Fired College Park employees allege retaliation for upholding ethics

City holds grievance hearings with former employees

Three fired College Park employees say their terminations were unjust and they want their jobs back. Two of the three employees had grievance hearings with city officials Thursday. Four firings came a day after the city manager was hired last month.

ATLANTA - Two former College Park employees say they were unfairly terminated without explanation and believe they were fired in retaliation for refusing to engage in unethical conduct.

What they're saying:

Former Code Enforcement Supervisor Jerry Silver and former Director of Human Resources and Risk Management Rose Stewart appeared for grievance hearings Thursday at City Hall, seeking answers about their dismissals and pushing for reinstatement.

"No, I didn’t get any answers nor any satisfaction," Silver said following the hearing.

Silver and Stewart were among four employees abruptly terminated last month by interim City Manager Lindell Miller—just one day after the previous city manager, Emanuel Adediran, was let go. The employees say they had no prior disciplinary actions and had dedicated themselves fully to their roles.

"I gave 100% every day. I was here until 6 p.m. most nights making sure everything was done properly," Stewart said.

Both employees say they were pressured to bend city rules and carry out unethical tasks, including promoting or hiring unqualified candidates and issuing baseless disciplinary actions. They refused—and believe that refusal cost them their jobs.

"It was unjust because I wouldn’t do unethical things," Silver said. "I wouldn’t write someone up if there was not a violation to write up."

Stewart said she was told she could not question the interim city manager or the city’s attorney during the hearing. Her only point of contact was Human Resources Director Krystal Gilbert.

"I asked her, ‘Do you know of any violations I have committed against the city?’ and she said no," Stewart recalled.

Miller has 15 days to issue a decision on the grievances. If denied, Silver and Stewart plan to appeal to the mayor and city council.

"There were issues within the job duties of being coerced to hire or promote certain employees who were not qualified," Stewart said. "I would not do that."

The other side:

Meanwhile, former City Manager Adediran has hired an attorney and is weighing his legal options.

College Park officials have not commented on the terminations or pending grievances.

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