Athens-Clarke County Auditor Accuses Mayor and Manager of Intimidation

Athens-Clarke County Internal Auditor Stephanie Maddox has accused Mayor Kelly Girtz and ACC Manager Blaine Williams of intimidating and discriminatory conduct that has subjected her to a hostile work environment.

“I have endured [for] almost three years in October the most traumatic experiences of my life,” Maddox said at a news conference Tuesday organized by the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement.

Maddox said she filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint last year alleging that she was confronted by Girtz and Williams after filing an open records request for ACC’s 2018 Compensation and Pay Study. Her request was unrelated to any ongoing audit. She said she wanted to read the report and explain it to her employees who may have had questions about their salaries after not receiving pay raises, and she also viewed it as a potential audit down the road. The incident is evidence of a “culture of manipulation” and “lack of transparency” within the local government, she said.

Maddox said was pressured into withdrawing the request by Williams, who she said confronted her and backed her against a wall as he accused her of wasting staff time and requesting the report for selfish reasons.

Read more: https://flagpole.com/featured/2021/06/10/acc-auditor-accuses-mayor-and-manager-of-intimidation/