but decided to hire Mr. Adams after the interview.
Mayor J.H. Graham III said Mr. Adams was offered $105,000 because that's what he believed Mr. Meadows made. He said other councilmen's statements about the hiring process were their own opinion and noted the council unanimously supported hiring Mr. Adams.
Mr. Graham said Mr. Adams will not be eligible for retirement benefits.
Attempts Monday to reach other councilmen were unsuccessful.
Mr. Adams' hiring at Crossville raised several questions. Crossville City Councilman Boyd Wyatt might have committed an ethics violation by not disclosing that he contributed $1,000 to Mr. Adams' 2006 county commission campaign when he voted to hire Mr. Adams, Crossville City Attorney Kenneth Chadwell said.
When he announced he was going to take over the job, Mr. Adams said he never had met any of the councilmen who voted to hire him. He later clarified that by saying he never met with the council the night he was hired.
Mr. Adams also said the city had contacted him about the position, but Mr. Graham last week said Mr. Adams called him about the job.
Mr. Adams sent a memo to fellow Hamilton County commissioners that attempted to clarify the record. In the memo, dated April 8, Mr. Adams said, "I am not a stranger to Crossville" and said the contributions of Mr. Wyatt and Crossville Realty President Dean Bennett were not "shady" or "secretive."
On Monday, Mr. Graham again said it was Mr. Adams who called him about the job opening. He said he had met Mr. Adams before the city manager's position becoming available, but it was an information-gathering session about "how to bring jobs to Crossville."
"I'm very, very pleased that (Mr. Adams called me about the job)," Mr. Graham said. "I believe he's going to be one of the best city managers in the state of Tennessee."
Staff writer Chris Carroll contributed to this story.
Continue reading by following these links to related stories:
Article: Crossville mayor, Adams tell two stories about job
Article: Finance forms show Adams has Crossville connections
Article: What commissioners will do with Adams' seat is a mystery