Writer: Hadley Cottingham
Published December 23, 2021
NowHabersham
At Monday’s Habersham County Commission meeting, Cornelia attorney and outspoken critic of Habersham County government, Doug McDonald, called on Interim County Manager Alicia Vaughn to publicly state why she abruptly resigned her job as Catoosa County manager in April.
“I understand Ms. Vaughn is reported to have left Catoosa County as county manager abruptly, going into the office, putting her keys down, and saying she’s leaving,” McDonald said during public comments Monday. “[She] did not leave a 30-day notice— left money on the table — because if she herself was going to be terminated for cause, she’s not entitled to severance pay. If she left on her own, she left $50,000 to $60,000, or a percentage of her salary, laying on the table.”
Vaughn is one of three finalists in Habersham’s county manager search led by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government (CVI/CVIOG) at the University of Georgia. Following candidate interviews on Dec. 20 and a two-week waiting period, the county commission will vote on their pick for the permanent county manager position in a special called meeting on Jan. 4, 2022.
“I would be very pleased if she would state tonight why she left so it can be clear,” McDonald said. “The people are entitled to know.”
Neither Vaughn nor Catoosa County have publicly shared why she resigned from her position. However, the Habersham County Board of Commissioners is aware of the reason.
“The question has been answered satisfactorily as far as I’m concerned,” Newly-election District 5 Commissioner Ty Akins told McDonald. “You may never get that answer, but I did.”
Vaughn did not state at the meeting why she resigned from her position as county manager, but she did encourage McDonald to reach out to her to discuss any concerns he had.
“My desire is to have an open-door policy and I want to express my willingness to be available to Mr. McDonald and any citizen to discuss any concerns they may have regarding the county and its operations,” Vaughn tells Now Habersham. “I have shared my cell phone number with Mr. McDonald in the past and hope he will reach out to me.”
