‘Completely shady’: Clayton council member, mayor criticize hiring of new town manager
A Clayton Town Council member and the mayor this week called the appointment of a long-time town contractor as the new town manager a “buddy-system” hire that wasted taxpayers’ money and lacked transparency.
The Town Council voted 4-1 to appoint interim Town Manager J.D. Solomon to the position full-time Monday night, even though Solomon originally didn’t apply for the job and the council was reviewing other candidates. His salary to manage the town of about 23,000 people will be $196,000 a year.
“I’m not in favor of this,” Mayor Jody McLeod said. “I don’t think it’s a wise move. I think it’s blowing money.
“I think if J.D. wanted this job he should have applied for it. He would have risen to the top like the cream of the crop always does, McLeod said. “I think we are giving a man a job, and I think it sets a very poor example for the town of Clayton employees to know now that it’s not what you know, but who you know. And that’s coming from the top.”
Solomon was appointed to the position on an interim basis after then-Town Manager Adam Lindsay abruptly resigned in August. He received a severance payment of about $173,000 — his annual salary.
In a news release about his appointment, he said he was humbled and encouraged by the support.
“We have made good progress on tough issues over the last four months,” he said. “And there are more issues that need attention. We need more time and we need to keep the momentum. Clayton is my home. Clayton is my commitment.”
He struck a similar tone during the Monday meeting before the council discussed appointing him to the position.
“From a town perspective, I think it’s a good thing because of the momentum that we have on a couple of different fronts,” Solomon said. “I’ve got a bunch of issues I’m not going to bore you with, but I’ve got a list of about 14 or 15 that are in mid-stride right now. But we would lose a lot of momentum to switch.”
Consultant had submitted candidates
Council member Avery Everett, who voted against appointing Solomon, said he was left out of discussions about appointing him to the top position. The council wasn’t on the same page after a previous meeting where the council reviewed candidates submitted by a consultant, he said. The town paid $18,000 for the contract.
“How this all played out is completely shady,” he said.
“We just had a discussion together that if you want this position, everybody must go through the process,” Everett said. “Why I was left out of that meeting I’m not really sure, but this is a buddy system at its best. And if we as a council are seeking to enhance our image, build trust and always have the best interest for Clayton, now and in the future, this is not a path I am willing to take.”
If the town didn’t hire Solomon, it could fall behind on a number of projects, said Council member Art Holder who voted in favor of appointing Solomon.
“I’ve given this a lot of thought since it first came up,” he said. “I’ve analyzed everything’s going on (and) what’s best for the town of Clayton and what direction we should go in.”
Both Everett and McLeod said they liked Solomon and weren’t criticizing him, but they said the town needed to follow the process it outlined.
“If we are going to change and be better than we were before we’re going to have to step out of our comfort zone period,” Everett said. “And it’s not doing the same things or having the same people just moving around in positions or having a buddy system because we cut off the process just because you guys felt comfortable with JD.”
“The way this was done is not showing me credibility among my council members and, to be honest with you, it pisses me off that I am even sitting here having to say this,” he said.
‘You have blown $18,000’
McLeod asked Holder to explain how the city would be behind if it didn’t pick Solomon. Holder said it could be March before someone else was hired with no guarantee “he would be as strong as J.D. is in the job right now.”
“I do not believe we have done our due diligence as a board in hiring a new manager,” McLeod said. “I think to Councilman Everett’s point, you have blown $18,000 and thrown that information in a trash can. And I think that’s tough for people who are having a hard time right now making ends meet.”
Mayor Pro Tem Jason Thompson reviewed the applicants for the job and said Solomon was still the best choice based on his years of contractual work with the city.
“I feel comfortable that I have had the opportunity to review his work performance and to know what we are getting,” Thompson said. “And, especially, after the time I spent this weekend reviewing our list of candidates that were presented to us. I feel very comfortable in the decision.”
But McLeod said Thompson wasn’t interested in reviewing during the closed session portion of the meeting.
“Two weeks ago it didn’t matter how strong the pool was. Nobody cared,” McLeod said. “It was just ‘Time to end the contract. We’re going to go with J.D.’ So in all fairness and transparency to the public listening and watching this I think they need to know the full extent of how everything played out.”
Solomon’s permanent contract begins Feb. 1, 2021.
This story was originally published January 7, 2021 at 12:17 PM.
