PDF: Whitson Evaluation PDF: Whitson Contract
Former East Ridge City Manager William Whitson recently received a glowing evaluation from his five employers on the East Ridge City Council, except for one small detail.
According to the May evaluation, Whitson never mastered the art of submitting “complete and accurate information equally to all (councilmen) in a timely manner.”
Whitson resigned Aug. 9 after he revealed a $657,000 budget deficit that some councilmen say they never knew about.
His professional history reveals similar conflicts in Cairo, Ga., the city he managed from 2006 to 2008.
“There were things he did where the information wasn’t run by any of us,” longtime Cairo Councilman Jimmy Douglas said Wednesday. “We asked him to resign.”
Whitson could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Cairo Mayor Richard VanLandingham said his city has a $35 million budget mostly sustained by government-run utilities including electricity, water and cable packages.
“(Whitson) ended up lacking experience in the key areas that we needed,” the mayor said.
In his February 2009 application to East Ridge, Whitson never mentioned his resignation from Cairo. Douglas and VanLandingham said no one from East Ridge asked the council about Whitson’s two years in Cairo.
In East Ridge, two councilmen said they didn’t know about the $657,000 deficit until they read a legal notice published in the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
WHAT’S NEXTMeeting to discuss budget cuts tonight at 6:30 at East Ridge City Hall.
At an Aug. 3 meeting, Whitson said he knew about the shortfall for several months before he said anything about it. He resigned six days later.
Whitson will receive about $62,000 in severance and insurance benefits over seven months, but his contract doesn’t dictate any sort of payment plan in the case of his resignation.
His contract with East Ridge provides justification for severance pay only if Whitson is “terminated by East Ridge during such time as Whitson is willing and able to perform his duties.”
But at last week’s council meeting, Mayor Mike Steele said a “buyout” occurred even though Whitson submitted a letter of resignation. He never described the situation in detail.
Attempts to reach Steele on Wednesday were unsuccessful.
In addition, attempts to obtain a copy of Whitson’s resignation letter were denied by city officials, who cited “attorney-client confidentiality” issues.