Villa Rica City Manager Danny Mabry is still planning to take the same position with Bowdon in a few weeks, but the council is working to address the perceived issues that led to his abrupt resignation last Friday after just 18 months.

An special called meeting was held Wednesday morning - which quickly went into executive session - to discuss Mabry’s departure and the reasons behind it. More than 30 city employees were present at the meeting, the majority wearing black in support of Mabry.

After his resignation was official, Mabry publicly said it was a “lifestyle decision” based on a re-evaluation of his personal and professional priorities. However, some members of the council believed the issue goes much deeper and has led to the search for the fifth city manager in less than a decade.

After receiving Mabry’s resignation, Mayor J. Collins said he believed the cause was some elected officials not abiding by their roles in municipal government. In fact, before Wednesday’s meeting began, he passed the gavel to Mayor Pro Tem Verland Best after making a statement that alluded to why he believes the city lost what some employees described “the best city manager the city has ever had.”

“I will not be part of this, what I would call, raping of local government any longer,” Collins said. “I feel like that there are certain individuals I have served with over the last several years who have maybe overstepped their bounds time and time again, and I’m sick and tired of it.”

About 15 minutes into nearly an hour-long executive session, Mabry was summoned to the meeting. However, once the council reconvened, it was Best who addressed those in attendance.

“During executive session, we discussed many issues that were brought about, and I understand I am partly to blame, or maybe totally to blame (for Mabry’s departure),” Best said. “My actions were never to undermine Mr. Mabry. My actions have always been for the city and will continue to be for the city, but there are some situations that I avail myself to that are not going to happen anymore.

“I’m looking for the city to grow and prosper and I want to be a major part of it. I don’t want to tear the city down and I certainly don’t want to tear the employees down. That being said, I’ve communicated and talked with the council members, and even Mr. Mabry, and there are some things that are definitely going to change. We’ll move the city forward and go from there.”

Only one of the supportive employees at the meeting spoke, but many echoed privately the same thoughts expressed to the council by Chief Building Inspector James Moran.

“I’ve been here eight years and I’ve been through five city managers (counting Community Development Manager Eric Lacefield, interim city manager before Mabry),” Moran said. “Mr. Mabry is probably the best city manager and I hate to see him go, I really do. The man has experience, he knows his law, he knows what he’s doing, and I just hope in the future when we do get another city manager that a lot of thought is put into the gentleman that is hired, someone with experience, to really look at his background and his knowledge of the law.

“I really hate to see Mr. Mabry go. If there was any way possible way that we could keep him I’d bend over backwards to help with that situation, but I know Mr. Mabry is going to do what’s best for Mr. Mabry, and you can’t blame the man.”