Tuesday March 19th, 2024 5:31AM

Demorest residents square off over Crumley

DEMOREST - Many people attending Monday night's Demorest City Council work session had one thing on their mind - the future of City Clerk Juanita Crumley's employment. <br /> <br /> Crumley's friends, family and several lifelong city residents spoke on her behalf. <br /> <br /> A handful of others asked the mayor and council to eliminate her recently-reduced job entirely. <br /> <br /> Crumley was just reassigned from the higher position of city manager/clerk (which included functioning as city treasurer) to city clerk. <br /> <br /> Supporters said the city would be losing 39 years' worth of institutional knowledge if Crumley is fired, pointing out Crumley has dedicated her life to the city. <br /> <br /> Former Councilwoman Florence Wikle, however, said the city can't afford to keep Crumley as city clerk if it proceeds with plans to hire a new city manager and new finance officer. <br /> <br /> An investigation by two former GBI agents is continuing into $598,000 in funds missing from the city. <br /> <br /> "I want to make sure that everyone in the room understands that no one on this council, including myself, has implicated Ms. Crumley as having anything to do with the missing money," Mayor Rick Austin said.
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